3 Ways I Saved Over 33% On Summer Childcare

How do you save money on daycare for the summer? Here are three ways I saved over 33% on summer childcare. First, explore the summer camp environment versus a full-time daycare or childcare facility. Second, register early. Registering early usually provides a discount. Lastly, if you can, pay for the entire summer tuition in advance when a cash discount is possible. Here are the 3 ways I saved over 33% on summer childcare:

Explore Summer Camp as a Childcare Option

I highly encourage you to explore the summer camp environment versus a full-time childcare facility for summer childcare. Most summer camps only provide childcare during the summer and are geared towards kids that are 6 to 12 years old. Summer camps are usually less expensive than full-time childcare facilities and offer more outdoor summer type activities.

Summer camps usually have more hour options which offer more savings. I compared three summer day camp options. The three summer day camps had activity hours from 9 AM to 4 PM for a set rate. Each camp also offered additional childcare hours for before and after care between $20-$30 per week.

In the summer, my husband can leave work by 2:30, so I opted to do the 9 AM to 4 PM summer camp without the before and after school care saving me at least $20 a week. I drop her off at nine and Chad, my husband, will pick her up at 4 PM. If you do not have the option of using the 9 AM to 4 PM options, still summer camps are less expensive than full-time childcare facilities by around $15 per week.

Register and Enroll Early to Save Money

Registering and enrolling early will save you BIG money. The summer camp options available in my area were: Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, YMCA Day Camp, and the local park district. Some local park districts do not offer summer camp, but the three other summer camp options are national organizations and may have a location close to you. All of the summer camps I researched in my area offered an early registration discount. If you enrolled before May 1st, you received a discount of $15 off per week. The weekly rate for our local park district dropped from $150 to $135 per week. I will take those savings!

I opted to go with the local park district summer camp. Our local park district offered swimming lessons to all campers at no additional charge. More savings…yes, Swimming is included! Free swimming lessons were a huge selling point for me. It was also the only camp that offered swimming lessons in a pool versus a human-made lake. There is no way my daughter would swim in water that she cannot see through to the bottom. Am I alone on this? Click here to see more benefits of summer camp over full-time daycare facilities.

Pay In Full and SAVE Even More

Paying in full saved another five dollars per week! Enrolling early in summer camp will get you a lower weekly rate. If you can pay in full for the whole summer, you can usually get an additional cash discount on top of that. It may not be as high a discount as enrolling early, but it is still something. And we will save every chance we can get it!

This summer I have one child going to summer camp five days a week for ten weeks (most camps offer a three day a week option which can also be a money saving option). For an entire summer of childcare, I paid $1316.50 (includes camp and registration fees). The full-time daycare facility I used last summer would have been $197.50 a week which would’ve been $790 a month, and for ten weeks I would have paid $2035.00 (includes childcare and registration fees). Enrolling in our local park district summer camp saved me $718.50!

I want to help you save on your childcare. If you have questions about how to save on summer camp, or if you are not sure where to look in your area, please email me or comment below and I am happy to help you out.