The Search For Sleep-Away Camps

If you want sleep-away camp to be in your children’s future for next summer it’s not too early to start the process.  Some popular camps will fill up for Summer 2012 before you even break out your sweaters for Fall 2011. 

With literally hundreds of camps to choose from, the first step is to narrow down your options by considering some of the following:

• Length of Stay:  These days, anything goes.  Many full summer camps (six-or seven-weeks) offer two half-summer sessions, and campers can attend either session or both.  Some are only full-summer.  There are camps in which campers only reside at camp for four nights in a row and come home for weekends, as well as camps that offer one-, two-, three-, or four-week sessions. Note that while full-summer camps generally cost more in total than their shorter session counterparts, they usually work out to less money per week, which, to some, is a better deal. 
• Same Gender or Co-ed:  In addition to considering your own kids and whether you want them to be at the same camp, you must decide if you want your campers to participate in sports, meals, and trips only with campers of their own gender, or with both boys and girls.  Some single sex camps have brother/sister camps, and some co-ed camps segregate almost all activities by gender, so be sure to ask what the set up is. 
• Activities: Is your camper a competitive athlete?  A budding chef or practicing thespian?  Does he or she dream of working on a farm or hiking and camping under the stars? There are camps that specialize in almost everything, as well as general camps that offer dozens of activities ranging from archery to skateboarding to waterskiing.  You may want a wide variety of options or almost none.
• Structure vs. Electives:  Are campers’ days planned for them, or do they choose their activities?  Is anything, including swim instruction, required? While some children, particularly those who are used to having electives in school, may enjoy more free choice, others are more comfortable travelling with their bunks in a more structured environment.
• Location: Do you want an easy drive from home? Areas here in New Jersey as well as in the Berkshires, Poconos, Catskills and Adirondack mountains all house a variety of camps, and are easy to get to in a day.  Farther flung regions such as Maine, the Chesapeake Bay area, and Canada also have many camps, but your campers may have to board a bus or plane to get to them.

Once you consider all of the above and narrow down the type of camp you’re looking for, immediately begin talking to everyone you know about camp.  Start now, since parents’ memories of campers’ phone calls, letters, and impressions from this summer are still fresh.  Don’t hesitate to take notes, as you’ll soon forget who said what about which camp.  Consider making a spreadsheet and include columns for length of stay, location, activities, size of camp, price, contact person, etc. 

Also speak directly with campers.  Try not to ask questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no like, “Did you like camp?”  Instead, ask kids what their favorite and least favorite activities were, what they did at night, or to tell you about their friends and counselors. 

Next, visit the web sites of camps you’re considering and call or email to request materials.  They will send you brochures and very often DVDs.  If possible, schedule a visit to the camps, now, while the weather is still warm.  You’ll get a better sense of the “summer experience.”  Different camps have different tour policies.  Many offer discounts for early enrollment; a late-summer visit may glean enough information to take advantage of big savings.

If you cannot schedule a visit, still make every effort to meet the director/owners.  If you can’t meet them at camp, many will offer to come to your home.  Take them up on it. You and your children should feel a connection with the person who will be responsible for their well-being and there is no substitute for a face-to-face meeting.

Additional resources include checking out camp websites on Facebook, working with one of the many free camp professionals such as “The Camp Lady” (there are many of these, you can find them online), and visiting sites such as campratingz.com. 

Sleep-away camp can be a wonderful experience in which children gain confidence, learn new skills and make lifelong friendships.  Take your time picking the right camp.  With a little legwork, you will find what works best for your child.