Finding Childcare Options In The Summer
Childcare proves to be a difficult challenge for parents everywhere. But for parents of school-aged children, it presents a difficult and inconsistent challenge.
During the school year, parents can rely on their children being taught and cared for by the teachers at their child’s school. But in the summer, this environment dissipates, and parents are left to find care in other ways.
In this post, we outline some of the traditional and non-traditional options parents have for child care during the summer so you can weigh the options that are best and readily available for your family.
In-Home Babysitters & Nannies
Perhaps the most common summer childcare solution is hiring a babysitter or nanny for the summer months.
Remember, summer isn’t just a hiatus for children, it’s also a large gap for college students and public school teachers.
If you are financially able, consider hiring a college student seeking a degree in child development or education. This will provide them experience toward their future career, and get you someone slightly more qualified than the 7th grader up the street. If you live close to a college or university, reach out to department heads to post the job for their students so you can conduct interviews (or just ask the professors to send you a student they already trust and highly recommend).
You may also consider hiring a licensed educator during this time. Teachers frequently take second jobs in the summertime, and watching over a few children without the burdens of lesson planning and implementation still feels like a huge break to them. If you can compete with the wages at Starbucks, DoorDash, or Hobby Lobby, a teacher may see your family as a better option for their summer side hustle.
Neighborhood Groups
If you live in a neighborhood or an apartment complex with many kids of a similar age, consider teaming up with other parents on the block.
If one of them is a stay-at-home parent or a teacher who is off during the summers, you can offer to pay them to watch your children along with theirs or assist them in other creative ways. If you’re an accountant, consider filing their taxes for free next April. Or if you’re a fabulous cook, offer to make them dinner once a week as a trade.
And, with technology on the rise, these groups are easier to formulate than ever before. If there’s no one in your physical neighborhood that is able to assist, hop onto some parenting Facebook groups to locate other parents in your area. No one knows the struggle of parenting better than other parents, and you’d be surprised how many of them would be willing to assist, or at least help you find a creative solution.
Grandparents & Other Relatives
They say it takes a village to raise a child, and during the summer, nothing could be more true.
If you live close to your parents, in-laws, or other relatives, ask if they’d be willing to take the kids during the day. Retired grandparents are perfect and usually very willing to commit to this job, as are many aunts and uncles who may work from home or have flexible work schedules.
You can always offer to pay them if you wish, but if they’re a relative who already pours a lot of their time and energy into loving on your child, it’s not uncommon for them to offer their care for free.
Community Youth Programs
If you live in a suburban or urban area, however, you have some unique options that are likely available to you.
Community youth programs such as the Boys & Girls Club, YMCA, and other similar organizations frequently have after-school and summer programs available to school-aged children.
Enrollment will likely require a fee to pay the staff and the building utilities, but it’s worth noting that your child will likely get far more activity and socialization in a program like this than they will at home with a relative or a nanny. Not to mention, staff at a large organization like this will already be qualified and background-checked for your child’s safety.
Recreation Centers
Recreation Centers are also common in urban and suburban areas, and can really cater to your child’s specific interests. While these are not proper “caregiving” centers, they can absolutely keep your child busy for a few hours if you need to run errands or get a few hours of virtual work done.
Common recreation centers include dance studios, karate centers, theater programs, equestrian camps, and more! Just take a moment to analyze your child’s interests and take to google to see what’s available to you this summer.
The same rules apply… Enrollment will likely require a fee, but many parents find the fee worth it if it means their child will be doing something active and constructive.
Summer Camps
Summer Camps are another wonderful option for parents seeking summer care for their active children. There are dance camps, sports camps, art camps, and more available to children in many different locations, so it’s worth searching for one that will be of interest to your particular children.
Summer Camp enrollment also has the added benefit of choosing a schedule. You can choose a camp with daytime enrollment (meaning your child will return home each night after camp concludes), or an on-site camp (where your child will pack and travel to another location for a week or two to attend the camp).
Just note, if your child attends an on-site camp, enrollment usually only lasts 1 week, 2 weeks, or a month tops, so alternative arrangements will still need to be made throughout the rest of the summer.
Church Groups
If you are religious and plugged into a church in your community, there may be many options available to your children here.
Many churches have Vacation Bible School and other daytime care activities for school-aged children, and some would even be happy to have older elementary students come to help out in the nursery or at VBS.
This is a great option if your child is fairly self-sufficient, but not quite old enough or able to stay at home alone. They have the liberty of feeling like one of the “adults” or “college leaders” helping out, but they’re also under the supervision of true adults if an emergency arises.
Summer School
This is probably the least appealing option, especially for the kids, but many schools and education programs do offer Summer School.
Gone are the days when Summer School is meant for those who didn’t pass and needed to catch up… The optional summer school programs that exist at most schools today are actually lighter workloads of curriculum and geared toward more fun, hands-on learning than the traditional classroom environment.
These programs are also taught by licensed educators, so you know they’re learning something constructive and always cared for by a vetted, background-checked individual.
But even if traditional summer school doesn’t seem right for your child, other summer learning opportunities may exist at local museums, the public library, or community centers. And the best part is, they’re usually free!
Only you can know what’s best for your children, your schedule, and your family, but our main goal is always to make sure you have access to all your options.
