Affordable Summer Child Care Ideas

The cost of summer child care can be a major concern for some families. Options that seem great are suddenly off the table when you find out the cost. There are some affordable options for child care in the summer, though. Here are some ideas.

Students

During the summer, students are out of school and often looking for work. Perhaps you can hire one to watch your kids. Generally, the younger the babysitter, the fewer the responsibilities and therefore the cheaper the cost. If you hire a “tween” or young teen, though, remember that he/she will be limited by being unable to drive and other lack of independence. However, you might find that a young babysitter who comes to your home is an affordable solution.

Upper high school and college students will probably charge a lot more, but they will be able to drive your kids somewhere (if you are comfortable with that) and get them out of the house. High school and college students will appreciate the opportunity to add a babysitting job to their resume, so that’s a benefit that offsets the cost a bit.

Family

For some, this is not an option; but for others, there may be familial options you have not considered. What about extended family, or in-laws? Even if you are divorced, you may have a cordial enough relationship with your ex to look at his/her family as an option. Maybe you could toggle your child’s paternal and maternal grandparents, or enlist cousins, aunts, uncles, and siblings.

You could also have a family member or members come to your house rather than dropping your child off. Depending on your job, maybe you could let your child spend weekends with family and catch up with work then. With a little flexibility, you might find that you can have your child care needs met through family alone.

Volunteer and Community Service

If your children are older, say tween or teen age, then they can get in on your local community’s volunteer programs. There are all kinds of volunteer organizations, such as Habitat for Humanity, animal shelters, women’s health clinics, and nursing homes.

Many of these organizations have programs for children, and it will occupy your child’s whole day without costing you much (and sometimes it costs nothing, especially if it’s not an “official” program, but just your child contacting an organization and volunteering). You may need to partake of several options to take up the whole summer, but that just adds variety!