Let's do a summer childcare frustration thread!!!!

[jaybirdsmommy]

Not really, but my summer childcare plan for my youngest just crashed and burned. School gets out May 21. I can't have in-home care for reasons I don't want to go into and I really only need someplace for him to go in the morning.

I think that if someone here were to offer a quality day camp program in the summer with options for morning, afternoon, or all day they'd make a killing. Especially if they could take more than 20 kids a week.

Here's what I'd like: active play, educational activities, arts and crafts, reasonably priced (local average is $150/week for daycare summer programs to lay around and play video games or watch TV all day), and flexible (I don't want to have to sign up for the entire summer, just the weeks I need, another issue with daycare programs.)

What's your ideal summer program or camp? Anyone found anything really cool for your elementary school aged kid?


So far we've got cubscout day camp, bug camp, Winshape, and rock band camp. He hated the childrens theater camp last year, and none of the art camps offer mornings. Parks and rec offers an awesome day camp at one of the local pools, but it literally fills up within 5 minutes of registration opening - in February.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

My kids stopped going to daycare when they were like 9 or 10, but before that we had a lady we used at her house. She had a pool and a son DS13's age (the are still best friends to this day).

There are hundreds of summer camp programs that you can pay for by the week in our area. It seems like every venue around has jumped on the "camp" bandwagon, so if I wanted to send my kids somewhere, I would not have a problem finding a place. Thankfully we are out of that stage in our lives, but FWIW, I would love to go back to those days than worry about and pay for my oldest who is in college now. We've spent more on him in this one year since he's been away at college than we ever did for daycare!

Good luck!

 

[dreamer17555]

Mine loves our local YMCA daycamp. Outings twice a week and daily swimming. Keeps him very busy and happy.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Mine loves our local YMCA daycamp. Outings twice a week and daily swimming. Keeps him very busy and happy.

That sounds like our parks and rec camp. They do the best, most random activities - basically whoever will host or come visit that week. Plus, you could just sign up for the weeks you wanted instead of having to pay for the whole summer.

My oldest did it every year, on registration day people would start lining up the night before. When the office opened in the morning the lady would take a count and let everyone beyond a certain point in line know that they'd be wait listed, then everyone beyond another point would just be told to leave, there was no point in them waiting.

I REALLY wish we had more programs like that in town, there's obviously a need for it.

 

[siren0119]

Here's my frustration. There are several enrichment programs available in our area. Reasonably priced, and focused on activities my kids would really enjoy. EVERY LAST ONE of them either is only for a half day, or ends at 1-2pm. I work full time days, my husband works evenings. We are a one-car family, so he doesn't have a car to do pickups/dropoffs during my work hours. He is home during the day so we don't need full time daycare or camp, nor can we swing the cost ($250 per kid per week in our area just for the Y camp). I feel like my situation can't be THAT unique!

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

Here's my frustration. There are several enrichment programs available in our area. Reasonably priced, and focused on activities my kids would really enjoy. EVERY LAST ONE of them either is only for a half day, or ends at 1-2pm. I work full time days, my husband works evenings. We are a one-car family, so he doesn't have a car to do pickups/dropoffs during my work hours. He is home during the day so we don't need full time daycare or camp, nor can we swing the cost ($250 per kid per week in our area just for the Y camp). I feel like my situation can't be THAT unique!

Nope, you're not alone. This is the first year we've only needed half days. Previous years have been a struggle to find full day programs. With the exception of daycare programs and the parks and rec camp, almost everything is half day.

 

[mjkacmom]

There is a program in my town at a playground, 9 - 4, free with adult counselors, for kids 7 - 14. You can go whatever days you like, but can’t leave until 4 unless signed out by an adult. I don’t know what they do in the rain though, might be canceled.

 

[cabanafrau]

Check your community college. Ours runs programs that are more interesting than a lot of the typical stuff you see from rec dept. and other providers.

