How to Choose the Perfect Summer Camp for Your Kids
Choosing the right summer camp can be quite a daunting task. Traveling the world of camp types, items, and gatherings can be tricky, whether you are going or looking for something for the kids this summer. Here are some tips to make this process a little easier.
It’s time to start looking for the perfect summer camp. Many camps are already filling, and some of the most popular camps may already be full or have waiting lists at the end of the summer season. But don’t worry. Whether you want to send your kids somewhere to learn something interesting, or even just give them something to do (and then return home) to help them stay busy, you have a variety of options.
Start with their interests and see what’s available
The first (and obvious) thing to do is match your kids’ interests to the camp they will enjoy. If your child is into computers or coding, look for coding camps or computer science camps in your area. If they are into art or music, check with your local fine arts center or orchestra – at least they can give you some hints. Likewise, make sure you talk to your kids about not only what type of camp they might want to go to, but also how comfortable they are with the idea of overnight stay, temporary camps versus day camps that they might. coming home every night.
Aside from picking up the phone and calling, here are a few sites that can help you speed up your search:
- ACA’s Find A Camp report from the American Camp Association lists thousands of day and camping camps across the country, from traditional forest camps to tech day camps that you go to for a few hours a day. …
- SummerCamps.com allows you to filter by camp type, such as specialty or general education camps, camping or camping camps, or camps run by non-profit organizations such as the YMCA or Scouts. You can search by location, camp name, or general topic.
- Kids’ camps also allow you to choose certain types of camps and see only those options, from art and music camps to hobby camps (such as food, space, or aviation camps) to educational camps such as college prep camps and computer camps. Just scroll down to start with your interests, or enter your location at the top.
- Camps.com brings together over 16,000 camps across the country that can be sifted by location, category, keyword, and more. Or search by region or zip code to see what’s near your home or just an area near you. Each listing is accompanied by contact information and a link to the camp website.
- Certifikid is like a website for daily summer camps. They only serve a few locations across the country, but if you are one of them, you will be notified of discounts and price reductions at camps in your area, which can be ideal if you are looking for a specific type of camp or are on a tight budget.
- Campeasy also only serves a few regions, but they also have a variety of specialized camps such as performing arts camps, exploration camps, and a healthy combination of day and overnight camps that you can choose from.
Each of these sites gives you the opportunity to find campsites as close to home or as far away from home as possible, which is still fun and exciting. Many also have additional information (or contact information) for children with special needs.
Contrary to the idea of summer camps, many of them are only for a couple of weeks, unlike summer camps, and many of them are daytime ones, where the “camper” spends only a few hours a day in the “camp” before returning home. There are many summer camps “for living in a cabin in the woods”, but if your child is a stay-at-home or have other summer vacation plans, these day camps will work too.
There are a few things to keep in mind, though: STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) camps are extremely popular right now, so be sure to check their capacity before attempting to book or spend time looking for discounts at a particular camp. Music and art camps are popular as well, but ironically getting your kids to music camp this summer is probably a little easier than trying to send them to a robotics camp.
Ask for discounts and discounts
When it comes to money, summer camps may feel like you’ve outbid it, but there is a lot you can do to ease the suffering of your wallet. For example, before registering, contact the camp director or admissions staff and ask about discounts for siblings or discounts for several weeks. Many will give you a break if you send more than one child. Other camps are booked weekly, so if you want your child to stay for, say, a month, you can get a break in the total price. It doesn’t hurt to ask.
Likewise, if you are sending more than one child to the same camp, the camp may do a deal with you. If you would like to talk to neighbors and get a group of children into one camp, you can even negotiate a larger group discount. Getting on the waiting list or ringing back every few days can also save you some money, especially if you can take advantage of another family’s cancellation or at any cost at the last minute before the session starts.
Don’t forget local nonprofits and community colleges
If your child is interested in day camps, it might be a good idea to stick with programs in your area. Reach out to local universities, community colleges, and non-profit organizations that may operate fine arts centers, concert halls, or museums in your area. Many of them have their own summer curriculum for children of all ages, and they can be much more affordable than traditional commercial summer camps.
Plus, many of these programs have something special to offer kids that they won’t get anywhere else. Your local orchestra may have a camp where children learn from professional musicians, for example, or your local museum may give children a behind-the-scenes look at their favorite exhibitions. Plus, many of these camp fees may come with membership of this non-profit organization (or camp may be cheaper if you’re a member, which makes it worth registering) that you and your family can enjoy year-round.
More about the camp
Once you find the perfect camp and decide how much it will cost you, the real exploration begins. Using a search engine is simple. It’s harder to pick up the phone and start asking questions about how the camp handles things like discipline or conflict between participants, how camp staff and counselors are screened and trained, and what is the percentage of return to camp. However, these are important questions to ask, especially since most summer camps, especially overnight camps, are parent-free zones.
The Camp Association of America has a great set of questions to ask when choosing a day or overnight camp , including the ones we mentioned above and a few as well. The ACA, of course, suggests that you only consider the camps they have certified (and we would recommend that, especially for overnight or overnight camps, while there is no reason to give up your community college because their music camp is not ACA. Certified, and everything else seems to be okay.) They even have questions your child might want to ask the camp director, packing tips, and reminders for things like health insurance and spending money if needed.
Likewise, Bright Horizons has a checklist to ask before you decide to do a day camp, as well as a printable PDF you can check or take with you when you visit camp before sending your kids there. – which you should surely do. Their checklist goes a little deeper and checks if the camp staff is trained in first aid and CPR, asks how the camp communicates with the parents, what is the camp to staff ratio, and so on.
Sending your kids to camp doesn’t have to mean they’ll be away from home for weeks on end, unless you – and they – want to. Nor does it mean that you have to break the bank just to give them something to do in the summer. Feel free to find a camp that suits their interests (rather than what you think they should learn) and do your homework. There are great deals and unforgettable experiences, and the summer hasn’t started yet.