You’re in a dilemma. The kids are out of school and you need to fill their time — somehow. Whether you’re just looking for a break to run errands (and let them run off some energy), need to fill gaps between activities or are looking to create a full-day care plan, here are your summer care options:

1. Hire a Summer Nanny
   The good news is that your need for summer care generally aligns with the employment needs of a lot of other people on a school schedule, including both students and teachers. Decide if you’ll need a part-time babysitter or full-time nanny, then spread the word that you’re looking for a quality caregiver. Nannie scan be a lifesaver for working parents who can’t watch the kids during the day or stay-at-home moms or dads who need some free time to get things done.
2. Start a Nanny Camp
   Think nanny-share, but for summer only. While this might take more work on your part, the goal is to find a few neighborhood families and hire a nanny together. The idea is that this summer sitter creates a camp-like curriculum for half the price. Not only will watching children from multiple families increase the caregiver’s income, but having a built-in play date is often more fun for the children. Just be sure that all families are comfortable with the sitter before agreeing to share care.
3. Summer camp
   Summer camp comes in a lot of different forms. Summer camp could, of course, mean the traditional overnight camp or it might be a general day camp or a specialty camp. But it might also include programs like “Vacation Bible School” or your child’s school after-care program that runs a special summer camp. Though we think of summer camp as an outdoor affair, summer camp could be entirely indoors, as in a dance or museum camp.
   For our purposes, let’s define summer camp as a daily summer child care program that is offered for least a half day (but not necessarily every week of the summer). All of these options provide both child care for the parents and fun for the child. A child might attend the same camp all summer or try several different ones.

4. Get a Tutor
   While summer is about having fun, it also leaves a lot of time for some productive learning opportunities. Your kids might (okay, definitely will) roll their eyes at the mention of summertime homework, but it will all be worth it once you see those grades improve come fall. Also keep in mind tutorsdon’t only specialize in academia. Consider getting the kids involved in a hobby like learning to play an instrument or a special skill like learning a foreign language. When choosing a tutor, first decide on the areas your child could use some extra help with, then ask around for recommendations. Teachers and other parents with kids in your daughter’s or son’s grade are great places to start. Also remember that while tutors are great for many reasons, they’re not babysitters, so you’ll likely only get a few hours to get some work done around the house while the kids are getting school-ready.

5. Volunteer Work
   Kids who are between 12 and 16 are the hardest to occupy in the summer. Many consider themselves too old for many of the other options and yet they are too young for paid employment. Give them a head start on paid work in the future. Help them build a resume and a work ethic by doing some volunteer work. Many camps have a “counselor in training” program for middle teens. Nonprofits are often delighted to have another set of hands to do work. Just make sure there is enough supervision and enough to do every day to keep your child engaged.

6. Create a Hybrid Plan
   If a full-time nanny or daily day camp just isn’t a viable option for you, consider creating a hybrid plan in which you mix, match and combine childcare solutions. This can mean having the kids spend a few days with a nanny and attending camp three days per week, or combining a half-day camp with a half-day babysitting co-op. Whether you need to fill a whole day or just get a few hour breaks in the week with extra-curricular activities, supplementing one kind of care with a few other options can be a great way to break from routine and let the kids experience some variance in activities this summer.