 

[Magical2017]

Maybe someone knows a teacher looking to do childcare over the summer. I would check with friends who may know someone.

Camps offer these options for older children. Some camp prices can be as much as $400/week aound here, though. Even the Y camps for members is often more than $150/week.

 

[Turn the Page]

Here's my frustration. There are several enrichment programs available in our area. Reasonably priced, and focused on activities my kids would really enjoy. EVERY LAST ONE of them either is only for a half day, or ends at 1-2pm. I work full time days, my husband works evenings. We are a one-car family, so he doesn't have a car to do pickups/dropoffs during my work hours. He is home during the day so we don't need full time daycare or camp, nor can we swing the cost ($250 per kid per week in our area just for the Y camp). I feel like my situation can't be THAT unique!

YES!!!!!! A few years ago another mom and I were chatting while our kids played on the playground after school. It was about this time of year so we were talking about plans for the summer and activities available and such. Just then, one of the teachers walks out and says "I just think it is so great how many activities are available for kids in the summer in our area!!" I just looked at her and said "yeah, they are all for a half day or get done at 2 or 3 in the afternoon. Unless you have a stay at home parent your child can't do any of those because parents can't leave work to go pick them up in the middle of the day." The teacher just looked at us with this dumdfounded expression on our face like she had never realized that not everyone can get their kids at all hours of the day. She sort of hemmed and hawed for a few seconds and then commented that there was a musical theater program that went until 5. Yeah, that is for one week and costs about $300 and pick up is promptly at 5 so unless you work right next to the school you're out of luck.

 

[neverlandsky]

Boys and Girls Club or the County/City Parks and recreation that have programs that go from 7am-5pm. They have scholarships and pay assistance as well. Our local Boys and Girls Club was $1250 for the entire summer.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

I have seen a lot of moms use the local vacation bible schools at churches as a daycare substitute here.

Here the local bowling alley has a camp you could do

Also our local gym has a program

Our state university has a program. There is so much competition just to be a counselor here.

Best of luck finding a camp!

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

We are in the same situation this summer. our boys are a little bit older, they will be going into grades 7&8 and there is just about nothing for teens where we live. I am a full time students and have to take some classes this summer, this is the semester they have to be done. DH worked full time about 40 minutes away from home. Two of my classes are on Tues & Thurs and I will be gone all day. (9-5) DS's can stay home by themselves for a few hours, but after about hour 3 I start to get the phone calls and texts that their fighting or doing something their not allowed to be, or hes being mean, or doing this or that.

I don't want to leave them home all summer, bingeing on fortnite 8 hours a day & fighting. Our school district is big into team sports doing lilttle 4 day "camps" as fundraisers for the team. I mean just about every single schools sport runs some kind of "camp" They are all only Mon-Thurs and are all strictly 9am-12noon. But there are no providers for anything for the middle school ages where they don't need to be babysat, but don't need to run loose 8-9 hours a day either.

It is DEF not like when we were kids where our parents went to work all day, the kids stayed home, you rode your bikes, played outside with your friends, and we just behaved.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

I have seen a lot of moms use the local vacation bible schools at churches as a daycare substitute here.

Here the local bowling alley has a camp you could do

Also our local gym has a program

Our state university has a program. There is so much competition just to be a counselor here.

Best of luck finding a camp!

I checked on the bible schools - most are already full (a lot of churches seem to be running them the week after school gets out this year) or are for weeks we have something else going on. The ones that aren't full are running franchised camps. Ours is doing Winshape, which I though was a little pricey at $195/week until I saw another church doing one that was $280/week. That one is an option if nothing else works out but I will definitely quit complaining about ours being expensive. He's waitlisted for another camp that week, hopefully it'll come through.

I will check the gyms, hadn't thought about those. The trampoline place did one last year, too.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

It is DEF not like when we were kids where our parents went to work all day, the kids stayed home, you rode your bikes, played outside with your friends, and we just behaved.

