Dear Dr. Debbie,
Between my husband and me we have enough flexibility at work that we don’t need to arrange full weeks of day camp for the children for the summer. There are blocks here and there, though, that a day or even a half day of camp would help us out.
I’m tempted to sign them up for a couple of weeks but my husband argues that it would be cheaper to hire a sitter only when we need coverage.
Our girls are 9 and 11.
Childcare Coordinator
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Dear C.C.,
Please consider day camp as an opportunity for your children and not as a solution to your childcare needs. Although it is both.
A full week of full days gives a camper the chance to work on skills, gain self-confidence, and interact with children her own age.
Maybe you’re not aware of the scarcity of babysitters these days. Teen-agers have many other ways to occupy their summers – which mostly leaves them unavailable for occasional sits. Camp, on the other hand, provides an immersive experience in being away from home, having (supervised) adventures and making discoveries about yourself and the world. It’s a step toward eventually leaving the nest when the time comes.
Most day camps operate on schedules that assume parents need childcare coverage for a 9 to 5 job and therefore set their hours accordingly. Some have “early” and “late” options available for an extra fee. If family finances are an issue, ask about “camperships” to reduce the camp fees. It may also be possible to offer yourself as a staff volunteer, if that works with your schedule, to offset costs for your children to attend.
Choices, Choices
What are your children’s interests? What day camps are their school friends going to? Which camps are within a reasonable driving distance from your home?
You need to do a little research to find the best options. Ideally, the children would both go to the same camp – for your convenience, and a possible sibling discount, and for them to share the experience as sisters. Chesapeake Family Magazine has a directory of day camps with a wide variety of themes including: nature, theater, fitness, history, robotics, bicycling, sailing, cooking, and dance. Then there are the traditional all-around day camps that offer a nice mix of recreational activities including that summer staple, swimming.
Fostering Friendship
The pandemic has impeded children’s ability to make and sustain friendships, so make this a priority in your summer planning. (Speaking as a former child with many siblings, I can attest to the value of having playmates that weren’t in my family. I have two dear friends that have been in my life for more than sixty years!) Contact the parents of your children’s friends from school to ask about their day camp plans. If you haven’t discerned who your children’s friends are at school, please ask them! Try to coordinate registering for the same camp as these friends. In addition to supporting friendships for the children, the parents would benefit from a carpool schedule that would save you time and gas.
Even if your children don’t go to camp with a friend, there’s a good chance they’ll each make one or two at camp. These friendships can be supported outside of camp with a simple exchange of parents’ phone numbers and or email addresses. If your children don’t have this information by the third day of camp, use your coordination skills to contact the camp office to have your contact information forwarded to the friends’ parents. Wouldn’t it be nice for your children to continue getting together with “my friend from camp” for many years to come? You can arrange for meet-ups and playdates to keep the friendships going until they’re back at camp together each summer!
Working Women
Yes, there are many reasons for your children to go to day camp – to gain experiences, skills, and friendships – but another reason is that they have working parents. You set a model, especially for girls, that one day they may be a working mother, too. Securing registrations at camp for your girls allows you to turn your attention to performing your job duties. Arranging for quality childcare is part of the package of being a working parent.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2022, among married-couple families with children, both parents were employed in 65.0 percent of these families. The chances of mothers being in the workforce rises to 76.7% of those whose youngest child was age 6 to 17. Summer day camp is part of the solution for childcare needs when school is out.
Make day camp work for your family’s needs this summer.
Dr. Debbie
Deborah Wood, Ph.D. is a child development specialist and founding director of Chesapeake Children’s Museum.
The museum is open with online reservations or call: 410-990-1993. Each Thursday there is a guided nature walk at 10:30 am. Art and Story Times will move to Monday mornings at 10:30 am in June.
The annual free fair for all the children of Annapolis, Kids ‘n’ Kaboodle, is scheduled for Saturday, June 10, 12-4 pm at the Bates Athletic Complex on Spa Road. Donations and volunteers are much appreciated. Please email [email protected].
Read more of Dr. Wood’s Good Parenting columns by clicking here.
