Some camps are single-sex, but the majority are co-ed. Some offer a variety of summer camp activities, while others have a special focus, such as performing arts, sports, horseback riding, or sailing. Many have begun offering popular adventure activities in recent years. There are even space camps for budding astronauts, and at least one for kids who want to become race car drivers! Then there are trip and travel camps, which are becoming very popular. In a trip camp, groups of campers get to their campsite by transportation other than motor vehicles—hiking, canoeing, or riding horseback, for example. The destinations tend to be state or national parks, where the campers pitch tents. At travel camps, participants go by car or bus to scenic places of interest. Sometimes the two types of trips are combined so that the campers first travel by bus to a location and then begin the trip camp.
Beginning the Search
High demand means camps fill up fast. If you wait until May, you could be left with few or no options. Start your search months in advance. Some day camps make their enrollment applications available as early as February or March. Popular camps can fill up soon after enrollment begins. Use these questions to help you evaluate a camp. To find out what’s available, start by asking other parents. You also can inquire at your child’s school because some programs, especially day camps, distribute information to them.
Camp Fairs
Fairs provide one-stop shopping for camps. They’re held in schools, community centers, or even hotels, usually in late winter or early spring. Some communities also have camp fairs in the fall. The regional offices of the American Camping Association (ACA), an organization of camping professionals, can provide you with information on camp fairs scheduled in your area. At a fair’s information booths, you can browse the displays, pick up literature, and talk to camp representatives. Some booths have slide shows or videos. A number of resident camps sponsor their own individual events in large metropolitan areas where parents can view more in-depth presentations. If you would rather sit in front of your own TV and take a tour of a camp you’re interested in, some of the larger, more established camps do indeed have videos that prospective campers and their families can watch. Contact the top camps on your list to ask about these sources of information.
Other Sources
In some communities, organizations publish camp directories —particularly day camps—and place them in schools and libraries. Parenting publications often put out a special camp issue listing camp offerings. These aren’t necessarily comprehensive, however, as they may be limited to camps that buy advertisements. Can you go online? Many camps have their own Web sites where you can get additional information. Some sections of the American Camping Association publish free directories listing ACA-accredited camps in their region. For a copy, phone the nearest ACA office. You also can search for ACA-accredited camps nationwide at www.acacamps.org, or order a printed copy of the annual guide for $19.95 (at the time of this writing) by calling 800-428-2267. Many libraries carry the guide, too.
Referral Services
If you’re thinking about a resident camp and want help in knowing what your options are, check to see if there are camp referral services available to you. They help families find camps that meet their criteria, such as program type, cost, and location. They are usually listed in the Yellow Pages under “camps.” These services usually are free to families, because the camp consultants earn a commission from the camps they represent. This means the services recommend only their client camps, so you’ll get a limited picture of what’s available. But those choices might be all you need. The ACA offers a free referral service through its regional offices, where experienced staff will counsel parents in person or over the phone and match them with ACA-accredited camps.
title: “Summer Camp Guide” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-27” author: “Justin Fall”
Obviously, you can’t see an overnight summer camp in action during the winter, but you can find out a lot about the facility and the summer camp activities by asking the right questions of parents whose children have gone there and of the camp director. The Questionnaire for Evaluating Summer Camps will help in your search.
Accreditation
One question to ask is whether the camp you’re considering is accredited by the American Camping Association. To earn accreditation, a camp must comply with up to 300 industry standards for health, safety, and program quality. These standards address everything—from the director’s background to how foods are prepared and stored. There are additional standards applied to aquatics, horseback riding, travel, and trip programs. At least once every three years, a team of trained ACA representatives observes the camp in session to verify compliance. Of the approximately 8,500 camps, only about 2,200 have earned ACA accreditation. Those numbers include more resident than day camps. Lack of accreditation does not mean a camp isn’t good, but if a camp isn’t accredited, it’s worth asking why. It might not be as important to you if the camp you are considering is in your community and you can check it out for yourself. If you are sending your child to a resident camp for part of the summer, it’s reassuring to know that it meets certain standards.
Staff Qualifications
Key to your child’s safety at camp are the qualifications and experience of the staff.
The Director
Find out the camp director’s educational and career background. ACA suggests he or she have earned at least a bachelor’s degree, have completed in-service training within the last three years, and have at least 16 weeks of camp administrative experience.
Counselors
Ask the average age of the counselors and what certification and experience they have. Many camps hire high school and college students. ACA recommends that at least 80 percent of the program counselors be 18 or older. Any counselor under 18 should be at least two years older than the camper she is supervising. Find out what percentage are returning counselors from past years. Some staff turnover is natural, but the ACA reports that at most camps, between 40 and 60 percent of the staff return each year. If the rate is lower, ask why. Inquire about the camp’s procedure for background checks as well as the training and supervision the counselors receive. Camp policies to protect children from physical or sexual abuse generally dictate that counselors work in pairs.
Staff-to-Camper Ratios
Ask about the ratio of counselors to campers. It should be based on the ages of the campers and their special needs. (Campers with disabilities, for example, need more staff.) Here are the ACA recommendations for resident camps:
One staffer for every six campers ages 6 to 8. One staffer for every eight campers ages 9 to 14. One staffer for every 10 campers ages 15 to 18.
For day campers the recommendations are:
One staffer for every eight campers ages 6 to 8. One staffer for every 10 campers ages 9 to 14. One staffer for every 12 campers ages 15 to 18.
