Finding child care in summer can be tricky and expensive for working parents | Canada Voices

For working parents across Canada, what might be a carefree summer for their kids can be a drain on their bank account.

Our daughter finishes junior kindergarten in June, so it’s our first year navigating child care during her 10-week summer break. We’re trying to cobble together a plan that is logistically and financially feasible, which means getting creative to make it work – while we’re working.

Summer day camps are a good option for younger kids, but they require a lot of advance planning to secure spots. If you’re reading this and haven’t booked camps, you’ve likely missed deadlines and the camps you want are full.

Day camps range widely in price, from city-run camps at the affordable end to private camps running anywhere from a few hundred dollars to more than $1,000 a week. So far I’ve booked camps on the low end ($275/week) and the high end ($725/week).

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At a bare minimum, 10 weeks of camp would cost at least $2,000 a child, which is about equivalent to what we pay for a month of my youngest daughter’s daycare.

Camps also require logistical planning – every camp has different drop-off and pickup times, as well as lunch and snack requirements. And like school hours, the timing often isn’t conducive for full-time working parents.

Outside of day camps, we’ll turn to family for help. We’re lucky to have three sets of grandparents nearby, so we’ve asked if they would be willing to do “grandparent camp” with our daughter. It saves us money and gives them quality time together – a win-win in my eyes but not feasible for every parent and not desirable for every grandparent.

I’ve heard of other creative ways parents are managing child care in the summer.

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Some parents have flexible work schedules so they can shift work hours to accommodate a kid at home, by reducing work to a few days or working adjusted hours. I have several friends who are teachers or who otherwise have slow periods in the summer, so they don’t require child care, or strategically register for select camps to give themselves a break.

In addition to camps and family help, we’re also planning a family vacation. I typically align my summer break with the weeks our daycare provider is closed, and we plan to enjoy a staycation in Prince Edward County. While this is technically free, we do a lot of activities locally, so we will probably spend some money out of what we would have on daycare and camp.

One parent I heard from skips camp and spends that budget instead on family camping trips and season passes to Canada’s Wonderland, a popular amusement park in Vaughan.

As a way to offset travel budgets, the Canada Strong pass is back, which means many parks and museums are free or discounted this summer, and kids can travel for free on VIA Rail.

Other parents are going farther afield – one friend is spending a month in Portugal with the family. Thanks to the time zone, they plan to work in the evening, giving them time during the day to spend with their children.

Another smart idea suggested by several parents: Swap child care with a local parent. For example, our neighbour is a teacher and her daughter is a close friend of our daughter. If she’s reading this, how would you like to swap days – we’ll watch your daughter for a day, and vice versa? I’ve found it’s easier to entertain my kid when they have friends around anyway.

These are all great ways to alleviate the burden of summer break for working parents, but for those without job flexibility, vacation time, family members who are able and willing to help, or thousands of dollars to spend on summer camp, the options for summer child care are limited.

There are subsidized spots in many camps, but otherwise I’m not sure what a working parent can do other than miss work, which in turn can mean missed income.

For me, the lesson is clear: When daycare costs go on pause, put that money aside every month in a “summer break” account, so you’re prepared for camp fees, family trips, or other child care expenses.

The best thing we can do as working parents is plan ahead.

Erin Bury is the co-founder and CEO of online estate planning platform Willful.co. She lives in rural Ontario with her husband and two young children.