I need to find out where my grandchild can go for after school and summer vacation.My son is a single dad and needs to work to afford rent, he does not make enough to put him in some of these centers, prices are crazy. We have to be very carefull of the place as well. Anybody who knows of a place or program, I would be so grateful. I live in Miami Florida( little Havana area).
Thank you
We love the YMCA. They do both after school and summer long camps. The child must be school aged, however. The prices are by week and are different by program location.
Maybe you could watch your grandchild at least part of the day to cut costs?
Why cannot you watch him? That seems the logical response.
How old is your grandchild? Is he in school? I had my daughter in Sunflowers Academy, which is in Little Havana, and she was there for VPK. I believe they go up to 5th grade. They also have aftercare as well as summer camp. I ended up transferring her to a charter school because she got admitted, but otherwise, I would have kept her at Sunflowers. The staff is very friendly and caring, the place is clean, and they have scholarships and financial aid for those who need it. They are located at 229 Sw 37th Ave and their number is ###-###-####. Ms. Neyda is the director and she's very flexible with scheduling and very accommodating if for some reason you sometimes are running a few minutes late. The school consists of a mostly Hispanic student body and staff, I am not sure if you're Spanish-speaking, so maybe that's another plus for you if you want him learning about Hispanic culture and the Spanish language.
I believe it came out to about $400 a month or less for the VPK & aftercare, and I believe you get free tuition so really the amount I paid went for aftercare, which is an excellent deal as they keep your child as late as 6 pm. You can also check the Lincoln-Marti schools, I think some of them have aftercare until 7 pm if your son works late.
For summer camp you can also try the Y, the Miami-Dade Parks and Recreation Department, or some type of school, like a martial arts school, a swimming school, a tennis school, all of which would offer camp and probably aftercare during the school year. I am going to put my daughter next week in a martial arts summer camp (they also have aftercare during the school year) and it is in the Coral Way/Shenandoah area which is not too far from you, if you're interested. Good luck.
Check for assistance with family central. It's an organization that's assists with getting the child into a daycare but on a fixed or sliding scale basis for the fee
Check with the state offices about child care assistance. If he qualifies they may even pay 100% of his child care expenses. Most do have some sort of co-pay though. Not a lot of course.
There is nothing that is really "cheap" when it comes to daycare. I don't know how old your GC is, but if he/she is old enough, you could look into Boys/Girls Clubs. I have found they have the best program for your buck when it comes to summer programs.
As for after school, check with the school to see if there is an after school program or ask in the office for help finding care. The staff usually maintains a list of parents/daycare providers in the area.
If the child is not old enough for all that, then your best bet is to call your local licensing agency and get a list of care providers and start making phone calls. That's how I found mine and it turned out to be a neighbor who was just starting. My GD was her first enrollee. And because we were neighbors and due to some other circumstances, she gave me a great rate!
Good luck!
Look for a licensed home daycare in your area. They are usually cheaper. We love our home daycare provider.
http://dcfsanswrite.state.fl.us/Childcare/provider/
For after school,I would ask the school. They might provide after school care (for a cost) or maintain a list of providers. Some of the school districts near us have after school programs staffed by the YMCA. Ours does not, but they do maintain a list of providers. They are all providers in our district, so the kids can take the bus to them after school.
