SWFL parents scramble for summer childcare as costs hit $1,400 a month

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) — As the school year ends across Southwest Florida, parents are scrambling to find summer childcare amid rising costs and limited availability.

Full-time daycare in Southwest Florida can cost anywhere from $800 to more than $1,400 a month, with infant care often costing even more. Some summer camps filled up within minutes of registration opening, leaving families with few options.

WINK News spoke with local families feeling the pressure. Thomas Felke, a social work professor at FGCU, explained the financial burden many households face.

"Child care costs are about 15 to 20% of general household income," Felke said.

With the high cost of living in Southwest Florida, many families say they simply can't afford it. Emma Frost, a mother, shared her struggle.

"There's absolutely no way I can afford to put my kids in childcare this summer," Frost said.

Frost says she switched to a work-from-home career during COVID so she could care for her children while still working. The decision was driven by necessity.

"There's no way I would have been able to make anything work if I didn't work from home," Frost said.

Athalia Godown, a mother, says she's been looking for work, but daycare costs make it hard to take that next step. The financial barrier is significant.

"I've been trying to look for daycare for my son, and it's just so expensive. I mean, we're talking like $200 a week for daycare, which is ridiculous," Godown said.

Even families who plan ahead are feeling the pressure. Felke shared his own experience trying to secure a spot for his child.

"I can tell you as a father of a child who goes to summer camp, we were online at 6 a.m. ready to book him, and by 6:01, it was completely filled," Felke said.

Felke says limited childcare slots and staffing shortages are adding to the problem, leaving many working families struggling to keep up. For a family making around $50,000 a year, childcare costs could mean about $10,000 annually going just to cover care.