A friend of mine has 2 kids and was offered a job paying $9 an hour. During the school year that is fine.. but int he summer she has to pay for full time childcare. Most places I have seen charge around $200 a week for full time care.
Are there any places cheaper than that??
My niece goes to summer day camp at the YMCA for a very affordable price. She was switched there from a private day care, which was much more costly.
She might also want to find out if there are any low cost day camps in the summer that will offset her costs. Maybe hire a college student who is home for the summer. I used to babysit weekdays in the summer for a family when I was in late HS/early college. But I will say that $200 a week (esp. for 2 kids) is only $40 a day. If that's for an 8 hour day, that's $5/hr and really inexpensive.
For a nanny at the house yes, it's that much. But the YMCA camps and community run camps (our township runs one) cost less than that in my area.
my daughter's daycare charges 75 for before and after school care and in the summer it's 115/week if we bring our lunch and 125/week if we get lunch there. There are extra charges for extra classes, we're paying 48 for june and july for them to take her to swim lessons, and we could sign her up for karate or vacation bible school if we wanted.
In Texas, I pay $123 a week during the summer/spring break for my schooler and $80 a week for afterschool during the school year.
This varies a lot based on your area, and what type of care it is - in home, center, school district, city, YMCA, etc., etc.
In our school district, it's about $125.00 a week for full time (6:30am to 6:00pm) summer child care. This cost includes several weekly/daily field trips, such as swimming, movies, basketball game, plays, etc. This is a pretty good deal considering what's included. Other districts are generally more expensive.
I called around and the average for a center for school age, full time summer care was about $200.00 a week - some where $175.00, $200.00, $220.00 a week. The higher amount, again was based on location, in a higher income area.
I think places like the Boys & Girls Club or a city program are generally a lot cheaper than the options I mentioned. Your friend should check those out. However, I don't even know that it would be worth her working, though. If she's only making $9.00 an hour, she would probably qualify for childcare assistance from the state.
Totally depends on the region.
The center my son goes to is $110 a week. He's 6. For private payment, that's about as cheap as it gets around here. Places much cheaper than that are run down and/or not licensed.
In Florida you can get deals at the local YMCA. If your friend makes less than a certain amount they can give her a discount
I agree that she should apply for sliding scale fees through the YMCA or apply for some child care aid from the state if it is available. This problem is why I like a year round school schedule my son has. I only have to deal with 4 weeks of childcare in the summer and a few days scattered through the rest of the year (during my son's other quarterly holidays the school has enrichment classes he can take for a very low fee).
If you look around for centers that provide care for school aged kids you should be able to find some that are not that high. In Oklahoma it's a LOT less than $100 per week for school aged kids.
She should qualify for child care assistance so she can work, they should pay most or even all of her child care so she can work. She needs to find out what assistance she can qualify for.
I assume she's in your state so here's a link to how she should apply to see how much she qualify's for. It might be that she'd get all of their care paid for at least for a while.
http://mi.gov/dhs/0,4562,7-###-###-####_7143-15309--,00.html
There are a few different options. Not sure how old they are, but they can maybe be momma's helpers?
Most care is close to $200.00 a week. But some home daycare's are a little less but with two.. that is actually not a bad price.
If there is a Boys & Girls Club close, they usually have a summer day camp that is $50-$60 per week full time. Here it includes lunch as well.
Try the YMCA. Our Y summer day camps are $135/week. The day camp runs from 9:00am to 5:00pm, but they offer free extended care from 7:30am until 5:30pm. The Y also offers subsidies for lower income families.
She will likely have a very tough time finding cheaper places. But, when I was in high school I babysat in the summer for a family with a young child and was paid about $125/week. I was about 16. The economy is tough right now and teenagers have very high unemployment rates, so she might be able to find a teen to do it for that.
Otherwise, maybe she knows a friend or family member who could watch the kids at the sitter's home each week for under $200.
You don't mention the area your friend is from and the age of her children. At $9/hour, I would say she qualifies for an adjusted rate at the YMCA. Tell her to go into the Y and ask them for financial assistance for her children this summer. They will have an application for her to complete.
