Parents: Where to Find Affordable Summer Childcare

NorthJersey.com: Summer’s an Expensive Time to Find Day Care

NORTH JERSEY — With the end of the school year fast approaching, millions of working parents are considering their summer childcare alternatives. Basically, primary caregivers will have to fill up eight to 10 hours of a day with childcare. Summer isn’t only a challenging time to arrange childcare – it’s also the most expensive part of the year. Many families spend half of their child care budgets during the summer.

Fortunately, there are flexible, money-saving alternatives for caregivers who want to offer their children an enjoyable and safe summer—without breaking the bank.

Work & life balance

Many companies today embrace work and life balance strategies through flexible or reduced work schedules for employees, which could be ideal for working parents during the summer. Hueina Su, a certified life coach and author of “Intensive Care for the Nurturer’s Soul: 7 Keys to Nurture Yourself” While Caring for Others, recommends approaching your manager with a detailed plan on how your proposed schedule will benefit both you and your employer. “Be prepared and write down your proposal. Also, be sure to specify how work emergencies would be handled,” Su said.

Care center camps

Many child care centers offer day camps during the summer. If your child is already enrolled in day care during the year, this option is a great opportunity for your child to remain with friends in a familiar environment. Circle Time Preschool and Childcare Center, in Newfoundland, offers curriculum designed to encourage young children to explore.

Their activities allow active participation and promote independent growth. Parents can enroll their children in the summer program weekly or monthly, and full-days or half-days are available. Children ages range from 2 through 7.

“Through flexible hours, we try to accommodate the parent who does not work the typical 9 to 5 schedule, said Jennifer Lippe, director of the child care center. “We also offer emergency child care in the event a primary caregiver arrangement falls through at the last minute, which can be stressful, particularly during the snow season.”

Bruce Bialkin, of West Milford, brings his son, Benjamin, 4, to Circle Time during the year. His 2 year-old son Nathan, attends home care at a neighbor’s house. Ben will attend Circle Time’s 10-week summer program. “It is important to us that Ben is in an educational school and social setting among kids his age during the summer,” said Bialkin.

Neighborhood care

Alternate watching the kids with neighbors or friends for free. Laura Wymbs, a mother of two in Riverside, alternates sitting duties with friends, which is a win-win for both the parents and the kids.

“Not only do we save money on a teenage sitter, but our kids are close in age so they have a great time together,” said Wymbs.

Networking with other parents in your neighborhood at the park or at school can also lead to a flexible shared child care arrangement. Parents might need to take time off work during their turn, but it should be minimal as other households are taking turns as well.

Whatever your choice for child care, make sure you have a back-up child care plan in case of an emergency. Recruit a teenager or college student on summer vacation in the event your child must miss the primary child care option. They can be recruited through the university’s on-campus career centers or through a parent network in your community.

Summer savings

Affordable day camps can range in activities from sports and science to music. Local options might include museums, YMCA/YWCA and town parks.

“When my children were younger and I worked from home, I would take them to the library or bookstore, so I could work while they were being entertained,” said Su.

Day camps can be great money-saving alternatives to overnight camps. Most townships offer affordable summer programs that have a ton of activities for kids of all ages. Check out your town’s website or local newspaper for a listing of a calendar of summer events.

All in the family

Su recommends reaching out to local relatives for support on different days of the week. Whether it is a teenage niece or grandma, your children can enjoy some quality bonding time.

“This strategy may not apply to everyone but it is a nice opportunity for family members to reunite and spend time together,” said Su.

Just breathe

Amidst the chaos of researching and planning your summer child care arrangements, be sure to take a moment to take care of your own needs as an individual.

“Stay-at-home and work-at-home mothers suffer during the summer too,” said Su.

While the children are home from school, it can be hard for mothers to have time to relax and unwind.

“Having a self-care mindset is not selfish or a luxury; it is an essential practice for survival and well-being,” said Su.

Learn how to create more time & space to nurture YOU without guilt: download your FREE Intensive Self-Care Kit at http://www.IntensiveSelfCare.com.

Learn How to Sell Without Selling

Selling is perhaps the most stressful business activity for most people, however, it’s a critical skill that’s required for business owners as well as many other professionals. Luckily, there is a way to sell without feeling like a used car salesman.

My friend Terri Levine wrote a book called Sell Without Selling: Lessons from the Jungle for Sales Success. Terri Levine, The Guru of Coaching, is a Master Certified Coach, bestselling author, and a sales-coaching and training expert. She created the world renowned “Selling-Without-Selling” program that has been delivered to corporations worldwide. Terri has an impressive track record using her sell-without-selling approach and was number one in sales for several national organizations before starting her own sales coaching company and teaching her proprietary Selling-Without-Selling method to others. This book is written as a delightful fable that tackles the issue many salespeople face daily — in their hearts they hate to sell. It instantly engages anyone who sells with the story of a young business student and her struggle to learn a way to sell with ease. Through the story Terri shares different ways of selling and why they work or do not work. She shares the secrets of not just turning prospects into clients, but turning them into raving fans!

You can purchase this book from Barnes & Noble online.

Put It Down

My good friend Gina Terry reminded me of this story that I’d like to share with you today.

A professor begins his class by holding up a glass with some water in it for all to see. He asks the students, “How much do you think this glass weighs?”

‘50gms!’ ‘100gms!’ ‘125gms’ students answer.

“I don’t know unless I weigh it,” the professor replies, “but, my question is:
What happens if I hold it up like this for a few minutes?”

“Nothing” …the students say.

“What happens if I hold it up like this for an hour?” the professor asks.

“Your arm will begin to ache,” says one student.

