When the school doors close for the final time as vacation begins, kids will need a new location to spend the long, hot summer days. Summer programs and camps fill up quickly, often weeks before the final days of school.
Most communities offer different types of summer child care for school-age children.
Child care centers often expand their programs for older children in the summer, as do family child care providers. The local park districts and YMCA offer full and part-day camps. Regardless of whether parents choose a local day camp or a child care program, the selection should depend on the child's interests and needs. Yet, other children would prefer to have some down time, and would enjoy the more relaxing, family-like atmosphere of the family child care program. In-home care in the parents' home offers some advantages also.