CHILDCARE
Santa Barbara County maintains a Children's Resource and Referral Program which has referrals to licensed child care centers, family child care homes, license-exempt options, and other child care information. Their number is (805) 962-8988.
There is a nanny service that will accept temporary assignments called "ChildTime".
The manager's name is Roseann, and their phone number is (805) 962-4433.
The reports on this service from our visitors have been consistently
positive, but it is somewhat costly.
"Mommy's Day Off" is a babysitter referral service that has been highly recommended by previous visitors. The manager is Angela at (805)-570-6171.
You can find information about resources at UCSB through the UCSB Caring for Children website.
A new resource that we have recently discovered is the Santa Barbara Parent Resource website. There is a lot of information here for newcomers to Santa Barbara and also for those visiting with children. Their resources page provides information on local childcare, nanny services, preschool, summer camps, and child-friendly restaurants. You can use many aspects of the site without registering with them, but you can register (at no charge) to receive their newsletter, and also to access some of their other services.
There is a federally funded national day-care referral service called "Childcare Aware" at (800) 424-2246.
There is a child-care referral website at http://careguide.com/.
It is also possible to rent baby equipment you may require through Santa Barbara Baby Company or through Baby's Away.
University Sitters is a source for pre-screened and reliable child care. Each of their sitters is a college student pursuing a four year degree. Each has been interviewed for professionalism and experience, had their references and DMV record checked, as well as been verified by other University Sitters' clients. You may register your family online or call 877-41-SITTER (877-417-4883) for more information. Please mention the Kalvi Institute when placing your booking for the appropriate pricing. University Sitters' pricing is subject to change; however, currently the KITP rates are:
15$ per day booking for a maximum 40$ per month
13.5 per hour for one child, 2$ per hour per additional child
3 hour minimum always applies
SUMMER CAMPS:
Santa Barbara Parent Resource now has a listing of all the summer camps in SB for 2009 and a printable guide that you can download. They also feature fun things to do in Santa Barbara. (The camp guide listing is seasonal, so the link may break at some point.)
UCSB offers a variety of summer camps, including a summer day camp for kids ages 5–14.
The Santa Barbara Independent (a local weekly newspaper) also maintains a summer camp website. This lists a wide-range of summer programs for children. Some samples of programs, either listed on this site or otherwise available, are:
Ridley Tree Art Camp,
Botanical Garden Camp,
Natural History Museum Camps
Nature camps-- Wilderness Youth Project, Community Environmental Council,
Orca Camp
Summer Band Camp, Gustafson Dance Camp
The City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department offers year-round activities for nearly all age groups. You may download their Spring & Summer Activity Guide (pdf.) There is a special Summer Fun site for summer camps and sports clinics.
Further information relating to childcare options may be obtained from Monica Curry,
our Housing Coordinator. She has as well additional information about
activities for children in Santa Barbara.
last modified 10/21/09 ds
Find an error or broken link? Please email Deborah.
