We make sure to sign up for camps where my child has a buddy and we can carpool. It takes a village and the other parents are willing to help for an hour or so after camp. I know it is late but there might be some FCPS or Y camps you can sign up for later in the summer.

We both work Ft out of the home. It is so stressful, I can’t do another summer like this (school got out in May and I’m already burnt out.) with dh blessing I will be giving my notice before next summer.

3 kids - my youngest just finished K and I have him going back to his old preschool for summer. Not as fun as the camps my older ones went to but it is full day and near my work. I will drive him there and back. We have a pool in our yard so at least he still gets swimming in. He also goes to speech, ot, and tutoring so I take intermittent leave or pto for that.

My middle is entering middle school. She is taking the bus to my moms (we are in a college town and there is a shuttle bus to the city 2 hours away) for a week, doing a couple weeks of sleepaway, and then doing a mix of day camps. For the most part I am driving, dh is doing pick up, or we have a neighbor drive.

My oldest is a junior counselor at a camp in the boonies. We have teen neighbors who are taking turns driving her there and back. She is also doing sleepaway for 2 weeks and then just spending a few weeks at home when we couldn’t line up transportation.

I generally only did full-day camps. For maybe one special camp for a week or two, I'd get permission to work from home so I could do pickup and then finish work after she was home. Many workplaces are more relaxed during the summer so it's worth asking.

People I work with pick their kids up and then work when they get home. Our job is super flexible (unless there is a client meeting). So folks can flex their time as needed and work from home.

You only sign up for camps that work for your families schedule. I dont mind a 4pm pick up, but I refuse to do outdoor camps after they all got canceled in the heat waves two summers ago. Global warming ruined that for us. I know that is something I cant plan for and therefore eliminated all camp options that didn't have indoor options.

Why didn't you eliminate camp options that didnt have aftercare if that is something your family needs?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's done is done, OP. Good news is that in the summer there are usually plenty of teens/college students around looking for babysitting gigs. Get on your neighborhood FB group or other similar sites and post that you looking for someone.

So here's the problem with that. In this day and age of Uber, Lyft, Door Dash and the like, insurance companies are scrutinizing claims that occur in transportation sorts of employment. If all goes well and there is no accident, great. But if there's an accident while your teen is transporting another kid, you are at risk of an insurance denial and it puts your family open to uninsured liability of OP's kid gets hurt in an accident or you sustain property damage in the event the accident is your kid's fault.

I get that most people don't think about this, but I am a lawyer and this is my field of practice. Years ago, this wouldn't have been an issue but today it is. Much as I want to help my neighbors when they need it, I would not allow my teens and college aged kids take on these tasks. And, we got a lot of asks this summer, so OP, you are not alone.

This is a weird take. Nannies and afternoon sitters regularly drive kids. People carpool all the time, etc. OP ignore all the weird hand wringing on this thread and just find a kid home from college to drive your kids home a couple days of week. Plenty of them around with little to do and looking to make a bit of $$$. Jeez.

As I said, I’m a lawyer in this field of practice. So I am acutely aware of the risks. But I acknowledge that you are right in that this is a risk some are willing to take. For my kid to earn enough for a Chipotle’s meal, I’m not.

Carpooling is different. It’s not a paid service. Nannies and sitters are probably on the family’s insurance so that’s different too. But what OP needs is like the equivalent of an Uber or a car or taxi service. Again, everyone has to judge what risk they are willing to bear.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - one of the camps is a fully outdoor sports camp. I am worried about my 8 year old being in the sun for more than 8 hours. So I didn't think a camp with after hours in the sun so she would be there for 10 hours would be the best idea.

After living through Summer Camps in 2021 that were ONLY outside, I realized kids are fine outdoors all day. Send lots of water, some gatorade and lots of snacks and they have fun!

unless it rains

why do your kids melt?

Kids can't be outside if there's Thunder

If there is no plan for safety in a storm that doesn’t suddenly become a problem at 4 pm. If there isn’t then the whole program isn’t safe and if there is they can implement the same plan in aftercare.

I feel like there is something I’m missing here that everyone else seems to get.
If you have a conflict at 4pm, then pick them up at 3pm and keep working.
Or say that you aren’t available after 3:30 that week.
What would you do if you had aftercare until 6pm and had an in person meeting at that time?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - one of the camps is a fully outdoor sports camp. I am worried about my 8 year old being in the sun for more than 8 hours. So I didn't think a camp with after hours in the sun so she would be there for 10 hours would be the best idea.

After living through Summer Camps in 2021 that were ONLY outside, I realized kids are fine outdoors all day. Send lots of water, some gatorade and lots of snacks and they have fun!

unless it rains

why do your kids melt?

Kids can't be outside if there's Thunder

Then again you chose poorly if you are using a camp with zero emergency plan.

OP, we have a similar issue one week this summer and I'm going to have to do a combo of carpools (kid has 2 friends going) and taking hours off work here and there to do my share of dropoffs and pickups.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - one of the camps is a fully outdoor sports camp. I am worried about my 8 year old being in the sun for more than 8 hours. So I didn't think a camp with after hours in the sun so she would be there for 10 hours would be the best idea.

After living through Summer Camps in 2021 that were ONLY outside, I realized kids are fine outdoors all day. Send lots of water, some gatorade and lots of snacks and they have fun!

unless it rains

why do your kids melt?

Kids can't be outside if there's Thunder

Anonymous wrote:OP - one of the camps is a fully outdoor sports camp. I am worried about my 8 year old being in the sun for more than 8 hours. So I didn't think a camp with after hours in the sun so she would be there for 10 hours would be the best idea.

Then you have to choose a different camp!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What's done is done, OP. Good news is that in the summer there are usually plenty of teens/college students around looking for babysitting gigs. Get on your neighborhood FB group or other similar sites and post that you looking for someone.

So here's the problem with that. In this day and age of Uber, Lyft, Door Dash and the like, insurance companies are scrutinizing claims that occur in transportation sorts of employment. If all goes well and there is no accident, great. But if there's an accident while your teen is transporting another kid, you are at risk of an insurance denial and it puts your family open to uninsured liability of OP's kid gets hurt in an accident or you sustain property damage in the event the accident is your kid's fault.

I get that most people don't think about this, but I am a lawyer and this is my field of practice. Years ago, this wouldn't have been an issue but today it is. Much as I want to help my neighbors when they need it, I would not allow my teens and college aged kids take on these tasks. And, we got a lot of asks this summer, so OP, you are not alone.

This is a weird take. Nannies and afternoon sitters regularly drive kids. People carpool all the time, etc. OP ignore all the weird hand wringing on this thread and just find a kid home from college to drive your kids home a couple days of week. Plenty of them around with little to do and looking to make a bit of $$$. Jeez.

Anonymous wrote:Another reason to do Valley Mill or Caleva - they take the kids home on a bus

Also they both have plenty of shade. It sounds like OP’s kid is at all day soccer camp or something.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - one of the camps is a fully outdoor sports camp. I am worried about my 8 year old being in the sun for more than 8 hours. So I didn't think a camp with after hours in the sun so she would be there for 10 hours would be the best idea.

After living through Summer Camps in 2021 that were ONLY outside, I realized kids are fine outdoors all day. Send lots of water, some gatorade and lots of snacks and they have fun!

unless it rains

why do your kids melt?