Can you believe it? Summer is only a couple of months away!
The last day of school for most Canadian children falls sometime in June, which begs the question: have you found childcare for the summer yet?
Given that childcare in Canada is still considered to be in a state of crisis, it can be extremely difficult for Canadian families to find both affordable and reliable childcare, especially for the summer months.
So what can you and your family do to avoid being childcare-less come the day school lets out?
You can start by planning ahead.
The following are some suggestions for getting a leg up in your search for summer childcare:
1. Do your research.
Know your options, research those options, and perform due diligence.
Ask yourself questions like: will my child be safe in this environment? Will my child be happy in this environment?
2. Weigh the costs.
Can I afford sending my child to this daycare or summer camp facility? Will I be able to transport my child to and from this facility easily?
Does this facility offer enough daily coverage (in terms of hours of operation)? Will I be able to drop them off and pick them off on time without it interfering with my work schedule?
3. Talk to other parents.
The best way to find out about the qualifications or reliability of a childcare facility is by asking people whose children, or whose friends’ children, have already experienced it.
Facebook and other social media sites are great resources for this.
4. Start the application process as soon as possible.
There is a good chance that many daycare or summer activity camps are already at capacity.
However, there may yet be a saving grace for you.
One of the services we offer is the placement of au pairs (from either Germany, Australia, New Zealand, or Austria) with Canadian families.
An au pair is typically a young woman between the ages of 18 and 30 who comes to Canada on a Working Holiday Visa in order to live with a host family and take care of their children between 25-40 hours per week.
The best part about hiring an au pair is that they are flexible; as they are live-in (unlike nannies, who are either live-in or live-out), it is easy for them to adjust to your schedule and act as a reliable third parent on your parenting team.
Plus, the relationship they will cultivate with you and your family over the course of their placement will become like that of an extended family member, an older sibling for your children to play and spend time with.
International Nannies currently has only a handful of profiles of au pair applicants who are available to come to Canada, but we are confident we will be receiving many more in weeks leading up to summer.
All you have to do to start the process of hiring an au pair is by filling out our Host Family Application (pictured above), which will allow our team to get a better sense of your family’s unique childcare needs for the summer.
Interested? Give us a call today at 1.800.820.8308.
Or email our head office at [email protected].
Don’t wait until the last minute!
