What do YOU pay for summer daycare?

[Kimmielee]

I'm a Single Mom, with a career... I work full time so my DS (6) is in a daycare "summer camp" for the summer. It's running about $225 a week including one field trip each week.

Is it the norm for the rest of the country to add an extra $900 a month to the budget while school is out?

 

[debster812]

I'm a Single Mom, with a career... I work full time so my DS (6) is in a daycare "summer camp" for the summer. It's running about $225 a week including one field trip each week.

Is it the norm for the rest of the country to add an extra $900 a month to the budget while school is out?

More money for us.

DS is at a Y Day Camp, which runs us $352 for a 2 week session. That goes for 4 sessions. There are also 2 weeks at the beginning and end of the summer of 'vacation camp' because the different towns have different start and finish dates for school. Vacation Camp is $32/day, and he's usually there for 3 days a week. So we're at about $1500 for the summer. Normally his day care is $52/week.

I try to stash his camp money throughout the year, so it's not a huge crunch, but it doesn't always work out.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I think it really varies around here depending on the camp. A person can go cheaper if it's a county camp or home daycare, especially with a lot of other kids in a home daycare. When I did summer home daycare, I wasn't cheap, but I only had my kids plus another family or two so could charge a premium since we were on the go a lot.

Other camps such as excursion camps that visit a different amusement park each day are more expensive, as are horseback camps, etc. I'd have to look up what our local camp at our community center costs. It's what a lot of our local kids do since it's close by, fun, and filled with local kids (ie, friends from school).

The kicker for someone like me is that I'm paying for my kids to go somewhere when I'm home. My 12yo isn't doing much this summer, but my 6yo is going to a 9-3 camp for all of July. The 12yo is going for 2 weeks in July. My 15yo was in camp last week--for a M-Th camp it was $250 (or maybe $200, I don't have it in front of me). That's a lot of money!

 

[Nite0wl71]

For 7 years my DD went to the park district day camp. This year it is $210 for 6 weeks, that includes lunch every day, one field trip a week, swimming lessons and it is from 9-3.

This year she was to old (13) so she became a Jr Counselor and gets the same benefits only I don't have to pay

 

[kaw1218]

Summer day camps around here run from $175(the ymca- day care really) to about $400 a week. Its really quite expensive.

 

[Marseeya]

Our camps are free.

 

[Melrosgirl]

Our school district sponsors a "playground" summer camp here. It's $80 for the ENTIRE SUMMER (8 weeks). Can't beat that! Supervised by local university students, outdoor play, indoor crafts and water activities at the local elementary school.

 

[CF'er]

here are around 80-120 per week per child. That usually comes with a 150-200 camp fee that pays for all the activities they do and lunch/snack.

This isn't a themed camp or Y camp. They are more.

Luckily I am home this summer and don't have to pay out the extra $$. I was working last summer just to pay daycare it seemed. I can say the kids did more last summer though so I am feeling a bit guilty.

 

[JayCT]

Our kids go to a summer camp run by the Town Parks and Recreation Department. It is held at their elementary school and is wonderful. They do a lot of fun things like swimming, roller skating, etc. The counselers are college kids. It isn't expensive ($200 for 2 weeks) but it is only from 9:00 to 3:00 and does not run the full summer. We have a couple of weeks in August with nothing for them to do. DW isn't usually busy in August, so it gives us an excuse to go on vacation. Jay

 

[MUFFYCAT]

my dd goes to local school camp it $200 a week plus trips and they bring their lunch. she goes for 8 weeks.
it is the cheapest full time day camp. the others run $4000+

 

[Blondy876]

My girls go 2 days a week from 7:30 to 4:30 and they bring lunch. It's $640 a month . But both my girls get bored sitting around and they both love going.

 

[micki7337]

Camp is outrageous in my area. We are paying $350 a week for DD 10 ($1400 month) and $280 a week for DD 6 ($1120 month) - and that's for just "general" camp. They up the cost if we want to do any specials, i.e., horse back riding, tennis lessons, etc..

 

[mylilnikita]

DD7 goes to our Parks and Recreation program during school, then for summer they have a program at her school, 5 days a week is $75.00 a week that includes 2 snacks, we provide the lunch, goes from 6:50 am to 6:30 pm, and has at least 5 field trips that I can think of for the summer. Plus these kids are fellow students, so that makes it better. It started the week following school getting out and then stops right before school goes back into session.
Being a single working Mom, I am very thankful the program exists.

 

[barkley]

my kids no longer go (i'm home ft)-but when they went to the summer version of the same "daycare" (it's still daycare at the same place-they just promoted it as "summer camp" to entice those who normaly did not attend to use it as a summer stop-gap for daycare) they used during the school year it ran at least 25-40% more. the reasoning was that older kids were not used to being in full time "day care" and the regular activities that kept them occupied for a few hours a day would no way keep them occupied for 8-10 hours per day. so they added weekley field trips and enhanced activites on site which they rolled into our cost. so in addition to paying an increased amount cuz the kids were in day-care for a much longer period each day (during the school year they went for maybe an hour before and 2 hours after-during summer they were in for that plus the normal school hours) we were being charged a premium for it being a "summer camp"-figure about 100% more than what we paid during the school year .

another program the kids did for one summer tried to keep cost down during the summer by making the bulk of the day resemble the regular school year schedual with the kids in "classes"-since teachers were not available the kids did "enrichment" stuff that mirrored the subjects they normaly studied at given hours each day, figuring the kids would then still enjoy the existing equipment/activities. the kids hated it and complained it was like getting no summer vacation at all (can't say i blame them-it was pretty much "keep busy" type work).

i'm just glad i no longer have to use daycare-dd is going to a great 2 week sleep away camp in a few weeks and all inclusive it still runs less than i'de pay for 2 weeks of daycare so i tend to think that while not all daycares do, many charge a premium for the periods of time when school is not in session and the parents HAVE to use it.

 

[Florida_Mom]

I hired a college student from our church that's home for the summer. I pay her $150 for a week of half days (12:30-5) plus the cost of the activities that she takes my DS5 to.

My older DS goes to sailing camp, and that's about $125/week. He doesn't do that every week, though. We've got him scheduled for art camp later on in the summer.