I don't think we necessarily behaved better, we just knew better than to call our parents at work to tell them our brother (or sister) was bothering us.

 

[tvguy]

We have a wide variety of summer programs here. But they aren't cheap. YMCA is cheapest at $175 a week.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

I don't think we necessarily behaved better, we just knew better than to call our parents at work to tell them our brother (or sister) was bothering us.

Agreed!!! I was the 2nd oldest of 5 girls, and my mom went back to work when I was in 5th grade, my older sister was in 6th. We watched our little sibs all day - no daycare for us back in the day!

We fought, we cried, we ran through the house like crazy people, we chased each other with glasses of ice water, we even pretended like a tornado was coming one stormy afternoon and convinced our little sisters to sit in the bedroom closet "to be safe" lol and they fell asleep there for hours - easiest babysitting job we ever had! But we NEVER, EVER called our mom to tattle, always said "we're just fine!" when she call to check (even if I was crying from being punched or sat on and made to give up my candy to my older sister 5 minutes before that!) and 30 minutes before she got home we whipped it into gear and got the house cleaned up.

Ahhhh....the good times. Kids learned how to get along, problem solve, and keep themselves busy. What have we done to these kids today!! There's a "camp" for everything, kids are in daycare until high school, and mom emails the college professor. Geesh.

 

[gotomu212]

Agreed!!! I was the 2nd oldest of 5 girls, and my mom went back to work when I was in 5th grade, my older sister was in 6th. We watched our little sibs all day - no daycare for us back in the day!

We fought, we cried, we ran through the house like crazy people, we chased each other with glasses of ice water, we even pretended like a tornado was coming one stormy afternoon and convinced our little sisters to sit in the bedroom closet "to be safe" lol and they fell asleep there for hours - easiest babysitting job we ever had! But we NEVER, EVER called our mom to tattle, always said "we're just fine!" when she call to check (even if I was crying from being punched or sat on and made to give up my candy to my older sister 5 minutes before that!) and 30 minutes before she got home we whipped it into gear and got the house cleaned up.

Ahhhh....the good times. Kids learned how to get along, problem solve, and keep themselves busy. What have we done to these kids today!! There's a "camp" for everything, kids are in daycare until high school, and mom emails the college professor. Geesh.

The good ole days. I vividly remember the time I stole my brother’s easter basket and ran into my room and locked the door (I can’t believe I did that because taking the Easter or Halloween candy was a huge violation of the kid code). He was so mad he threw his shoe at the door and he actually put a baseball size hole in one side. We were both like oh crap how are we going to hide this, 10 minutes later we had one of those school bumper sticks over the hole, candy restored, and when my parents walked in we were sitting on the couch watching TV saying everything’s good. It took them about a year to find out there was a hole under the sticker.

I also dressed up in my older sisters homecoming and prom dresses and drank apple juice out of champagne flutes while I walked around he house pretending I was in a soap opera...such a weirdo.

 

[AP1209]

Oh man, summer camp time. Luckily I have a flexible schedule/work from home so I can pick up and drop off whenever. There are tons of full day camps in my area but they can be pricey. We are taking it easy this year with camps. 2 weeks of half day art camp and a week of tennis camp for DD. DS is only 4 and will just continue going to his daycare which is basically year round. Oh and 2 weeks at grandma's in July (woo hoo!)

 

[Boardwalk Jedi]

I run a town funded camp that ends at noon. If the parents aren't getting the kids, then it's grandparents, neighbors, or friends. A few people have complained that I should make it a full day camp. No way. Aside from limited budget, the kids would be heat stroked. We have tried a few times to coordinate with the local Y to transport the kids to their program after our's ends. But no one really signs up because they feel it's too expensive....which always amazes me too. My particular program has so many parents that drive late model cars, have huge houses, go on expensive vacations, and dress quite nicely. Yet they complain to me about the cost of reasonably priced daycare.