For most children, nothing beats waking up to find out it's a snow day, but for parents, a day off school is often a scramble to find someone to watch their kids.

Parent Brad Way was lucky when his son's school was closed Monday, because his office was also closed. But when schools closed again the next day, one thought overwhelmed him: "The panic of what I'm going to do for childcare."

Way said he understands schools are closed because of a safety issue for kids or teachers, but that it's a challenge "every single time," trying to figure out in just a few hours whether his son's grandparents are able to watch him, or whether he or his son's mother will have to take the day off work. He was able to drop his son off at the local recreation centre, but sometimes the spots are filled.

Already stressed out from the struggle, it's frustrating for some when the day brings blue, sunny skies.

So why do schools close when the weather isn't actually that bad? CTV News went to Surrey, one of the province's fastest-growing public school districts, to find out. Its schools were closed for a second day Tuesday.

Several factors behind the decision to close

Doug Strachan, communications manager for Surrey schools, said several factors are taken into consideration before districts decide to make the call. One of those factors is the difficulty of getting all 125 of the district's facilities cleared in time for the morning bell. The schools need to be safe for parents, students and teachers to access its grounds.

Another factor is that while most students will live in the same neighbourhood as the school, teachers don't necessarily live nearby and have to drive to work.

Strachan said schools work with the city and hope that municipal crews will "prioritize the routes to school." At the same time, districts' facilities crews get to work clearing sidewalks, walkways and parking lots.

"We have to get some salt down and clear a path to the school," Strachan said, adding that they also have to assess any trees damaged from the weight of the snow.

Surrey's school district covers a large area, so other members of facilities staff are sent into the different quadrants of the city, asked to report back about the conditions by around 5:30 a.m.

"It's done in a very tight timeframe," Strachan said.

Tuesday turned out to be what Strachan called a "beautiful day," but he added that it depends on the school. While one school may be "workable," another could be completely different.

He added that schools and streets may be fine by the afternoon, but there had been "very little clearing in the early hours when school would have started."

Can school districts make the call the night before?

When the snow started to fall Monday afternoon, several districts in the Lower Mainland announced they'd be closed again Tuesday, giving parents a helpful head start on finding accommodations for their children. But while Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission and others announced the closures before 6 p.m. Monday, Surrey staff held off until 6 a.m. the next day.

Strachan said the main reason his district doesn't make the call the day before is that the weather can change quickly. The forecast and conditions at 10 p.m. could lead the district to say schools are not closed, but then an overnight dump of snow could drastically change things, and they'd have to go back on their decision.

Alternately, schools may make the decision to close the night before, then face a clear day if the forecast is wrong. And often, at least in District 36, conditions are so varied that some areas see heavy snow and some see none at all.

"It doesn't make sense to close a whole district and give up that instructional day for every student in the district when really we could have probably closed maybe two or three schools or a region of schools," he said.

"We do the best we can in a short timeframe to get a good picture of the district, region-wide, and make the call in a short timeframe to give parents enough time."

With an interview from CTV Vancouver's Nafeesa Karim