The only truly full day option I've found is the day camp our gym runs...it's 9a-4p but you can opt in to before and after care at no additional cost (you just have to tell them if you think you'll need it or not for staffing purposes), and costs almost $300/week. Which is an amazing deal. I get why the sport camps aren't full day, but for the general day camps the hours and cost blow my mind.
Currently I've got Kid #1 signed up for 4 weeks of gym camp through July and early August, and may throw in more depending on what we decide re: vacation. So we're at about $1200, and still have two "full day" (9a-2p and 9a-3p) and one half day soccer camp to get registered for that are all in June. My parents and ILs are able to help us out as well which is a HUGE help.
Kid #2 will go to the sitter's as usual all summer and thank the lord for that.
Post by thebreakfastclub on Feb 2, 2024 13:32:49 GMT -5
I love our community rec camp, runs 7:30-5:30 for $185 per week. It's at a big community center/park/pool complex, and they swim every day and have various themes.
Omg yes! This drove me nuts. It’s like summer camps are made just for stay at home parents. I really do not understand why society can’t finally realize many families have 2 parents working. Nothing is designed for that. I don’t think anything I ever found was a reasonable timeframe. Some had the option to pay ridiculous extra fees to do before care and after care. Why is that not your default!
Post by midwestmama on Feb 2, 2024 14:03:55 GMT -5
Oh yes, the schedule/hours horrible (if not impossible) for working parents. DH and I have some flexibility in our work hours and WFH a few days a week, so usually between the two of us, we can figure out rides.
However, hours are bad not just summer camps/programs, but sports as well. DS will be starting HS football conditioning and practices this summer, and my saving grace are that he has a few close friends who have a parent who is a teacher and live close enough that they are willing to help with rides to/from practice.
Were you the one that posted that you child didn't want to do the local rec camp? If you aren't doing that then I feel like everything else is such a pain time wise and so spendy. And even our rec camp for all summer adds up.
We have 2 camps scheduled that are 9-3. Debating if I would send to the kids to a 9-12 camp, I've done them before and they are major PITA.
Then we have 2 sleepaway camps that require a lot of driving for drop off and pick up. Camp grandparents also requires days off work for drop off and pick up. The specialty sports camp is $320 ish for the week per kid. And many speciality camps go up to $500 per kid for crap hours.
Were you the one that posted that you child didn't want to do the local rec camp? If you aren't doing that then I feel like everything else is such a pain time wise and so spendy. And even our rec camp for all summer adds up.
We have 2 camps scheduled that are 9-3. Debating if I would send to the kids to a 9-12 camp, I've done them before and they are major PITA.
Then we have 2 sleepaway camps that require a lot of driving for drop off and pick up. Camp grandparents also requires days off work for drop off and pick up. The specialty sports camp is $320 ish for the week per kid. And many speciality camps go up to $500 per kid for crap hours.
I believe I did post that. And I don't blame her - it's geared toward younger kids. We're doing a bunch of sports and art camps so far. I am hopeful that one of her friend's older sister will want to babysit after some of the sports ones - and that the mom will just ferry my kid to their house until I pick her up. This isn't as presumptuous as it sounds - we do similar things for each other all the time and she told me her oldest wanted to earn some babysitting money this summer and I should use her.
I've pretty much just come to terms with the fact that our summers will be $$$. And that if it doesn't work for my schedule my kid isn't doing it. Also--we do the same camp for most of the summer.
hermione, we are in the same situation with my 11 year old not wanting to do the Park District camps which are our version of Rec camps here. But since Girl Scout camps closed down and everything else is kind of a far drive where she doesn't know anyone else. She did not like the school summer camp and aged out of church summer camp. So all that is left are the $$ specialty 9-3 or 9-12 camps. Double the price for less hours.
I've pretty much just come to terms with the fact that our summers will be $$$. And that if it doesn't work for my schedule my kid isn't doing it. Also--we do the same camp for most of the summer.
We did this for many years, but now my tweens and teens are rebelling a bit on it. Maybe around 6-7 years total.
hermione , we are in the same situation with my 11 year old not wanting to do the Park District camps which are our version of Rec camps here. But since Girl Scout camps closed down and everything else is kind of a far drive where she doesn't know anyone else. She did not like the school summer camp and aged out of church summer camp. So all that is left are the $$ specialty 9-3 or 9-12 camps. Double the price for less hours.
I jokingly told my director that we could make bank running a tween summer camp at the library every summer.
hermione , we are in the same situation with my 11 year old not wanting to do the Park District camps which are our version of Rec camps here. But since Girl Scout camps closed down and everything else is kind of a far drive where she doesn't know anyone else. She did not like the school summer camp and aged out of church summer camp. So all that is left are the $$ specialty 9-3 or 9-12 camps. Double the price for less hours.
I jokingly told my director that we could make bank running a tween summer camp at the library every summer.
I mean, they are basically here anyway all summer. Not really tweens specifically, but whole families. Summer reading camp? Charge lower prices and offer hammocks and reading lol.
We typically do 5 weeks of camp (I use 2 weeks of vacation and my parents will have DS at their house for 2 weeks, which leaves 5 to cover). Most of the camps cover working hours, but some we need to pay an extra daily fee for extended before/aftercare, which drives the price up.
