Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

DH will not be happy that I'm posting this, but I'm thinking one of you may have a good idea....

His 2 daughters - 16 and 10, have been going to a daycamp near them since his older daughter was a toddler. It is one of those daycare centers that is a camp during the summer - a nice one - small, but the girls always had fun. My older stepdaughter has been a counselor since she was 12, and the younger one is a regular camper.

DH and his ex were friends with the owners, and they always got a very nice discount for the summer. A ridiculously low tuition for the summer.

Well, last year they changed owners, so no more discount. We were still going to send the younger one there. We pay half, and mom pays half.

We were going to use our tax return to pay, but long story short, our accountant F*d up and we didnt get our return.

Since we needed the money for Cailen's daycare, neither girls are going to the camp this summer. The older one has to stay home and watch the younger one, so she can't work this summer. They will be staying home all day.

I'm heart broken because I know they understand, and everyone is making sacrifices for the baby this year. But I was just at my younger stepdaughter's field day today, and she was having so much fun. The thought of her being inside all summer and not playing in camp with her friends makes me want to cry. The older one will be fine - she's 16 and is a lazy bum and wuold probably not mind sleeping all day and staying inside, but the younger one should be a kid this summer... They live in Plainview, and all their friends are insanely wealthy.

So, besides the huge pity party I'm in right now, I have a few questions:

We live in Northport - they live in Plainview - are there any programs between us that maybe have a weeklong thing? Or even a few days? I figured we may be able to afford that....

Anyone know of anything available for the day that maybe the younger one can go to so she's not cooped up all day? We all work full time, so its not like we can do much with them.

Any other suggestions that I'm not thinking of?

They are going to stay with their grandparents one week, and their aunt one week, in Cherry Hill NJ - they SPOIL them when they are there, and do a lot, so at least they will have that, and then we all go to a folk festival together for a week, which they enjoy, so 3 weeks are already taken care of.... But anything else - any suggestions, would be great!!!

TIA ladies!

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

There are a lot of town programs that run either half day or full day. I would contact the local school district or maybe library for information. I know that there is a program on Crab Meadow Beach, that I bet is run by the town of Huntington. There are also a bunch of specialty camps that run a week at a time. One that comes to mind is the mad science programs. Again I would contact the schools, library, or maybe local parents resource center. Also talk to any local moms you know, they are a wealth of information.

HTH

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

There is a day camp at SUNY Farmingdale. It is not very fancy but they play sports, go on one trip a week. It is about 250 a week. I don't know if that is considered a lot or a little. Also a lot of the Town of Oyster Bay parks have a recreation program. Maybe she can go to that. The only problem is that you need to provide transportation.suny day camp

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

i know holy trinity hs in hicksville has sports camps all summer. they are weekly and i know my cousins loved them.

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

Thanks ladies!!!

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

Town of Huntington has a camp program.

eta. I used to go to the Y camp in Huntington.

Maybe that's an option?

Message edited 6/1/2007 3:11:15 PM.

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

Awe.. That does sounds really sad. I feel worse for the older one who will be stuck babysitting all day when she could be working. For the 10-year old, I would see about a program in her school district.

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

$250 is still a lot IMO, especially times 2 kids. Cheap as far as camp goes, but still expensive if that makes sense LOL.

I looked at the Town of Huntington's site and there are some programs listed.
Some of the camps are pricey, and I'm not sure what a Rec ID Card is, but they offer a cheaper price with that. They have some CIT programs too.

http://town.huntington.ny.us/PERMIT_PICS/663.PDF

Message edited 6/1/2007 4:54:43 PM.

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

Town of Huntington has a camp at the beach called Camp Soundview (it is at Crab Meadow Beach). I actually used to work there. It is about $230 for a 2 week session. The kids have time at different stations: Crafts, Sports, Swimming, Snacks, Nature Walk. It is pretty fun, and on the beach.

Good luck

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

Thanks ladies...

I spoke to DH tonight - we will check out some of these programs!!!

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

Besides camp, you can always set up play dates with her friends if their parents dont mind once in awhile just to get her out of the house. I know camp is so $$$.

Re: Spinoff to finances - I feel very sad for my stepdaughters.... Any suggestions?

I grew up in Plainview, and I remember that there was a camp called Camp Apollo, which was a non-profit camp that ran out of the school district. A regular camp, except the "grounds" were the high school playing fields, swimming pool, etc. I don't know how much the fees are, but I think it is much cheaper than private day camps. Also, they might have reduced fees available.