Who watches your kiddos in the summer

[Scrappygrrl]

Wow -- the price differences are amazing to me. Y camp in my areas is about $125 a week. $375 seems outrageous to me!
QUOTE]

Yeah, it's expensive but it is a full on camp in the woods with lodges and firepits, nature trails, ropes course, lake swimming, kayaking, etc, etc. Sort of like an old-fashioned overnight camp but without the overnight component (although they do have that option when the kids get older - more money of course!) Includes all meals and that price does include the optional 75/week transportation. If we lived closer, and I could drop him off, it would be 250/week. I meant $325 total, not $375.

Also, I think they do have scholarships for kids in need, but I think they are for kids who are really, really in need. I think the income requirements are really stringent for that.

 

[juliebean]

Something to seriuosly suggest to your parks & rec program.... our town runs 5 morning programs at local parks, it is $75 for 8 weeks, a full day program for $400 for the summer, and a preschool half day for $100 for 7 weeks. The counselor's are mostly hs students, they earn a small stipend, and there is a teacher or college student in charge who earns a little more. Everyone benefits.

Other programs near us charge from a couple of hundred for a half day band camp for 4 weeks, my kids go there, plus a lot of week long soccer & bball camps for a couple of hundred, we usually do one or two of those...to a day camp with all the bells and whistles for $5k (not us ,lol).

It's not easy if you work! Even as they get older, I don't really want them just hanging at home all summer.

 

[Styx Fan]

I have been reading this thread with interest. Currently I am a SAHM mom and have been for the last 10 years. My kids are DS14 and DD7.

For the last couple of years I have contemplated going back to work, but what to do over days off and more importantly summer has stopped me...well that and the economy in MI not being really friendly to a returning work mom

Yeah, DS is 14, but I can't imagine leaving him home alone all day with DD. They fight like cats and dogs and would be bored out of their minds. I wouldn't be comfortable with many kids being over and there is nothing really close enough for them to walk to. Yup, I would do it if I had to in order to feed and house them, but we're not there yet. But only as a last resort does it seem like a good thing to do.

But I did get idea that maybe DS could do some babysitting this summer....he does great with kids that are not his sister Heck, if there was a kid that was friends with my daughter that needed care, I would be happy to do that. But I don't enjoy child care enough to take on younger siblings. It wouldn't be fair to take money from their parents to not provide a fun environment.

Anyone who is considering hiring a neighbor or random SAHM to watch their kids...make sure she really likes being with kids and would provide a good environment. NOT just keeping them alive and fed. I have seen the situation provided at some homes. Mom really doesn't want more kids around, just wants the money. She is cranky and just not nice to the kids. It's harder than it looks watching other peoples kids.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Almost all the school districts in the area here offer some type of summer care program, and it's about $150-175 per week. You get discounts for multiples. On top of that our parks and rec depeartment have lots of activities and daycamps, all about the same price.

I am a teacher so I'm home with the kids all summer (they are still preschool ages, though).

 

[Jedana]

one of us is home for DS all summer.

He is going to Cub Scout daycamp and Aquatics camp this year (first time!). He earned enough selling the "camp cards" to get the daycamp for free, (usually 80, runs one week for our council) and paid for all but $22 of the Aquatics (usually 170 for a week).

 

[NotUrsula]

We routinely pay about $2K for DS13' summer daycamps. Up until last year we could put them on the FSA account, but this year he is too old. He does stay home alone for a few weeks, but the entire summer would be too much time alone, so we suck it up and spend the dough.

Next year he'll be 14, so I'm going to have him do volunteer activities for a fair chunk of the summer; it's required by his highschool anyway, so he may as well get a summer jump on it.

DD is still in daycare this year, but next year she will start going to these camp programs, too. Camp is cheaper than daycare, though.

In the US, remember that daycamp expenses are allowable Dependent Care FSA expenses as long as you are working while they are at camp, and as long as they are 12 or under.

 

[WicketsMom]

I'll be glad when my son is starts school so that we're only paying that during the summertime. Currently he is in 3K preschool and we pay $200/week year-round! Only having to do that during the summer will be a bargain, and his school does offer summer programs for the school-age kids too.

 

[sk!mom]

Our DW trip planned for August with 12 nights at POP, QSDP, 10d MYW tickets and 4 RT flights is going to cost significantly less than summer childcare for 10 weeks! How does that make sense....enlighten me please!

Because you're comparing 12 days to 50 days.

Around here you could find someone to come to your house part time for less than $400 per week. I live in a college town so a college student is always a good option here in the $10 an hour range.

 

[katlas&kids]

I didn't get to read all of htese, but do check your local YMCA. Ours has a seperate prescool camp, school age through 12 (boys & girls seperate & upper & lower camp, who do different in camp activities) and a Teen camp to 15 years. And it is $85 a week per child. Also ther is scholorship help, if needed.

All activites in schoolage camp are included, though you do send thier lunch & snacks in each day. Our teen camp goes to a local amusement/theme park & the cost of that is extra, but they do swim everyday, and our Y's camp motto is " If we don't send them home tired & dirty, we didn't do our job!"

Also the elementary schools around here run summer camps with the community centers.

 

[katlas&kids]

I didn't get to read all of these, but do check your local YMCA. Ours has a seperate prescool camp, school age through 12 (boys & girls seperate & upper & lower camp, who do different camp activities) and a Teen camp to 15 years. And it is $85 a week per child. Also there is scholorship help, if needed.

All activites in schoolage camp are included, though you do send their lunch & snacks in each day. Our teen camp goes to a local amusement/theme park & the cost of that is extra, but they do swim everyday, and our Y's camp motto is " If we don't send them home tired & dirty, we didn't do our job!"

Also the elementary schools around here run summer camps with the community centers.

 

[Worfiedoodles]

We routinely pay about $2K for DS13' summer daycamps. Up until last year we could put them on the FSA account, but this year he is too old. He does stay home alone for a few weeks, but the entire summer would be too much time alone, so we suck it up and spend the dough.

Next year he'll be 14, so I'm going to have him do volunteer activities for a fair chunk of the summer; it's required by his highschool anyway, so he may as well get a summer jump on it.

In the US, remember that daycamp expenses are allowable Dependent Care FSA expenses as long as you are working while they are at camp, and as long as they are 12 or under.

I feel your pain! This is the first year as ds is now 13, and we are very disappointed to lose the dependent care FSA -- it also doesn't seem smart to me -- unsupervised 13-15 years olds can get into a lot of trouble, it's a shame the credit doesn't go up to 15...buy anyway, we are doing a scramble this year since we can't send him to Salesian Brothers Camp as he's now too old. That was $100/wk, included breakfast and lunch and we paid for field trips.

This year he's spending a week with his grandparents in Missouri, we're taking off a week to host his 12 yr. old cousin from FL, he's spending a week in CT doing United Methodist ARMY (teenagers do light household repairs and yard clean up for people who cannot, fully adult-supervised and with faith-based activities in the evening), and two weeks of UM Summer Camp $ -- Sports Camp and Night Camp. That leaves one week in July and two weeks in August. He will be home alone, and will receive random checks from my and dh. He also has a great deal of reading and book reports to prepare, so this gives him time to work on them. We'll also probably each take off days here and there, so he won't literally be home alone all week.

Normally we do a week of family vacation at the end of the summer, but $10,000 in front step repairs has reprioritized our spending We will be doing a lot of hanging out in the backyard, cookouts, and playing games -- the kind of vacations I had as a kid...

I'm hoping next summer to send him to FL for a week -- it will be my SIL's turn!

Maria