Summer Planning for Working Families: Designing the Summer Kids Need
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Every summer parents are handed their marching orders: Sign up for camps early but make sure the camps fit your work schedule and budget, but also ensure they’re learning, but also don’t forget they benefit from being bored, too. Oh, and of course, coordinate with their friends so they can maintain their friendships and won’t be lonely during the school break. Rinse and repeat this logistical puzzle every year.
Driving this summer hustle is the desire for parents to find structured camps that fit their work schedule and provide time where kids can just be kids. In fact, the experts agree. Research from the American Camp Association reveals that well-designed summer programs can prevent “summer slide”—the learning loss that disproportionately affects students during the break—while teaching kids new skills through hands-on, experiential learning.
At the same time, research consistently shows that children need substantial blocks of free, unstructured playtime where they’re in control. Studies suggest that “children should experience twice as much unstructured time as structured play experiences” for optimal development. This self-directed play—where kids create their own games, solve their own problems, and use their imagination without adult direction—builds creativity, independence, problem-solving skills, and emotional resilience.
The science isn’t complicated. The logistics are. A summer built with both camps and unstructured time works best when families have the right tools—programs that excite kids, and caregivers who can support free play on the days in between. That’s exactly where Recess and Hello Nanny! come together, helping families manage the logistics to bring their summer plans to life.
The Part the Experts Miss
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, among married couple families with children 97.5% had at least one employed parent in 2024, and in 66.5% of these families both parents were employed. Translation: the majority of parents are struggling to find summer care solutions that work for their lifestyle—and give their kids the enrichment and unstructured time they need to thrive.
So when experts say kids benefit from unstructured time for free play, a working parent’s immediate question is: who’s facilitating that unstructured time while I’m working?
Fair point. And, this is the conundrum almost every working parent faces yearly.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Let’s say you follow the developmental guidance and build a summer schedule with a mix of activities, with certain weeks or days in camps, and leave room for unstructured time. Depending on where you live this might look like a mix of:
- Soccer camps in June
- Half-day art camps in July
- Drop-in camps at your local community center
- Time open in between for unstructured play
This balance between structured time and child-directed play is exactly the balance the experts recommend. However, for working parents—whether you work from home or outside of it—this schedule isn’t always realistic. Who is monitoring their unstructured play time to ensure they’re safe and engaged? Who is picking them up at 12:30pm from their art camp and bringing them home to feed them lunch? What about your younger child who still needs her mid-day nap when your older kiddo is at camp?
Why We Partnered With Hello Nanny!
At Recess, we help families find and book camps and classes—the structured part of the equation like sports, STEM, arts, music, and outdoor programs. These activities keep kids intellectually and socially engaged throughout summer. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) concurs, “Academic enrichment opportunities are vital for some children’s ability to progress academically, and participation in organized activities is known to promote healthy youth development.”
While we always want the best for our kids, our team at Recess kept hearing from working parents trying to strike that optimal balance: “I found great camps. They’re only three days a week. What am I supposed to do the other days?” “I found great camps but they are not available for all the dates I need in the summer, or they end in the middle of my workday. What am I supposed to do with the care gaps?”
That care gap is why we partnered with Hello Nanny!: to help families think through coverage for the days that aren’t filled with camps or classes, but still need a responsible adult present while parents work.
For some families, a summer nanny is what makes those unstructured days work. By having a trusted caregiver who can be there for pool afternoons, playground hours, bike rides, and downtime, kids get the kind of open-ended summer experts recommend, even when parents are in meetings or working outside the home.
What Unstructured Time With a Nanny Actually Looks Like
Unstructured time with a nanny means protecting space for real, child-led play. A nanny can:
- Take your kid to the pool and let them play for hours
- Bring them to the playground and step back while they climb, dig, invent games
- Set up art supplies and let them create without direction
- Facilitate backyard play, bike rides, library trips, and genuine downtime
- Handle playdates with neighborhood kids so they get social time without adult-led activities
Your kid gets the unstructured summer experts recommend. You get to work knowing someone’s there to make that unstructured time safe and possible.
How to Build the Summer Experts Recommend (As a Working Parent)
Thanks to Recess and Hello Nanny! these expert-led recommendations are actually achievable. Here’s how:
- Use Recess to find camps or classes that genuinely excite your kid and provide the structured learning component.
- Connect with Hello Nanny! for consistent care on the unstructured days. A summer nanny can hold space for free play, boredom, creativity, and all the developmental benefits of open time.
- Plan your summer so your kid benefits from both scenarios the intellectual engagement and social connection from camps, plus the unstructured freedom that builds creativity and resilience.
It’s not an either/or situation for modern families. With Recess and Hello Nanny! you can tap into a summer that is both structured and includes free play.
Start Summer Planning Now
We know you’re still in winter gear, but seasoned parents know that the best summer camps and summer nannies book early. Families planning now have the most options to create a summer that serves their child’s development and fits their work reality.
Because your goal for summer care shouldn’t only be coverage. Your child deserves the type of summer child development experts describe, even when you’re working full time.
Start planning now for a smoother, happier summer.
