Meet your children's needs for summer by blending interests and talents with a carefully planned schedule for care. The key to success is to start early. Programs and camps are booked quickly or have registration days with long lines and often require applications and deposits well in advance. If you are expecting to hire a teenager for child care help, make that phone call as soon as possible. You may want to post a help wanted ad at your local high school, church, or Community Center.
Some camps concentrate on one specific interest, such as baseball or creative arts or computers.
However, overnight camp is not the only child care choice. Local schools, churches, temples, YWCAs, YMCAs, and other community organizations often sponsor day camps and other summer programs. Although it is difficult to visit summer programs in advance, there may be open houses for families considering a camp. You can also write or call camp directors to ask for brochures and gather information. Other parents can often provide the best tips, general advice and perhaps shared child care if the daily program is shorter than your work day.