Childcare for School Age Child During Summer Vacation.

My 5 year old will be finishing Kindergarten this year and she will be going to the YMCA on Main Strete in Worcester for their Camp for the Arts program. It looks excellent and costs about $225 a week. She'll do 8 weeks there and we will be on vacation the other two weeks of summer.

West Hartford has awesome summer options for kids! Go to www.whps.org and select summer options. They have programs for all ages that can be half or full day. The West Hartford School system serves all the surrounding towns, so it has an amazing selection. I will admit that the program listing is confusing. That is because you can really tailor the day to what your child likes and the town provides transportation between places during the day if you go with a customized program. Also, they offer bus service from various locations in WH and the region. If money is not an issue, the Renbrook School has a nice summer programs as well as the University of Hartford (Summerplace). Good luck,
C.

I'm interested to see what responses you get here. I have to say it's the one thing that keeps me from going back to work right now.

I always find a summer camp in my area. Alot of daycare centers offer a summer program too. For example this year my daughter is going to a Gymnastics place for summer camp. Every day they'll have gymnastics, arts & crafts, movies, snacks, etc. As well as optional field trips. I usually opt for the smaller camps - I don't feel comfortable with my daughter getting "lost in the crowd" so to speak. This one I found said they average about 40 kids per day in the summer camp program.

If you have girls I would highly recommend Girls Inc. I'm in Manchester NH, and the one we have here is awesome. I don't know if they accept boys though. I know for a time we did have one boy attending, but I'm not sure if it's a case by case basis or not. You can check out their website to see if it's the right fit for your family. http://www.girlsinc.org/index.html.

Hi T., I see you live in West Hartford, I am from Granby. Every year my son does day camp through our park and rec. It is much more reasonable then the YMCA or some of the private camps in the area. I would imagine West Hartford town would have a similar program. If not Granby accepts out of town kids for only $5 more a week. It is at Salmon Brook Park, so they are outside all day. My son is going into 3rd grade and has been going since kindergarten. Not sure what your budget is, but I have heard great things about camp Chase (YMCA) and I think they bus as well. If you want even more info feel free to contact me directly. By the way the salmon Brook day camp runs like $105 a week and that's from 9am to 3:30 and they offer before and after care as well. Pretty reasonable.

I think you have to be very careful, given the age of your child. For very young children - kindergarten, possibly first grade, and younger - try to seek out an actual, certified, daycare center. Someone who will understand that children this age can't schlep a 20 pound backpack with all their supplies for the day. Somewhere that will stop to make sure they are drinking plenty of fluids and put their sunscreen on. Somewhere that will WATCH OUT for them! Once you think your child really can take care of themselves on these and other issues, then YMCA camps are a good inexpensive alternative. BUT, they will not CARE for your child - they will WATCH and entertain your child. A BIG difference. Your kid has to already have a good head on their shoulders before going to there. Most of these places that are set up to do summer camp programs - like museums, etc. - are not at all certified and do not always understand child care needs. They look at it as a quick way to make a buck. Make sure your child can take care of themselves before sending them to one of those places or really investigate their qualifications.

My sister is a nanny if you need one! She just lost her job because the dad she nannied for lost his :( She is amazing with her BA in Elementary Education working on MA in the fall. Shoot me a message if anyone is interested! She lives in Somers!

M.

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I, like a lot of the other posters, use daycamps for childcare in the summer. Overall, it ends up pretty close to what we spend for after school care per week. We usually have at least one or two vacations in the summer, and if we have a week where I only need something for maybe 2 or 3 days, either my MIL will take them (usually overnight, too!) or the Y has their daycamps set up so that you can sign them up for 3 or 5 days a week, and you can pick which 3 days if that's the route you choose. The rest of the weeks are mostly through our town's park & rec dept. They've been the cheapest and have either full day basic daycamp options or they also have a lot of "special" camps that just run 1/2 day and then the kids go to the regular camp the other half of the day. It's all in the same place, so I don't have to worry about transportation. They have also done a few weeks a summer at the university's camp program - they have a great program, run by really responsible and fun college students. Also, my girls are in Girl Scouts, so they usually do a week or two at a GS camp. I used to send them to a lady I knew who ran a daycare and was able to take on extra kids in the summer, but I think the girls enjoy the camps a lot more. Doing all the paperwork for each camp and paying for them all in advance is a bit of a pain, but the kids get a lot of variety, do a lot of really neat things, go on field trips, etc, and generally get a lot out of them. Then the only hard part for me is remember where they're going from week to week! My only warning, though, is that you usually have to sign up for a lot of camps really early - I usually start signing them up in Feb. Some of the camps around here are already full, but I think a lot of those are the "specialty" camps; the regular camps might still have room, especially at places like the Y. Still, if you do choose daycamps, I'd start working on it now.

Depending on your area there are summer camps at YMCA's and also at Recreation Centers. Usually the school send home papers about them before school gets out. Some schools also offer summer time Latch Key services. You could also check local newspapers under child care. You may find local child care facilities with summer openings or a local mom who has an opening to watch your child in her home. If all else fails do you have family or friends you can pay to watch your child?

I am looking to go back to work and am currently looking for a full-time job. My kids are 5 and 7. I am thinking for the summer, I will enroll them in a few camps. Otherwise my plan is to hire a responsible college aged sitter so they can hang out at home and be able to go do fun stuff like swimming, hiking, etc.

The best option is a friend or relative, but if that is not possible, then you should check into daycare centers, make sure you check with the BBB and Angie's list if you one........Ask other people that you trust who put their kids into day care.......I always used a Mom that took care of kids.........but either way, make sure you check up on whomever you choose and feel comfortable......

Good Luck.