Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
12 years ago in suburban Texas I was paid $10/hour for a gig like that, though it was for the entire summer. I drove the kids to activities, took them to the pool, etc. I was paid for gas and my admission to anything the mom asked me to do. I was 18 & 19 the summers I did this.
Now I would expect to pay at least $12/hour.
One thing you might consider is some sort of childcare share--I did that the 2nd summer with two families and it worked out great. I made $15 watching three kids between two families. The families paid less and the kids got along great. It's a good way to cut costs. Most sitters wont care much about the extra kids, but you have to pay them a good base amount for the cost of their time, especially short term.
I know someone who does a nanny share. The nanny charges $15 an hour whether it is for one child or two chlldren, the parents pay less each & the toddlers always have a playmate.
Are there no other weekly summer day camps around? I live in a small city and there's zillions.
My kids are going to a "day care camp" as they are still pretty young, which is $210 a week. They go bowling, swimming, and do crafts, science experiments, etc. But my eldest will also do another week at Space Camp day camp for $275.
There are all sorts of camps but I have two kids with different interests and I am not going to do two drop offs in opposite directions each day. The Y works for both of them and they do go on a field trip a week and then every day is a different activity plus they swim. They enjoy it for a few weeks and then they don't and they want to stay home and just take it easy.
I should talk to my neighbor and see if we could come up with something as our son's are great friends and spend as much time together as they can. Sharing a sitter might work for a few weeks. Maybe camp for 3 weeks and then a sitter for 6 weeks and grandma/grandpa for 3 weeks as summer is 12 weeks this year instead of the usual 10.
I am considering an overnight girl scout camp for my daughter for a week but unless her friend goes I don't think she will.
There are all sorts of camps but I have two kids with different interests and I am not going to do two drop offs in opposite directions each day. The Y works for both of them and they do go on a field trip a week and then every day is a different activity plus they swim. They enjoy it for a few weeks and then they don't and they want to stay home and just take it easy.
.
My kids (6 and 8) are the same-- last year they did a few weeks of a camp but they didn't get bored of summer. They want to be able to see friends and ride bikes and go to the beach. Kids don't need to be entertained 24/7. Getting up every day early for camp and rushing to sports practice gets old. My daughter doesn't mind but my son really needs his time to decompress.
My kids (6 and 8) are the same-- last year they did a few weeks of a camp but they didn't get bored of summer. They want to be able to see friends and ride bikes and go to the beach. Kids don't need to be entertained 24/7. Getting up every day early for camp and rushing to sports practice gets old. My daughter doesn't mind but my son really needs his time to decompress.
My kids exactly down to the daughter and the son. My son is the older one and he wanted to be able to watch some TV and play on the computer and play with his friend. The weather is also some of it as well. We had quite a few days in the 90 + last summer and the kids go outside for a little bit each day.
My daughter is the oldest but my son likes his quiet time to read or play Legos, etc. He is happy to collect bugs in the backyard or climb a tree with the kid next door. During the school year he doesn't always have much downtime so I like to let him play.
We also love to go to the beach together and after a full day of camp they might not be up for it. We need our outside time when the weather is nice!
I think camp is a much better option since they will interact with other kids, most camps allow you flexibility with the hours and it probably will be pretty close to the cost of hiring a sitter.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
