It said as two in five women over the age of 50 have school-age children, employers should remember older workers also have childcare commitments.
The TUC survey of older workers, conducted as part of its Age Immaterial campaign looking at the needs of the over-50s at work, said employers need to understand that parents' caring responsibilities don't end when their child starts school.
It criticised employers and the Government for focusing on the childcare needs of parents with pre-school children.
The TUC called for employers to understand that many of their older employees are also juggling work and family commitments.
It is also calling on the Government to address the "patch provision" and "spiraling costs" of after-school and school holiday care.
Sarah Jackson, chief executive of work-life balance organisation Working Families, said: "Childcare and flexible working hours are not just concerns for new mothers, and certainly not just for young women.
"Good employers will recognise the business benefits of retaining the experience and expertise of older men and women and will offer flexibility to allow parents to fill the childcare gaps."
TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said while most schoolchildren look forward to the holidays, it can be "worrying time" for parents.
"With wages undergoing the sharpest squeeze in a hundred years, the cost of holiday clubs, particularly for families with more than one child, can be beyond the means of many working parents," said O'Grady.
