Summer Day Camps: What do working parents do?

It was the first day of kindergarten, and I was already asking people about summer time daycare. Having spent months on the waiting list for our preschool daycare when we moved to San Jose  -- we ended up at another center far away that could accommodate us until we could get into the more convenient location -- I figured that summer camps filled up quickly, and I needed to be at the top of my game.

When you searched "summer camps" you got spotty advice. Lot's of links to sites that had links to sites that went to sites that had spotty information - no opinions, lot's of advertising. There seemed to be plenty of options, but it was confusing. And as a working parent you are looking for the powerful combination of convenience and fun.

It turns out that people sign-up for summer day camps in January and February. So, although I was early evaluating options in September, you still run into the mass rush of working parents to the best programs...  Although which are the best programs was still a mystery to me.

Our elementary school afterschool program offers a summer camp. This seemed like a option, but honestly I'm only luke warm about the program. It seems disorganized, and while Xander likes his counselors, he didn't actually like going to the program. Imagine a whole summer of that. Besides, Xander said in no uncertain terms, he did not want to go there for summer camp. I'm glad he had an opinion.

A friend at work recommended the Y and I'm really glad she did. We experimented with it during spring break. Our local Y runs day camps during school holidays. Xander loved the Y program. This was a good thing because I'd already signed him up for the Y day camp this summer, specifically the Splash Camp. If he hated it we would have had a mad scramble to find an alternative.

So, we are a week into summer camp at the Y, and Xander is giddy with joy. The program is well organized and fun! Since we're doing Splash Camp he gets a swim lesson everyday -- bonus -- which is great since Xander loves the water.  They also have a great camp counselor to kid ratio. What a relief, I have one less thing to worry about, and I have a daycare strategy for summers to come!