“You’re right. What happens if I hold it for a day?”

“Your arm may go numb, you may get severe muscle stress & paralysis & have to go to the hospital!”
ventures another student. The other students laugh.

“Very good,” the professor says. “But during all this, would the weight of the glass change?”

“No,” they all reply.

“Then what causes the arm ache & the muscle stress?”

The students are puzzled.

“What could I do to relieve the pain?” asks professor.

“Put the glass down!” yells one student.

“Exactly!” says the professor.

“Life’s problems go something like this: Hold them for a few minutes in your head & they seem OK. Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache. Hold them even longer & they begin to paralyze you. You will unable to do anything.”

“It’s important to think of the challenges or problems in your life, but EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to ‘PUT THEM DOWN’ at the end of every day before you go to sleep!”

“That way, you are stress free, you wake up every day fresh & strong, able to handle any issue, any challenges that comes your way. So, when you leave office today… Remember my friends…

PUT THE GLASS DOWN!”

Your Action Challenge:
This coming week, spend 5 minutes before bed to review your day. Think about what you have accomplished and pat yourself on the back. Think about unfinished tasks, self-defeating thoughts and behaviors, negative experiences and emotions that you have experienced during the day. What can you put down and let go, so you can start with a clean slate tomorrow?

How to Build a 6-Figure Business and STILL Have a Life

How to Build a 6-Figure Business and STILL Have a Life

Are you stressed because you don’t have enough customers? Are you afraid of selling?

There is a stress-free way to attract and convert prospects, so you can build a 6-figure business and still have a life!!

Please join me and Terri Levine, Marketing Coach and Professional Business Growth Expert, for this very special FREE Teleseminar.

In this high-impact Teleseminar you will learn:

• How to have a flood of the right prospects come to you without selling, excited to hear what you have to say.

• How to convert, without any selling, the right prospects who will ask to hire you and do so on the spot.

• The one zero-cost transformation to put into action that will enable you to leverage every relationship.

• The power of emotionally engaging clients so they are with you long term and refer like mad.

Date: Thursday, April 29

Time: 1:00 – 2:00 pm EST

Yes, I want to learn how to build a 6-figure business and still have a life! Conference call number will be delivered to your email address below, so make sure your email address is correct. Your Name* Primary Email* Your Biggest Challenge How did you hear about us? We hate spam. Your info is safe with us.

Terri Levine is the founder and CEO of one of the world’s largest coaching enterprises, Comprehensive Coaching U. Terri is known as a business growth expert and top marketing coach and is called the Guru of Coaching®. She is considered one of the top sales and marketing coaches in the world. Terri is also a best selling author of many titles including: Sell Without Selling, Stop Managing Start Coaching and Coaching is for Everyone. Terri thrives on helping other small business owners achieve extraordinary success, like she has, using her sales and marketing methods. She is seen often as an expert on television networks such as NBC, CNN, CNBC, MSNBC and ABC and has been heard on over 129 radio stations world wide and in publications including The Wall Street Journal, The Chicago Tribune, Fortune and Forbes. Terri is also a mentor to top business owners worldwide. She speaks to audiences worldwide as a professional keynote speaker and impacts the audiences to implement her ideas and put them into action quickly. Audiences rave about her ability to shift them and change them in a short period of time installing her success right into them. They leave fired up to take action and they do take actions that ring their cash registers right away. Terri coaches audience members and clients and solves their business issues on the spot. She is known for giving her clients, small business owners, the tried and tested ways to explode their business and profits and provides the most practical business building information that you can use to accelerate your business success now.

Saying Thanks to My Book Launch Partners

Dear Partners & Friends,

As I sit here reflecting on this AMAZING day, my heart is filled with JOY and gratitude. What a day!! My book Intensive Care for the Nurturer’s Soul hit #1 on Amazon in Home and Community Health, #1 in Home and Community Care, and #4 in Nursing. ☺ As of now, it’s Amazon.com Sales Rank #696 in Books (this morning it was about #58,000)

I wish I could shake your hand, give you a hug, and personally thank each and every one of you. I couldn’t have done this without YOU and I so appreciate all the support and love you have showered on me!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

As you may or may not be aware of, I am on a mission to bring the message of self-love and Intensive Self-Care to one million women nurturers worldwide. Today’s book launch is just the beginning of the journey. We’ve had a great start, and I’m SO grateful to have you embark on this journey with me!! I’d like to think that you have chosen to be my book launch partner because you resonate or feel aligned with my message and my energy. If so, please continue to share the message and help me with my mission. As I said, this is only the beginning. So if you have not sent out the announcement to your group, please do send it out today or tomorrow.

There is a hidden epidemic of Self-Care Deficiency Syndrome, especially among women nurturers (moms, caregivers, nurses, doctors, healers, businesswomen etc) and it’s detrimental to their health, emotional well-being, relationships and business bottom line. My book will make a HUGE difference for them. If you come across someone who can benefit from my book, please recommend it to them.

The book promo site will be up for one full year, so you can still send people to that site http://www.IntensiveSelfCareBook.com and those who purchase my book will still have access to ALL of your bonus gifts. In other words, you will continue to get exposure and build your list for an entire year, when everyone of us continue to share the book. It’s win-win for everyone!!

As I said, this is only the beginning of the journey. So if you have not sent out the announcement to your group, please do send it out as soon as you can. I’d truly appreciate it!!

Please stay in touch. If there’s anything I can do to support you, please do not hesitate to reach out. Wishing you vibrant health, abundant joy, boundless prosperity and lasting peace!

Take good care of yourself, because you are irreplaceable! Namaste.

Love, Peace & Joy,
Hueina

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