How do you handle summer planning for your kids?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I am trying to figure out summer camp and classes for my 3 yr old this summer and feeling overwhelmed. How do people manage this? She would normally be in PK3 this year but is not because of DC school closures, and our childcare will not extend past May. It looks like a lot of classes/camps go online in January and sell out quickly. Plus the age cut offs are all over the place and a lot of placed don't cover this age group. I know we're going to need a combination of things to cover the summer (I will be taking some time off from work and we are hoping to do a two week family vacation, but we need to fill in the gaps).
How do other people organize this? I have always been mediocre at this aspect of parenting (arranging childcare in advance) and am also always on a budget, so can't just throw money at it until it's resolved. Any tips for staying organized. How do others approach this, especially the first time when you can't just re-up your plans from last year? |
Anonymous
| For this summer I'd strongly consider a nanny. I'm not sure how many camps will be running. |
Anonymous
Thank you, I appreciate the advice. Unfortunately we do not have the right space for a nanny (we tried it in the fall and it was a disaster). We're in a share right now but it ends in May and it was hard enough to find this one (not a ton of shares out there for PK age, even right now), so I have no idea if we will be able to find something similar for the summer. But I will look... Really, I am hoping to get DD a little more diversity of experience this summer. I'm sad she hasn't been in a proper PK classroom because she is really primed for it, so I was hoping to get her some group and class experience this summer before PK4 if we can. |
Anonymous
|
Most years you do in fact register for summer camps starting in January. But I am not seeing that the usual places are open for registration yet. I think it will be a lot different this year because of all the uncertainty. They just don't have their plans/staffing etc together yet. This summer I expect there may be fewer choices than usual, fewer spots than usual, and you may have a more difficult time finding care than you would have in the past.
I would ask around with your friends, other parents of young children especially (because only some camps take kids as young as 3-4), neighborhood groups, etc, and find some outfits that you know have served preschoolers for summer camp in the past, and then keep your eye on those, send them email inquiries etc. |
Anonymous
|
This applies to non-covid times, so take it with a grain of salt. In ES, you choose and register them for camps. Sports, coding, outdoor, one of the private schools that run camps on site (Sidwell, Holtin Arms, Georgetown Prep has EFS, etc), YMCA camp or Recreation Dept of budget is an issue. You have them try out different things, and, make it convenient for you (multiple kids attend the same camp for a couple weeks for example). Check with parents of their friends, esp if they have an older sibling (and know the good camps in your area).
By MS, they will be telling you where they want to go (usually wherever their friends are going). And by HS, good luck getting them to plan/pick anything. Hopefully by then, they have been attending and really like at least one camp well enough, that at some point they become a CIT or Counselor, and/or get a summer job. They can become a certified lifeguard at 15, and work at your neighborhood pool. |
Anonymous
You mean staycation, right? Because if you travel, your kid shouldn't go to camp for 10 days after your return. |
Anonymous
|
It’s kind of crazy. When I was in the camp scene I used to have spreadsheets and stuff.
|
Anonymous
As long as toy quarantine every time you leave the house too. |
Anonymous
| There are a ton of camps in operation for summer 2021. I've already found camps to cover the entire summer. But my kid is late elementary, and I remember very well how hard it was to find camps that took the PK kids. The one that I used way back when, for instance, sold out within a couple hours of opening registration (on Jan 1). |
Anonymous
| Beauvoir is great for this age |
Anonymous
Lowell is too although I suspect that might be the one the prior poster is talking about since it opens on Jan 1 and sells out fast |
Anonymous
| Some daycares and private schools also run camps. I would check with these places first since most daycares and a lot of schools have stayed open this whole time. |
Anonymous
| You make a spreadsheet of all the weeks of the summer. You pick the camps you want and sign up for specific weeks. You decide now what weeks will be vacation weeks even if you don't have your plans worked out. When my kids were young they only did 2 different camps because I thought switching to a new routine every week would be to much for them. Basically everyone in our neighborhood/school went to the same 3 or 4 camps so just ask your friends which ones they're signing up for. More camps in the city will take 3/4 year old since a lot of 3/4 year old go to public school. |
Anonymous
| At 3 our kids weren't in school yet, so they just continued on having their same nanny. Nothing felt any different to them. |
Anonymous
| FYI- your kid will need to be 3.5 to do summer camp in MD. They can be 3 in DC though. |