We’ll be paying our usual $1,600ish for the summer. I predict it’ll be trickier next year when DS is 12 and fewer camps will appeal to him…
momin2013, that is something to consider. Sometimes I have taken 1 week and sometimes I have taken 2 weeks off in the summer. The one is a family vacation. The other one has gotten trickier, sometimes it was a couples trip, sometimes it was for a camp with weird hours. DS did one wildly successful special needs biking camp, and then we had one that was an awful camp (luckily only 1.5 hours per day). So I stopped taking off for camps, but maybe I should take off when they are both at home doing nothing. Or maybe 2 weeks of Mon-Wed.
Piecing camps together is the worst. We used to do a lot of one off week long camps until carting 2 kids 2 different places became too much. Last year, we did camp for both kids at a local tae kwon do camp. Their hours are not typical-730-6- but work great. Still $$$, but more convenient than what we'd been doing before. This is the last year my older kid can/will attend.
Ohhh we also pay a bit more to have one drop off. Hard no to carting them different places if it can be avoided. My older one has been taking a bus to camp from my younger ones daycare for a few years. If they can’t agree in the future on one camp then mom will pick.
I just finalized summer camp planning and sign up yesterday as it was the opening day for Y Day Camp. Total: $16,500 for 10 weeks of care for 4 kids. This includes 4 weeks of sleep away Spanish camp for DS1, 2 weeks sleep away Arabic camp for DS1, and 2 weeks sleep away Spanish camp for DS2
It does not include one week of care after school gets out and one week of care before school starts
It also doesn’t include care for DS1 when he’s not at sleep away camp (total 6 weeks) and I have no idea what I’m going to do with him. He’s 12 and I think Y camp will be boring for him and there aren’t any other options for his age.
I hate having to do this. I can’t wait until they’re older.
This is my first year trying to figure this out. DD was at her aftercare last summer. I think we will do the free public school summer science camp, it runs like the regular school day, but there is a bus. DD can walk home from the bus stop. That should take care of 4 weeks in July, I have a week of overnight GS camp and two weeks of vacation in August. This still leaves a week in June and a couple weeks in August. It doesn't help that the won't release when the first day of school is, or the dates of the summer science camp until like April. My schedule is riding on science camp going from 7/1-7/26. I haven't found anything that runs a full day yet, the best I found was 9-4, but it's 40 minutes away and is actually a separate morning and afternoon program where they'll let the kids stay in between, but it only runs in July and would cost like $600 a week.
Four kids here so it’s insane. Camps for three (one is in year round preschool). My older ones (11 and 10) could stay home to save $ but they would just use screens and eat crap and make my workdays more stressful. I think a babysitter who could drive them to fun places would be pretty equivalent in costs, but then I’d have to manage someone and activities and they’d still want to do some camps, so I think it would be more stress and not any real cost savings.
So, back to coordinating summer camp for 3 kids. Our main saving grace is that summer break is only 8 weeks here (modified year round school schedule with more breaks during the school year), and we’re on vacation for two of those weeks, so at least it’s only 6 weeks instead of like 12 if we had a different school schedule. Oh and another saving grace is that our ymca has fun camp options and the day is 8-4 with the option to pay for aftercare. At least we have full workday coverage.
The older two do a week of sleepaway camp for $1000 each and then the other camps tend to average around $300-$350. So summer costs me at least $7k in camp costs. But I am the one who had four kids 🤣 It’s time to get my spreadsheet going and text chains with other parents so they’re coordinated with friends.
DD1 is going to the twins' daycare for the summer for $225/week because it was the easiest and one of the cheapest options. I figured the Y might have a decent and easy program too that we might do a couple weeks of... $360/week. Nope! It's so crazy, and I don't know what we'll do next year when she's probably too old to do the daycare thing. The times are all dumb and the costs are crazy! And so many half day options, who is doing these?!
Anyone else want to rant about the cost and times? WHY do they schedule 10am-3pm. That works for absolutely no working parent.
So far we are at $1410 and have 5/11 weeks covered - hopefully. I am worried about dates overlapping for a couple. Hoping to stay under $3k.
Here a lot of stuff is 9-4 with extended day being either 9-5 or if you're lucky 8-5.
Only Boys & Girls Club -- which has support for working parents as part of its mission -- is 8-6. Thankfully their summer programming is pretty good, so that's our "home base" camp. That cuts down on the planning chaos a lot.
Almost everything here is $300/week or more. The priciest camps are like $550/600 once you include aftercare.
I think $60/day is pretty reasonable given wages here, but I am definitely considering letting V (10) try at least one week without camp.
We need to start figuring this out…I hate that it’s so early and we’re already booking out our summer. The cost is absolutely ridiculous, and we only have one kid!!! It’ll still probably set us back about $3k for the summer.
Same icedcoffee - I figure out which location they can all go to each week (our ymca uses multiple locations) and give them only the camp options there. A lot of my friends (including WP) will bend over backward to get their kids to the perfect camp with the perfect group of friends and make themselves miserable with the logistics.
Post by redheadbaker on Feb 2, 2024 23:27:05 GMT -5
We can only afford to send DS 4 days a week for 7 out of the 9 weeks with no before or after care -- that alone is $3.7K. Thank goodness at least H or I will be working at home each day of the week (stupid return to office mandate ) and both of my parents are retired, so he could go there for the day if needed.