Summer break is costing parents more than just time—here’s how debt is becoming the new normal for child care

With five kids, paying for summer camp is one of the biggest items in our annual budget. I’m constantly shifting schedules, looking for more affordable ways to cover my kids’ time out of school. And beyond the logistics of getting our family to multiple locations each day, the strain of paying for camp has been equally real over the years.

In a world not built for modern parenthood (seriously—why do we still accept a 9-month school year designed for an agrarian society?), summer can feel like the peak of institutional abandonment. Between bosses who pretend the season doesn’t exist and a government that acts like every parent has backup child care on call, it’s hard not to ask: Why does no one seem to care that summer is such a massive source of strain for families?

Turns out, the numbers back up the burnout.

Families are spending big and still falling short

A new LendingTree survey of more than 600 parents found that 62% of those who used summer child care or camps have gone into debt to cover the cost. On average, they’re spending nearly $900 per child.

Two-thirds of parents—66%—said paying for summer care is a financial struggle. Nearly half cut back on nonessentials, while 19% reported reducing spending on basic needs like food and utilities.

And that pain sticks around: A quarter of parents took up to a year to pay off the debt, while some are still carrying last summer’s balance even as the next one rolls in.

“Many parents don’t have any other option but to pay for child care,” said Matt Schulz, chief consumer finance analyst at LendingTree. “As much as they’d love to take a bunch of time off during the summer to spend with their kids, that just isn’t a realistic thing for most Americans, so they’re forced to shell out for child care. That extra cost often requires sacrifice.”

Related: Child care costs over 50% of income in some states—and moms are done staying quiet

Parents know the value but can’t afford more

Even amid the financial stress, most parents still believe summer care is important. A full 91% of parents surveyed said summer programs are worth the investment for their children’s development and well-being.

Still, 86% wish they could afford to enroll their kids in more camps or activities, and 36% say affordable options simply don’t exist where they live.

While nearly half of respondents receive some form of tuition assistance, the patchwork system doesn’t meet the scale of the need—especially when families are already stretched thin the rest of the year.

The emotional load is constant

The money is one thing. The planning, coordination, and constant hustle? That’s another beast entirely. Each summer brings a logistical obstacle course of drop-offs, pickups, sibling schedules, and desperate group chats about carpooling.

For many moms, that mental labor is relentless. And it doesn’t pause when the budget is tight or your inbox is overflowing.

Support systems that could ease the burden—affordable child care, flexible work schedules, equitable co-parenting—are still the exception, not the rule. Which means summer ends up landing hardest on the very people already maxed out.

The reality for single parents is even more pressing

The math becomes even more unforgiving in single-parent households. According to WalletHub, single parents in New York are spending up to 45% of their median income on childcare. In New Mexico, it’s as high as 36%, compounded by some of the lowest household incomes in the country.

And that’s just for care during the academic year—summer often adds extra weeks of uncovered time and an additional layer of debt.

It’s time to rethink the system

We are long overdue for a national reckoning on what child care actually is: not a private family issue, but a public infrastructure need. Without summer care, many parents—especially mothers—can’t work. Yet every year, we treat the cost and logistics of camp like an individual puzzle that families should just “figure out.”

Parents need a system that fully supports child care as a core part of family life—especially in the summer months. That includes public investment in summer programming, employer flexibility, and school calendars and community options designed for the actual lives we live—not the ones we were expected to live in 1955.

Because surviving every summer shouldn’t be a parenting badge of honor. It should be a policy failure we’re finally ready to fix.

Related: A push to pay parents to stay home is gaining traction—but moms say what they really need is child care they can afford

Sources:

1. 62% of parents using summer child care go into debt. June 2024. LendingTree. 62% of parents using summer child care go into debt.
2. Best and worst states for working moms. May 2024. WalletHub. Best and worst states for working moms.