Childcare over summer

[lynzi2004]

Depending on how close you are with the friends who pay $250 and depending on how many kids they have, I would consider asking if you could share a nanny for the summer. An 8 and 12 year old doesn’t require much actual “care” and if your friends’ kids are close in age to yours, it’s actually less work on the nanny in some ways bc they would have someone to help play and entertain. If you paid $250 as well, that nanny ends up getting twice the pay for the same amount of time and just a little more work. Now if there are large age gaps or they have 4 or 5 kids already that may not work so well! Lol

 

[SandyinMonterey]

It’s costing us $700 to put one child in summer camp for two weeks. That includes lunch everyday & extended after hour(s) every day. Camp will be from 8-6.

 

[ClapYourHands]

What is minimum wage in your state? What you pay should at least equal that. At Federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr, that's $290-$326 for your 40-45 hour week.

In CT, the minimum wage is $10.10/hr, so the $400 you were quoted would be below that. I pay good, reliable, adult babysitters who drive $20/hr. I'm sure I could probably get someone for around $15 with a bit of work. Day camps near me are about $280/wk per kid.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Considering take home pay is just over $600 a week after tax, I think if it got to be $400 a week just to watch the kids I would likely quit my job for the summer, watch them myself, then find employment again when school starts. On the flip side, it was at 12 that our son started to stay home on his own over the summers. He attended church and band camps and spent a week with grandma, so in essence he was home roughly 6 weeks. Band camp was in the $140 range, church camp was closer to $200.

With that being said, I'm more in line with the KY folks above that the upper 100's a week seems to be the going rate in small town KY. Many camps I see in the area are also in the same price range, with $175-200 being a very common number.

For cost comparison, $1600 every four weeks pays for our house payment(2000+ sq ft), car payment(2018 Rav 4), electric, gas, water, cable/internet, and cel phones. Many areas don't cover rent for $1600. This is definitely a cost that varies by area.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

To me it seems high considering that's what I pay for my 8 and 11 year old to go to day camp at the ymca. We use to send them to one of there friends houses that had kids about the same age. We only used day camps the weeks they were busy. If I were you go to www.nextdoor.com this website let's you talk to your neighboorhood and the ones around it there might be other college/high school kids looking for work or another family that is looking or wants to share cost with. You also can check rates with your neighbors.
We really like ymca or city run camps they get to do a lot more for the money than they would at home.

 

[LoriWV]

While camp costs may be lower, there are also many more folks paying that amount. Even if the kids don't require "that much care", the person being hired can't really do anything else during that time. The idea of pooling with other parents might work, but perhaps offering the sitter a bit more-rather than splitting the lower price. I do hope you are able to find something that is affordable and fun in your area!

 

[barkley]

This is not an area you want to nickel and dime.Best you can afford.

absolutely-for years our daycare costs exceeded our mortgage as our single highest monthly expense. it's one thing if it's a known and trusted friend/neighbor/family member that wants to earn some extra cash monies that make a lower tax free 'wage' more palatable for them, but i would have serious concerns about most responsible ADULTS who would opt to work a minimum of 50 hours a week (i figure if the parents work f/t it covers their work/travel time) for $250, in my state that's only 40% of minimum wage so they could make more p/t at a fast food or if actually qualified-at an established day care.

While camp costs may be lower, there are also many more folks paying that amount.

this is definitely the case. you also have to look at who is running the day camps/summer programs b/c in allot of cases their costs are being subsidized through a city or county program (lots of the school run one around here), churches or charities often run them at a non profit level (ymca is one of the biggest non profits in the world). couple that with being able to hire one minimum wage/no benefits b/c it's a short-term summer gig young adult who may be in charge of a dozen 'campers' and yeah-you can charge allot less than a private provider.

