Summertime childcare…This is a tough one.  There are several things you need to take into account when looking into summertime childcare.  Things like:

• Your families budget
• Your personal preferences
• Child care availability
• Hours available
• Parents intuition

Yes, I do have your intuition on there.  You talk to any mom (and maybe dad’s too, but I can only really speak from a mom’s perspective), they will tell you they know almost immediately if they are comfortable leaving their child somewhere. 

I have had more than one mom tell me they left a child care facility without leaving their child there because it just did not feel right.  So do not underestimate the power of a parent’s intuition. 

Taking all these factors into account, it is important to take my fourth step into account.

Start Researching Summer Child Care Options Early – As the mother of school aged children, I know the summer can be a difficult time.  You have to make the decision of where your children will spend their summer. 

Some people are lucky enough to work from home and can have their children home with them.  If you fall into this bracket, you should probably take into account that you might not be quite as productive with the children home. 

Also, don’t forget those meetings outside the office, those hourly daycare centers are fabulous for that situation; just don’t forget to factor that into your budget. 

Other people do not have the option of working from home, so then what?  There are city run facilities that have great field trips and activities, but they tend to be expensive.  You can also look into some in-home daycare options or look into a nanny. 

Each option is a very personal decision for each family, not only financially, but only you know what is right for your children.  If you start researching early, you will not feel forced to make decisions under pressure.