Summer camps hit by slumping economy

updated 7:40 p.m. ET May 1, 2008

NEW YORK - As headlines about a struggling economy pour in, parents worried about their wallets are waiting longer to register their children for summer camp and more are asking for financial aid.

Day camp directors said parents are making decisions a month or two later than usual as they determine their summer finances, said Peter Surgenor, the national president of the American Camp Association.

Similarly, YMCA resident and day camps started to see a slowdown in registrations in March "when economic news stories became more certain of recession in mid March," said YMCA camping specialist Gary Forster.

Historically during past recessions and real estate downturns, as many as 25 percent of parents waited longer than usual to sign up for YMCA camp, Forster said, and the average length of a camper's stay declined. The waiting lists for camps shortened, too, but camp attendance stayed steady.

ACA's Surgenor is confident, however, that summer camp will remain a top priority for parents despite the economic outlook.

"I think that summer camp is one of the last cuts they make in their budgets because it's a key component to their children's summer experience," Surgenor said. "When the economy gets a little tight, camp becomes an attractive alternative and sometimes purchased at the expense of a family vacation."

Parents are struggling with an economy on the brink of recession: food and fuel costs are rising, housing values are dropping and access to credit remains limited. Retail spending, which makes up two-thirds of economic activity, has mostly stalled this year and consumer confidence has plummeted to its lowest reading in 26 years.

To save and invest more, Peter and Maria Stokstad of Missoula, Mont., are cutting back on summer camps for their three children this year. The first camps they're looking to cut: the ones that require a hefty drive.

The couple is waffling over a piano camp for their oldest daughter, 12-year-old Anastacia. The camp is in Salt Lake City, a 525-mile drive for Maria who is "shocked" every time she fills up her van's tank.

"We haven't figured out everything for sure. There's no way can do the gas and a hotel. So unless I can stay with a friend, we can't do it," she said.

The average national price of a gallon of regular gas jumped Monday to $3.603 a gallon, a record high, according to a survey of stations by AAA and the Oil Price Information Service.

Some camp directors are hoping parents will use their economic stimulus checks — set to hit mailboxes and bank accounts starting this week — toward camp tuition. The checks are part of an $168 billion economic stimulus plan passed by Congress. Under the plan, families who have filed their tax returns for the year can get up to $1,200, plus $300 per child.

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