How Virtual Will Summer Need To Be?

As a 10-year veteran of summer camp fairs, I’m missing out this year. Most parents, and the children who attend in tow, are too! This rite of spring is a signal that summer filled with outdoor adventure, camaraderie and the newest camp craze is on the horizon. But this year—whether your go-to event was organized by the PTA, the local newspaper, or an in-the-know mom blog—if happening at all, maybe very different. Most of the community-focused summer camp fairs have been canceled or gone virtual this year. So how do we as parents find a camp or summer programs? And, more importantly, will they be in person or will our children have to settle for a virtual summer after a long virtual school year? We don’t know all the answers and neither do many camp organizations. But the calendar has turned to March and the time to plan is here.

There are roughly 10 weeks or 400 hours of summer break and many parents start by filling the schedule with camps or summer sports. This summer that starting point may differ depending on your family’s COVID protocol. If you aren’t doing group activities, skip the next paragraphs. But sports and camps are typically a mainstay in children’s summers.

First, if camps can open, they will open; and nearly every camp—from multi-week overnight camps to weekday morning camps—are working feverishly to operate. How they approach safety, enrollment, and the delivery of activities varies. From limiting enrollment, to quarantine protocols to moving all activities outdoor even in 90-degree weather, organizers are retooling their program. In speaking with camp organizers their dedication to delivering excellence—which includes safety around COVDID—is evident. They will share up to the moment details at virtual camp fairs, so that is a great starting point, but you will likely need to set aside more time for planning for camps since to get the latest information on the operation and protocols will mean individual calls to each camp, and likely more than once.

Sports may be driven by school for older children or community leagues and groups for the younger. From Maine to California each area has been approaching sports differently. Early research indicates that summer sports will follow similar protocols from spring schools or leagues, but may be able to expand slightly due to the outdoor opportunities that the warm weather brings. Again, more time for planning, but since sports have a strong parental association, getting a group text or email about the latest is a time saver. 

Local school and park and rec programs are much like summer camps. They are extremely motivated to open this summer and know more than ever our children need social interaction, a break from screens, and stimulation. These programs have traditionally been extremely important options for childcare during the school break and families depend on this support. There isn’t a school district or recreation department that isn’t putting every possible effort into offering this option. Again, this will take time and follow-up from parents, as well as early registration since spots will likely be limited due to a reduction in group sizes. Stay diligent in deadlines and open registration.

We’ve all learned, at some level, to embrace Zoom. While we may have a love-hate relationship with our screens, they have allowed content delivery that we’ve come to depend upon for both work and home life. Virtual summer camps can certainly fit into the plan in some small way. A few resources to select STEM-based camps include: Summer Camp Hub’s 15 Best Summer Camps for Your Child 2021 and Destination Science Virtual Summer Camps. These two options bring a fun education aspect to this summer.  

But just as distance learning wasn’t possible without parental involvement, virtual summer camps likely need grown-up involvement especially at the beginning of each day to gather supplies or get set up for the day’s schedule.  Choose wisely and read the fine print. Perhaps find a camp group that either ship the supplies prior or gives a supply list the week before so you aren’t scrambling for baking soda while your staff meeting is on mute.

Yet, with all of the planning and registration deadlines, it is likely that families will still have summer care needs at home, or choose to avoid group programming altogether. After more than 365 days of a pandemic driving our lives, many parents simply want their children to have unscheduled fun this summer to ride bikes, swim at the pool, pack a picnic, and head to the park, or allow spontaneous games of HORSE with the neighbor kids. This involves adult supervision and someone to plan and execute these activities.  

Regardless of the final outcome of camps and sports and programs, or the choice of just an unstructured summer, it is likely that some summer care is a need for many families. At College Nannies + Sitters, summer childcare is our foundation and how our agency started over 20 years ago. We know summer, so putting together the puzzle pieces is easier for us than you.  Here’s why: As childcare staffing experts, it is our job to work with parents to take the existing plans, supplement and enhance them, and make them a reality. There is a mix of magic and strategy in how we help parents look like superstars in their children’s eyes with a summer nanny or sitter they love. With a tentative schedule in hand, we’ll listen to what is planned thus far and then discuss what is needed to make that plan happen as well as identify any gaps. We’ll even be there to save the day if structured plans fall through. We have local insight into the updates from many programs, as well as a deep bench of nannies and sitters to call upon for fluid schedules. Our team will work to carefully match our summer team to the ages and personalities of children, and together, we will get summer managed. Call us now and let’s consult. We’ll Make it Happen. https://collegenannies-8.hubspotpagebuilder.com/college-nannies-sitters-summer-nanny-program