Summer Camp Options? I work in downtown DC and live in Loudoun County. HELP!!!

[Akirah00]

I am looking for summer camp options for two children, ages 5 and 11. I work in downtown DC and don't have the option to work from home. What options have you used for childcare?

[Anonymous]

What's your route to get to work each day? If you're taking I66 , for example, look at camps in Fairfax City/Fairfax/Arlington/Falls Ch. They all have programs at their rec ctrs and other near by locations.

[Anonymous]

Are you a single parent?

[Anonymous]

Yes, single parent. I usually take the commuter bus or metro connection to Reston.

[Anonymous]

Get a summer nanny.

[Anonymous]

Look at the FCPA Rec-Pac camps. They offer them at many different schools, and I'm sure you could find one near Reston. Or check out the Loudoun County equivalent -- https://www.loudoun.gov/index.aspx?NID=1202

[Anonymous]

Do you have family that can host your kids a few weeks during the summer? Can your kids stay with their dad a few weeks?

Camp generally ends at 3 and then aftercare kicks in. After care sucks as does before care. My child hated it and I hated having to leave my child there. You pay a lot and it sucks.
Your 11 yr old might find that there are few kids his age in camps and gets bored. Rec camps get repetitive and usually are not that great. They can have the kids outside for long stretches of time in too hot of weather and then the kids are tired and cranky by the time you pick them up. I am a single mom and have BTDT and tbh I am just glad my kid is now a teen and we are past the summer camp issue

[Anonymous]

This is a little late to start looking. If you have a Lifetime Fitness near you check them out, their camps are very affordable (under $200/week/child) and are 8am - 6pm. If yours has a pool they can swim daily (I know there's one in Reston, that might be a good option). You do not need to be a member to attend, you'll just pay a little higher fee (it's not much, I think it's around $20/week). They take a weekly field trip that's included as well, and I think you can pay a bit more to drop off at 7, but they have to be picked up by 6pm.

[Anonymous]

What have you done in years past?

[Anonymous]

Can they commute into work with you and find a camp near your office in DC? What hours do you work - do you need something that allows an early drop off? Can you work through your lunch break and leave an hour early to pick up your kids?
If you can be more specific we can give you better advice?

[Anonymous]

I live in Loudoun and my kids are attending the LC PARKS day camps. They have camps for both elementary and middle school kids based at the various elementary schools. They may still have openings.

[Anonymous]

Look at YMCA camps in Reston. Lots of choices, good rates and the before/after time is included in base price.

[Anonymous]

I agree with 23:09 - look at camps on your way to work. The Arlington YMCA, for example, does not have any residency requirements (or discounts for county residents) and you can drop off at their main location and they'll bus the kids around to the various camp locations. The hours are pretty good too.

There are a few camps I've found in DC but haven't used any of them yet - Music on the Hill, Shakespeare Theater.

But either way, you need to get on this fast because many camps start registering and filling up in January.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, single parent. I usually take the commuter bus or metro connection to Reston.

YMCA in Reston has a summer camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, single parent. I usually take the commuter bus or metro connection to Reston.

OP, as someone above posted, please come back with more details about what you can and cannot manage for this summer. If you usually take the bus or Metro, can you drive just for this summer so you can drop your kids at camp(s)? It seems unlikely that you're going to find camps, for kids of such varying ages, that align perfectly with a public transportation commute, unless you find one that is exactly at your own stop or right by your home.

The idea above about finding a camp close to your work and having the kids take public transportation there with you is a good idea if you can't drive them. But it's true that many camps fill very early. Registrations begin in January for a lot of camps, or even earlier for a few. But there can be cancellations.

Look into YMCAs/YWCAs/city recreation departments (both Reston and DC, though DC may give priority to DC residents). Since you work in DC, also check if the Smithsonian has camps that would work at one of its museums; they have some very interesting camps, but the catch is that they do not usually have camps that go all summer or for weeks on end.

Ask your DC coworkers too. Those who live in DC might be a great resource for camps etc. in the city!

I think I'd check on camps quickly but then also look at a summer sitter if at all doable, at home. The money you spend on camps plus before- or after-care fees for two kids, especially if you don't get any discounts for early registration, could end up being as much or more than paying someone to stay with them. You'd also need to string together quite a lot of camps if you mean to fill the whole summer for two kids--do you need the whole summer or just a few weeks here and there? The latter would be easier to fill for sure. Let us know.