Yes, You Need to Start Planning Your Summer Camps Right Now.
If you’re like many parents, your summer childcare solution is Tetris, bringing together a patchwork of day camps to keep the kids entertained and you kept busy from June to August. Yes, it’s funny, but summer camps start opening around the beginning of February. (If you’re sending your kids to sleepover camp, you probably signed up last year as soon as they completed their last visit.) While you’ve just recovered from the holiday frenzy, now it’s time to plan for summer, and registering for camp is competition. sport: Here are some tips on how to catch these spots early so you don’t have to worry in May.
Start searching for summer camps early (now)
Eavesdropping on other parents can be the easiest way to find out what camps are offering in your area, but be casual about it. You don’t want to unintentionally create hype at the few available campsites.
For the most complete information, Google your city + “summer camp”. Ideally, you’ll find news articles and blog posts that list all the major options in your area. Also look for your local park department, YMCA, zoo, churches, botanical gardens, museums for children, and places where children often go on excursions. These are the places that probably have a whole summer camp child care program.
Next may be the most difficult step: you need to subscribe to their newsletters and email announcements. I know you are already drowning in spam. You can even create a separate email address just for kids camp if you want, but it’s a necessary evil not to miss signing up because you just don’t think about summer plans in the dead of winter.
Decide what your summer camp priorities are
Now that you know your options, let’s focus on your top priorities. Consider these factors:
- Price . This information will not be presented to you in a neat apples-to-apples format. You will see daily rates, cost per week, cost per session, early check out and late pick up add-ons. Try to calculate the hourly cost for each option to make comparison easier.
- Location . Are there any available camps closer to your home or office? Will having to get off the road seriously negate the benefits of said camp?
- Opening hours . Half day, full day, four days a week, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm – there are about a hundred ways to structure your schedule in camps, and most of them will be inconvenient if you’re trying to work a whole day. day around it.
- Subject . To what extent do your child’s interests influence your decisions at camp? Now is the time to decide if you will ask their advice when choosing a camp. I wholeheartedly recommend against this. It’s about making life easier for you, and the easiest way to tell your kids in June is, “You know, I signed you up for gardening camp! Oh, did you really want a LEGO camp? They don’t do it this year, sorry.”
Time to get ready and put on your game face
May I suggest a headband, bracelets, and your favorite drinking container, because you’re about to sweat. You will also need a Big Ass calendar and markers or pens of your choice.
Pick a day in February or March and set aside a few hours to unravel it. (You’ll know when the best time to schedule camp registration is when all those reminders start coming into your inbox. See? Homework pays off.)
Assess your backup plans
How much time can you or your partner actually work from home or take vacations? Will a babysitting service meet your summer childcare needs for a similar cost? Are there any family members who would like the idea of visiting children? Are you embarrassed to ask? Please remember, they owe you this for the entire summer you spent drinking gallons of Kool-Aid in front of the TV.
(By the way, drinking Kool-Aid and watching TV is a legal and shameless alternative to summer camp, as long as you’re still working from home without childcare. If the world wanted your kids to be screen-free and processed-food-free, this would create better systems to support parents.)
Say “welcome” to your summer self
Now that all those registration forms are filled out, deposits paid, family members busy, and your Big Ass calendar filled from June to August, you can pat yourself on the back and take a big break from child care. Just kidding, spring break is in a few weeks.