Nearly two-thirds of parents say they’ve gone into debt for summer camp or activities

Watch: Trump's answer on fixing child care crisis

At an Economic Club of New York forum, Donald Trump was asked what he would do about the child care crisis. Economists and activists later called his answer an "incoherent word salad" and "incomprehensible at best.'

For parents, summer break can often mean finding daytime child car arrangements, and a new study reveals it isn’t cheap.

Last month, financial company LendingTree surveyed more than 600 parents with kids younger than 18 years old. In this sample, 383 respondents required child care arrangements or activities in the summer.

Parents struggle to afford summer child care

By the numbers:

According to the survey, 66% of parents who require summer child care said they struggle to afford it. Parents who require it spend almost $900 per child on activities and care.

To offset the expenses, 48% said they cut back on nonessential spending like dining out and entertainment, while 19% said they reduced spending on essentials like groceries and utilities. 

In addition, 86% of respondents wished they could afford to enroll their child in more camps or activities. Although 44% receive tuition assistance or subsidies, 36% said there simply aren’t enough affordable summer care options available in their area. 

What they're saying:

"In the summertime, many parents don’t have any other option but to pay for child care," Matthew Schulz, LendingTree’s chief consumer finance analyst, said. "As much as they’d love to take a bunch of time off during the summer to spend with their kids, that just isn’t a realistic thing for most Americans, so they’re forced to shell out for child care. That extra cost often requires sacrifice."

Many parents go into debt to cover summer expenses

Dig deeper:

Many parents also said they go into debt to cover summer expenses, with 71% saying expenses increase during the summer months. 

In addition, 62% said they have taken on debt to pay for summer child care, camps and activities. Of those who took on debt, 26% took six to 12 months to pay it off, 10% needed more than a year and 6% are still paying it off.

FILE: Child paints at summer camp. (Credit: Getty)

Despite financial strain, parents said they do see the value in summer activities. While 49% of these parents admitted they dread summer, a strong majority (91%) said it’s important for their children to stay engaged in structured activities. And 91% agreed that summer programs were worth the investment.

New York has most expensive child care

Previous studies have examined the high cost of child care in the United States. 

Another study, published earlier this month, found that New York was the state with the most expensive child care, costing around 11%-13% of the median income for married couples.

Single-parent households had things even tougher, needing to shell out around 38%-45% of the median income for child care.

RELATED: Child care costs are highest in these states, study finds

New Mexico had the second-highest child care costs, at 11% to 11.6% of the median income for married couples. In addition, single parents in New Mexico spent 35-36% of the median income on child care, depending on the type, according to the data.

These high percentages are largely due to the fact that New Mexico has low incomes. New Mexico has the seventh-lowest median income for single parents, at $31,822 per year, and the second-lowest median income for married couples, at $99,636 per year.