Considering take home pay is just over $600 a week after tax, I think if it got to be $400 a week just to watch the kids I would likely quit my job for the summer, watch them myself, then find employment again when school starts.

and that's what happens in allot of cases. back in the day when my kids needed summer daycare my take home exceeded $600 a week but rates where we lived were obscene so our household didn't do big vacations for years b/c dh and squirreled away our vacation time all year so we could opt for the lower cost half day programs and arrange with our employers (very lucky to be able to do so) to arrange our hours so one of us went in earlier and took enough hours off in the afternoons to pick them up/be with them-with us alternating this schedule over the 10 weeks regular school wasn't in session. i had plenty of friends/neighbors who opted for lower paying jobs at schools vs. what they were qualified to do just b/c it ensured they were off the same days/weeks/months as their kids.

kidz aint cheap.

 

[MomToOne]

Even within an area, summer camp costs can vary widely. But quality and price don't necessarily go hand in hand. I found one of the best deals in our area was the local YMCA. It was cheaper than many other camps, but they hired a lot of teachers and graduate students in education as counselors. And they kept the kids moving all day long. Cost this year looks to be $175/wk per child (10% discount for siblings), and that's in a pretty high cost of living area.

I always preferred child care centers/camps to individual sitters, due to a variety of factors (stronger background screening, no need to find a replacement if sitter gets sick, properly insured, etc.)

 

[iivye]

Our city parks department (Missouri) puts on a summer camp and I paid $100 a week. My daughter went from age 6-14. She loved it.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

I always preferred child care centers/camps to individual sitters, due to a variety of factors (stronger background screening, no need to find a replacement if sitter gets sick, properly insured, etc.)

This is my feeling as well. Over the past year+, we have never had a single day that our daycare wasn't open except for the pre-scheduled holiday closures. It gives me a lot of piece of mind knowing that I won't have to scramble at the last minute to find care.

 

[Anthony1971]

I wish I could get Summer camp for 250-300 a week -- well maybe a township sponsored one but they are only 5 hours a day.... Cost vary greatly.... The summer camp we use charges 8 a day for lunch above the cost so we pack a lunch most days and then there is a weekly optional trip that is an extra 35 a week thankfully not interested in trips every week.

 

[mjkacmom]

I also agree that it depends on the area. We are in small town Kentucky and in the same position, looking for childcare for our 8 year old daughter for summer. For us, $200 a week is a lot; we are looking at about $150 a week plus paying for any outings they do. Full time daycare here runs about $100 a week, and there is one summer camp that is highly sought after that is only $60 a week!

One thought was that, if they worked fast food or something, its a lot of sporadic schedules, including evenings and weekends. Our daughter is well behaved but loves to play and would want the sitter to play with her. it's 8-5 sort of work, M-F.

That’s $3 an hour! Camps and centers are almost always cheaper than a private sitter who comes to your home and takes care of your child.

 

[ClapYourHands]

absolutely-for years our daycare costs exceeded our mortgage as our single highest monthly expense. it's one thing if it's a known and trusted friend/neighbor/family member that wants to earn some extra cash monies that make a lower tax free 'wage' more palatable for them, but i would have serious concerns about most responsible ADULTS who would opt to work a minimum of 50 hours a week (i figure if the parents work f/t it covers their work/travel time) for $250, in my state that's only 40% of minimum wage so they could make more p/t at a fast food or if actually qualified-at an established day care.

kidz aint cheap.

Camps aside, my daycare bill for my three-year-old exceeds the cost of tuition and fees at my local state university.

So many people talk about the high costs of higher education, but unless you choose a private university, I think it's far more affordable to have a child in college than a child in daycare. At least the college-aged student can contribute. Toddlers are such freeloaders!

 

[barkley]

Camps aside, my daycare bill for my three-year-old exceeds the cost of tuition and fees at my local state university.

So many people talk about the high costs of higher education, but unless you choose a private university, I think it's far more affordable to have a child in college than a child in daycare. At least the college-aged student can contribute. Toddlers are such freeloaders!

