Over 24 million mothers—nearly 56% work. Source.
That makes the summer months of June, July and August—when school is out for summer break—a special kind of hell for parents, but especially moms who need to balance both work and childcare.
According to ActivityHero the average cost of summer camps for one child living in California is: $530/week.
That amounts to $5,300 per child for full-time coverage during the 10-week school break. That amounts to one-third of the average cost of annual childcare—a number already crippling so many American families.
So what’s a mom to do?
According to the Labor Department, moms living in areas with higher childcare costs were less likely to be employed. The cost of childcare is literally forcing moms out of the workforce—a decision that could have a lasting impact on career and earning potential.
At Chamber of Mothers, we understand that for a lot of families—not working isn’t an option. So we went to the hive-mind of our local chapter leaders to source a few ideas on how to get childcare coverage during the summer months in a more affordable and sustainable way.
Jess Campbell, Orange County Chapter
💡 Idea: Crowdsourcing the best camps (at the most affordable price)
For this summer, my daughter said to me, “Mom—I want to be OUTSIDE!”. That’s music to my mom-ears and anxiety-inducing for me as a business owner.
As much as I’d love to run around in the sun all summer—that isn’t realistic.
But the idea of wading through hundreds of camps, dates and costs is frankly—overwhelming.
So I did what I do best and reached out to my closest mom friends with a simple Google Spreadsheet and said, “Tell me all of your favorite summer camps—ready, set go!”.
Not only does this save me some brain space, but who doesn’t love a solid tried and true recommendation? By crowdsourcing the labor, I’m able to go through and pick and choose camps that are a fit for our family’s schedule and price point.
💡 Another idea: childcare co-op.
Do you have 5 or so friends who would each be willing to watch a group of kids one day/week? I’d gladly take 5 kids to the beach for the day or let them run wild around my house if that meant I would get the rest of the work week covered.
Tara Ryan, New Hampshire Chapter
💡 Idea: Community Directories
Similarly to above, Tara shares about a local resource for parents planning summer care.
Seacoast Moms, our local mom resource center creates a Summer Camp Guide/Directory each year in January and I know it’s SO helpful for parents—espcially ones who have children who aren’t in year-round daycare situations.
💡Idea: Nanny share
This idea may be helpful—especially for younger children who don’t meet the age requirements for camps is to do a nanny-share system.
Try teaming up with two to three families and hire a babysitter or nanny to watch a small group of children from the morning until right before the afternoon nap time.
This can give you about four working hours in the morning. If you pick up your child right after eating lunch and then can get them down for their afternoon nap—you can score an additional one to two hours of working time for a third of the cost. It’s a win-win-win because:
- The nanny/babysitter earns a higher wage
- The kids all get to play together and socialize
- You pay a fraction of what I’d pay if I did this same routine solo.
Lauren Smith Brody, Chamber of Mothers Board Member
💡 Idea: Use your FSA to pay for summer childcare and camps
If you work for an employer who offers an FSA, you may qualify for using those savings towards childcare costs.
“You may have more available to you in terms of FSA reimbursement (for aftercare or camp) or back-up child care, etc., than you realize,” Smith Brody advises.
None of this is perfect and clearly there is so much more work to be done, but leave it up to moms to have the best ideas to problem-solve this super stressful season.
Do you have an idea that we may have missed? Hit reply and let me know. We’d love to add any and all resources to the list.