Summer.
School is out, but work is...in. So, for those of us who have to work while school is out...kids have to go to camp.
Have you seen how much camp costs these days?
Affordable camps...like YMCA camps are about $120/week. Then you add in pre-care and after-care because...work...and you pay an extra $20/week. Let's say there are 10 weeks of summer...and you have two kids...that's $2800 for the summer.
And that's on the low-end.
According to this article by care.com the average cost of day camp is $304 per week...so now you're looking at almost $6,000 for two kids over the summer...For specialty camps like...language immersion, sports, coding, etc...those are in the range of $500-$1000...according to care.com.
And it's true...my son begged me to go to coding camp. It was abut $800 FOR. THE. WEEK.
To help my son get the summer camp experience that we could afford...we signed him up for a local YMCA-style camp - field trips, swimming, and just regular old playing. I happen to think that slowing it down for the summer...letting kids be kids and not little adults...is very important. Plus, several of his school friends were attending, and I knew he would have a good time. The camp is affordable, VERY well-run, and his buddies were there - what's not to love. Plus, I want him outside, in nature, since we don't live in a place where you can be outside for long periods of time year-round.
But that still left the question of coding...how do I satisfy his interest in coding, etc.
I made a deal with him that he could work on coding after he got home from camp, until it was time to get ready for bed. But that he had to break for dinner and also stop coding at around 7:15. There was also an option to sign him up for some science lessons at camp, so I added that on.
The price of camp is still outrageous - even affordable camps are really expensive - but knowing I have to budget for this the whole year helps make it easier to afford the camps when summer comes.
Enjoy the beauty of summer!
Penny
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