For parents across the country, paying for child care during the work-week can be a daunting task. During summertime, the stress and costs only increase as children are no longer in school during working hours. Often, that means parents must balance finding summer camps and summer day care that children enjoy, but don't break the bank.

With summer rapidly approaching, it's important for benefits managers to educate employees about the cost-saving tools available to them to decrease expenses on summer camps and other options for dependent care.

Dependent care flexible spending accounts (FSAs) allow participants to set aside up to $5,000 annually before taxes to spend on dependent care, which is often a requirement for gainfully employed adults.  By setting aside money before any taxes are applied, participants can save up to 40 percent on eligible expenses. So if you put in the $5,000 maximum, the savings could be up to $2,000 for many enrollees. Based on the costs of many day camps and day care, reaching and surpassing the maximum isn't all that hard for most people.