The end of the school year is an event that kids cheer but parents fear.
Students are giddy about the prospect of staying home day after day, with hour upon hour of free time stretched out before them. And although parents can appreciate a break from the daily get-up-and-out-the-door-at-dawn grind, we tend not to view 12 unscheduled weeks with quite the same glee as our kids.
Such is the case at the Bauer house, where parents Breanna and Travis had a hard enough time juggling childcare during the school year. A summer plan seems impossible.
Travis goes to school full-time, and Breanna is a part-time student while holding down a full-time job. They alternate their hectic schedules to ensure that one of them is always at home with 1-year-old Kaedin and 3-year-old Damien. Since last September, this has been an easier task, as Damien has spent four afternoons a week learning his ABCs and 123s in a Head Start preschool program. But that class ends soon.
Breanna says she’d consider childcare if she could find a reasonably priced, quality option. Travis’ mom helps out when she can, but the Bauers are hesitant to have someone come to the home or enlist help from friends. “Our sons are really active. They never stop,” says Breanna. “It’s a big job to ask of someone.”
And because the boys are so high-energy, their parents — exhausted from their own nonstop work and school schedules — are concerned about keeping them busy and happy during those long, aimless summer days.
“Beyond going to the park, I haven’t found a whole lot of activities in the area for young kids,” Breanna says. “I’m really not sure what we’re going to do so we can accomplish everything we need to this summer.”
Real Advice
What are some ways the Bauers might approach summer childcare while making time for fun? For suggestions, Start talked to two experts: a working mother and a Head Start educator.
Jennifer Grodsky, technical analyst and mother of two
Even when my kids were younger and I worked fewer hours, I always put a lot of thought into organizing our summers. Scheduling everything ahead of time allows us all to enjoy vacation; otherwise I’d be in a constant state of panic.
This year I made a spreadsheet using Excel on my computer, with a row for each week of the summer divided into columns for details on where my kids will be. I’ve done the same thing in previous years with a wall calendar or just paper and pencil. Once I’ve got the blank chart, I look at how much time I have to fill and start collecting options. If I hear about free or relatively inexpensive day camps, I write those in first, because my goal is to spend as little as possible while keeping my kids safe and entertained.
I’ve found that day camps through our city’s parks and recreation system start for preschoolers as young as 3 and work out to about $3 per kid per hour, which is not bad considering how much my girls get out of those programs and the fact that I’d pay around $8 for someone to come to my home to watch them.
After I schedule a few weeks of camp, I fill in the holes with kid swaps — I watch a friend’s children one day, then she takes mine another. This is a win-win. The free childcare allows me a full day of work, and then on the day when everyone is with me, I get so much more done around the house because my kids are occupied with friends.
I’d definitely encourage the Bauers to look for like-minded parents with kids the same ages as theirs in their neighborhood or through preschool. Start with play dates, where kids can goof off together and parents can gab. Hopefully that will lead to strong, mutually beneficial relationships that help solve the childcare puzzle.
Karen Woodman, Family Literacy Manager for Capital Area Community Services Head Start
My first piece of advice to any family in this situation is to start with your child’s school. Tell the teacher what you’re looking for and odds are they’ll have a list of suggestions. For example, Head Start partners with a wide range of childcare facilities, so we can provide a list of possibilities to check out.
Head Start itself also offers full-day care year-round at under $3 per preschool-aged child. For the Bauers’ little one, we have an Early Head Start program, which is so popular that it’s full, but it never hurts to put your name on the waiting list.
In the meantime, I’d encourage them to make some connections with other families before the school year ends. Head Start has family activity nights every month; that’s a great chance to meet other parents who could end up trading childcare days with you.
On those days when parents are looking to fill time with the kids, I’d suggest free story hours at the library or low-cost programming at local museums and the zoo. These sorts of activities — which you can find out about in the local paper — will keep kids in the learning mode during summer vacation and help build skills for the next school year.
Rebecca Kavanagh is contributing editor of START, EduGuide's early childhood publication written for families with children ages 0-5.