Mom Sends Kids to Universal Studios at the End of School Every Day to Save on After School Programs

Liv Vasquez, a chef with over 57,000 followers on TikTok, shared that when they were young, her mom would send her and her brother to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, each day after school. The choice may seem strange, but her mom had a simple yet rational explanation for it.

@cheflivvasquez My mom really hacked the system on this one. #universalstudios #the90s ♬ Sneaky Snitch - Kevin MacLeod

Her mom realized that the annual pass for Universal Studios was much cheaper than the after-school program. Also, their school bus stops "right in front" of the theme park, sparing her mom from worries about transportation. Liv added that they visited Universal Studios so much that their brother tried out for one of the park's shows, according to Your Tango.

Cheaper after-school program alternative

In the now-viral video, the pass that Vasquez showed had an expiration date of August 10, 1998. The video did not indicate the exact cost of the pass in 1998. However, an Orlando Sentinel Article from 1992 indicated that the annual pass would cost $85 for adults and $67.50 for children.

Her mother's hack may still be helpful today. While the annual pass cost may vary depending on the package purchased, the cheapest option, which offers access to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, costs $325 for Florida residents and $425 for non-Florida residents annually.

Meanwhile, many public schools offer after-school programs for anywhere between $100 and $500 per month. In a ten-month school calendar year, parents are expected to spend between $1,000 and $5,000 on after-school programs.

Other after-school programs may be more expensive. Profit nurseries and childcare center costs around $150 and $600 per month. It is more expensive for private schools, costing around $300 to $800 per month depending on various circumstances, plus additional expenses. Most programs end by 6 p.m., and they charge late fees if the parent picks up the child late.

Lack of after-school program options in Florida

According to Jennifer Rinehart, senior vice president of strategy and programs for the Afterschool Alliance, there is a lack of affordable options for after-school programs in Florida.

Afterschool in Florida cites that out-of-school-time programs host more than 500,000 students each day and are the lifeline for working parents. The State of Afterschool & Summer Learning in Florida Report in October 2019 produced by The Florida Afterschool Network stated that there are only 8,500 afterschool providers in the state, not enough to accommodate Florida's 2.2 million children between the ages of 5 to 14. The network also cited that 504,759 children and youth are enrolled in afterschool, while 1,480,000 children are still waiting to be accommodated.

The network is calling on Florida to develop an afterschool system that would offer the youth a safe and enriching place to go when the school day or school year ends.