More bang for a bunk: Picking a summer camp

Though spring has just sprung, it's already time to think about summer camp. More than 10 million kids are expected to attend this year. Many parents, armed with brochures and checkbooks, have already attended camp open houses since the beginning of the year, and some even registered their children before last year’s camp season ended. But with more than 12,000 local camp choices, both for day and overnight, chances are that you'll still be able to find the right summer experience for your child.

To register for a traditional sleep-away camp, you should typically act quickly since many camps reach their bunk bed limit by March and April. But since some camps make decisions on financial aid later in the spring, it’s definitely not too late to try, according to Ann Sheets, president of the American Camp Association (ACA).

Discounts can make a significant difference since a week at the typical private camp now averages $590, with more resort-type camps going over $1,000. Even a week at the local day camp now averages $250 weekly. But don’t equate cost with quality or assume that camp is out of the question because of your finances. Many camps will work with you by offering discounts, sliding fees and other financial breaks. The ACA estimates that 65 percent of accredited camps give some type of financial assistance.

Here are a few tips for finding the right camp where the price is as good as its offerings:

Decide if it’s the right time. If your child has a burning desire to go to camp, ask yourself a few questions first. What prior experience has he/she had being away from home? Has he/she gone on sleepovers or stayed overnight with family or friends? If so, was the separation easy or difficult? Is your child persistently talking about and asking to go to camp? That's a pretty good indication he/she is ready, even if you are hesitant.

Also, how old is your child? A day camp may be best for children under 7. Sheets, whose five-year-old daughter recently announced she wants to go to camp this summer, suggests parents think about starting with a shorter period the first time out, such as two or three days instead of a full week at a day camp. If all goes well, try a week at a sleep-away camp and then longer.

Whittle down your options. Today there are over 5,000 day camps and 7,000 sleep-away camps. There are also camps that cater to nearly every interest, from sports and fine arts to academic and adventure camps. To narrow your choices, get a sense of what your child is interested in and then start surfing the Web.

To see all kinds of camp choices, go to www.mysummercamps.com where you can search for traditional, specialty or special needs camps. The National Camp Association offers a free referral service on its Web site that allows parents to fill out a form with their requirements and requests, which staff members then research to identify specific camps that fit the bill.  The American Camp Association’s Web site offers a database of 2,600 accredited camps that you can search by age, activity and cost preference. Camps accredited by the ACA must meet up to 300 health, safety and program-quality standards. Keep in mind only a small segment of summer camps are accredited and there are plenty of great summer camps that aren’t. In that case, you need to do your own homework — ask the camp why it’s not accredited, and also how they annually evaluate health and safety measures.

When you get down to two or three choices, get on the phone with the camp director or owner, or visit to find out more. Many camps have parent-visit weekends, hold open houses, or offer tours in the spring. Always ask for references.

Whatever resource you use, conduct a camp search with your child, says Sheets. "The more involvement they have in the decision-making, the more relaxed they’ll be when they go, and they probably won’t want to leave." She recommends having them talk to other kids who’ve attended the camp.

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