Working parents struggle with summer childcare
Many Island working parents already squeezed by limited choices for childcare were left reeling by recent news that the YMCA's summer camp program will not be offered this year. Although Martha's Vineyard offers many camps, classes, and summer activities, finding the right fit for families is difficult in terms of cost, convenience, hours, and children's preferences.
For the last two years, the YMCA held its summer day camp at the Oak Bluffs School. According to the Y's executive director John Cleese, in mid-March the Oak Bluffs School Committee voted not to allow any summer programs at the school to save money. Although Y leaders scrambled to try to find another location, programs and operations director Donald Langley sent a letter to parents about two weeks ago informing them the summer camp will not be offered. For Mary Holmes and Jocelyn Broadley, two mothers whose children attend the Y's after-school program at Oak Bluffs School, no summer camp means the loss of affordable, convenient childcare. For their children, it means the loss of a program they enjoy, in a setting with familiar friends and staff.
Making friends at The FARM Institute.
Photo courtesy of Farm institute
Ms. Broadley's seven-year-old son has been involved in Y programs since he was in kindergarten. "When I go and get him at 5 o'clock, he doesn't want to leave [the after-school program]," she said. "He loves it so much, I know he would feel the same way in the summer program."
Although there are other Island camps to choose from, Ms. Holmes, the mother of a nine-year-old daughter and seven-year-old son, said it's not a matter of one-camp-fits-all. "I have one kid who could very much do a full week of drama - but my other kid, no way," she said. "For me and my family, my pickle is my son and daughter are both older and comfortable with where they are - they've made friends, they know who they're going to play with, and then to send them to a brand-new environment would be hard."
Deciding factors
Ms. Holmes is the Alzheimer's program director in Windemere Rehabilitation and Nursing Center's recreation department. "In order for my husband and I to stay and contribute to Martha's Vineyard, we both have to be working, and we want quality childcare," she said. "I think all of the programs on Martha's Vineyard are quality, but what I like about the Y is the fact they've been responsive to parents, have an excellent staff, and offer a diverse program for the kids."
Ms. Broadley works as a business secretary in the superintendent of public schools office and her husband Shawn in counter sales at Granite City Electric. "Unfortunately, not working isn't an option for me - that's where my health insurance comes from," she said. "We both have to work, and we just have to find alternative coverage. You always have friends and family that are willing to help out, but you can only ask them so many times."
Both women said location and hours of operation must figure into their childcare choices. "A lot of summer camps don't open until 9, and most of us have to be at work either at 8 or 8:30," Ms. Broadley said.
And for working parents, partial-day camps are out of the question, unless they can cobble together childcare arrangements for the rest of the day.
"There are lots of camps on Martha's Vineyard, but one of the problems with the camps is that they're abbreviated - they go from 9 to 1 or 9 to 3, and they're in Katama or they're in Chilmark," Ms. Holmes pointed out. "The other problem for me in the summer is I work in Oak Bluffs - how do I get anywhere across Martha's Vineyard for 3 o'clock, without it taking me an hour and a half?"
Most full-day programs offered at Felix Neck in Edgartown and the FARM Institute in Katama, for example, run from 9 am to 3 pm.
"That's the piece we haven't figured out how to do, is how to extend the day for working families," said Matthew Goldfarb, FARM Institute executive director. "That's one of the holes that's kind of been created with the Y not being able to run programs this year - some of those longer day programs - and we haven't quite figured out how we could put that mix in."
The Martha's Vineyard Boys and Girls Club (MVBGC) in Edgartown offers a 9 am to 5 pm schedule for summer camp, with an 8 am drop-off time for an extra $10 a week, according to MVBGC executive director Peter Lambos.
Although the public school system might seem like a logical entity to offer summer childcare programs, superintendent of schools James Weiss said that would not be feasible. "We're not in business for daycare - our programs would have to be educational, which would make a big difference in terms of cost," he explained.
At present there is no clearinghouse for the Vineyard's summer classes and camp information. Based on listings from last summer's issues of The Martha's Vineyard Times, classes in theater, creative arts, music, dancing, natural history, horseback riding and more were offered on Martha's Vineyard through specialty summer camps, most of them in half-day sessions.
The Vineyard Montessori School summer program and Grace Episcopal Church summer camp ran weekdays from 9 am to 1 pm.
Paying for playing
Affordability is another big factor for working parents to consider. The Y summer camp averaged about 58 to 60 children a day last summer and cost $180 for a five-day week at full price.
The Y did not pay rent at Oak Bluffs School, Mr. Langley said, but donated "wish list" items and built wooden planter boxes for the school as a thank-you. Paying rent would have impacted the camp's cost, Mr. Langley said, which requires a balancing act between charging enough to break even, yet keeping it affordable for working parents.
About 100 children attend the MVBGC summer camp, which has a base tuition of $160 for a five-day week, with discounts available for those who qualify. Mr. Lambos said the camp program is about 70 percent filled right now.
A full-day program at the FARM Institute is $370 a week, minus an Island discount of $92. Other discounts also are available with certain qualifications. Mr. Goldfarb said several openings remain in a variety of full- and half-day summer programs.
Ms. Holmes said other than camp, she doesn't have a lot of other options for her children, although they do spend some summer days with their grandparents. "I don't know what we're going to do - we're not in an income bracket to hire a nanny," she said.
Although babysitters are another option, Ms. Broadley said they can be hard to come by, and expensive, at $10 or more an hour. She also would prefer that her son, an only child, spend time with other children.
"For the whole summer, I would so much rather have my child in a program that will provide him with the activities that he likes to do, as well as playing with other children - not just staying home," she said.
Ms. Broadley already has enrolled her son in another camp for the summer.
Mr. Langley said last week he has not given up his search for a possible summer camp location. "Everyone on Martha's Vineyard has been great in trying to find us space - we're going to continue our efforts to try and find a place maybe nobody's thought of," he said.
In addition to regrets about the impact of the camp's cancellation on children and families, Mr. Langley said he was saddened at having to tell part-time employees who work in the after-school program they will not have summer jobs.
