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Working moms: who watches your child over the summer break while you are at work?
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Anonymous
| When a child starts attending school during the day, what do you do with them over the summer when both parents are at work? |
Anonymous
| summer camp/nanny. |
Anonymous
| camp/parents/grandparents/take one kid to work one day a week. |
Anonymous
| nanny and husband who works at home. |
Anonymous
|
Wow. Thinking about this makes me want to quit working. I really hate summers because I feel like it robs the kids of a summer.
Last summer (08) they spent 6 weeks at their grandparents. I don't know if this will work again. Then they spent the rest of the summer with us and going to summer camps. Our youngest was at her Montessori school and our oldest went to YMCA camps which were awful. She really hated it and I know I have to start looking for a solution for next summer. |
Anonymous
| Which YMCA camp did your children attend? I am also wondering what one does with the kids dring the summer when both parents work. Can't afford a nanny and we don't have relatives close by to babysit. Yikes! I didnt think about this! |
Anonymous
| Our son goes to camp and they have an aftercare program the same as his school. So there isn't any difference in our schedule over the summer. |
Anonymous
|
If you're going to use summer camps, some of them fill up early. By about February you can start finding lists in area parenting and family magazines and online for area camps.
Just a warning. You will probably experience major sticker shock. During the school year, I pay $525 per week for care for my kids (two school aged and one under 2). Last summer, I paid at least $680 per week for the three of them and sometimes more. Some camps cost several hundred dollars a week per kid and then you have the ones I send my kids to, which were not theme camps and cost $215 per week per kid last year. When you are signing them up for camps, remember to check the hours. You might also need to purchase the extended care packages if they run only from 9:00 to 3:00 pm. |
Anonymous
| Several family vacations, FT nanny, and summer camps. Last year one of our camp options fell through at the last minute so I had to scramble around for coverage for about 4 weeks. Won't make the same mistake this year. |
Anonymous
|
SUMMER AU PAIR
you hire through an agency an AWESOME international student. they get to learn a different language/culture and you'll save A LOT of money =] |
Anonymous
| The early years are a little challenging because you want camps that last at least 2 weeks and preferably a lot longer so it isn't disruptive to the child. But later on, say at 4th grade or so, the options become kind of fun to pick from and the kids get to try a lot of different activities. Last summer my child did cooking camp, caving camp, soccer, scouts, sailing, etc. He enjoys the variety and we usually end up with more things to do than weeks to do them (He also has about 4-5 weeks of no camps with vacations, etc). Of course the downside is that it is definitely more expensive - we try to mix expensive weeks with less expensive weeks. And yes it is a logistical challenge and one that requires very early planning. Also keep in mind that summer camp is not just a working mom thing - in my experience many SAHMs send their kids to camp as well. |
Anonymous
If you don't mind sharing this information, what is the cost of having a summer au pair? |
Anonymous
it can vary A LOT I recdomend: www.aupaircare.com www.aupairinamerica.com www.culturalcare.com www.goaupair.com www.euroaupair.com |
Anonymous
| How hard is it to find a summer nanny or au pair? |
Anonymous
it depends on how "picky" and how rich you are. you can apply months and months in advance and take your time choosing someone or if you apply very close you'll still have a lot of options but you won't have too much time to sit, think and talk to your spouse about it. there are some payments that must be done in advace. if you have time you can pay in "stalments" or if you don't have time you have to pay all at once. the au pair can come from any background. i've met au pairs who are lawyers in their home country, teachers, high school students, psychologists, personal trainers... they follow different religions, they have different interests, so i can tell you'll have TONS of options. |