SO TRUE!!!

people always talk of how kids get more expensive as they age up-when my kids went from daycare into private school the tuition DROPPED. what it cost dd to attend college was a drop in the bucket as compared to the same number of years of what we paid for daycare back in the mid 90's-mid 2000's. i wasn't a bit surprised when a number of people i knew who lost their jobs in the recession realized how much they were actually ahead not working and having to pay for daycare such that they opted to become sahp's.

 

[Jamie churchill]

We have never needed childcare for the summer but we are this year so we dont know what is reasonable for it. We have 2 girls that are 12 and 8. We mainly just want them to be doing things instead of just sitting in the house watching electronics. We have a pool and a membership to a local pool that they can all use as well. We have friends who pay a college girl $250 a week and the girl we met with told us $400 a week. Does this seem out of line? Thanks for any input.

Yes and no, I totally agree that’s expensive. I pay that a week over the summer for 2 kids to go to day summer camp. When I do get a college girl for other school breaks, the usually charge about 15 an hour. Man when I used to babysit I would get $2-5 and hour.

 

[bdiddy]

When I was in college I watched 3 boys for a few summers. They were older - 13, 11 and 10 and I was paid $250 cash a week. This was back in 97 and 98. So $440 sounds about right for two kids and inflation.

 

[bdiddy]

Something you have to think about too is I know childcare seems expensive but think about what they are doing. They are keeping your most prized possessions safe! You want to find someone that you can trust and has experience and if it costs more, so be it. They have a huge responsibility and just like anything else, you get what you pay for.

I’m very sensitive about the childcare industry because I was a preschool teacher for many years up until last year when I went back into the corporate environment. But I was paid so little for teaching and taking care of 18 4/5 year olds every day. I literally could have gone to Target and made more money. It’s ridiculous when you think of the amount of responsibility in our laps. There is no “messing” up at our jobs yet the entire industry is a joke. The pay is horrible, there are never any benefits (unless you are a elementary or secondary teacher) and the turnover is awful which is hard on the kids.

We watch the most important people in your life, keep them happy and safe, yet people scoff about the costs. So try to step back and truly think about what you are paying for and maybe it won’t seem so bad.

 

[kydisneyfans]

Just following up to a prior post I made.

Our local rec center offers 2, 4 week camp sessions through the summer. This includes food, field trips, and activities. Each session is $405, $325 if you are a member. The total 8 week sessions are $810 for 8 weeks, $650 if a member. Siblings are discounted. The only time camp isn't offered is the week school ends, the week it begins, and a 1 week gap in the middle, which includes the week of July 4.

 

[Jen and Ashwin]

Just following up to a prior post I made.

Our local rec center offers 2, 4 week camp sessions through the summer. This includes food, field trips, and activities. Each session is $405, $325 if you are a member. The total 8 week sessions are $810 for 8 weeks, $650 if a member. Siblings are discounted. The only time camp isn't offered is the week school ends, the week it begins, and a 1 week gap in the middle, which includes the week of July 4.

That is pretty amazing. I don't think there is anything around my area at that price point. Camp through our Parks and Rec is $150 per week plus an extra $30 if you need pre- and post-care hours. So 8 weeks would be almost twice what you would pay. It just varies so much by area.

 

[crisi]

What is minimum wage in your state? What you pay should at least equal that. At Federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr, that's $290-$326 for your 40-45 hour week.

In CT, the minimum wage is $10.10/hr, so the $400 you were quoted would be below that. I pay good, reliable, adult babysitters who drive $20/hr. I'm sure I could probably get someone for around $15 with a bit of work. Day camps near me are about $280/wk per kid.

On a similar note, a nanny is, by IRS rules - your employee. You will be responsible for filing employment taxes, paying the employers half of social security and all the rest. Legally, it isn't "slip someone $200 under the table every week and call it good" It isn't even "I'll just file a 1099." This can account for a lot of the disparity in pay as well - if someone is paying their nanny as an employee they might give you the take home pay number ($250 a week), but be paying another $100+ in taxes. Or they might give you the total out of pocket number to them every week.