Many adults have fond (or not so fond) memories of going to summer camp when they were kids. The chance to spend a few weeks each summer away from your parents, in the company of others your own age…it was almost a rite of passage. The summer camp was immortalized on film in the Bill Murray comedy MEATBALLS as well as the FRIDAY THE 13TH slasher movie franchise.
You don’t hear as much about summer camps anymore….at least I don’t. And since I have three children you’d think the subject would have come up at least once in the 19 years I’ve been a parent. Day camps, sure….drop your child off in the morning and pick them up after work…no problem. But pack up your kid and send him off into the great unknown for a period of weeks…..they still do that?
Yes, they do, and thousands of kids go every year. And it is something to consider, because the experience provided can be one that will have long lasting effects. But first of all, you need to ask yourself some questions.
What do you want your child to glean from the summer camp experience? Do you want them to learn new skills? Become more social? Develop more self-confidence?
Are there any special interests your child wants to explore? Are there any limitations, socially, physically, etc, that should be considered? And do you want a very structured organization or a situation where your child can learn and proceed at their own pace?
You do have your choice of what type of camp to send your child to. You can opt for a coed camp, or all boys, or all girls…and that’s pretty much it. Coed camps obviously allow for a lot of interaction and mingling…..whether this is a good thing or not is your call.
Sleepaway camps provide an environment that is structured for daytime and evening activities. Depending on how far you want to get into it, you can choose from programs ranging from a week to the whole summer. It is up to you to decide if your child is ready for a sleepaway camp experience, not to mention how much the experience is going to cost you.
Camps may also vary in size from less than 100 kids to nearly 500. Will your child do better in a smaller or larger setting? If your child requires more personalized attention in certain areas such as confidence building or athletic skills, a smaller camp with more one on one interaction may be your best choice. If your child is already quite adept and confident, then they may need the larger situation to take full advantage of their abilities and talents.
Camps also present a variety of activities for your child to participate in, although there are camps that specialize in one specific activity, such as horseback riding, tennis, sailing, or wilderness training. Look into what is most appealing for your child, and whether or not they want to concentrate a whole summer on just one thing or be exposed to a variety of possibilities.
You also want to consider where the camp is located. Some parents feel like they are doing their kids a disservice if they don’t send them as far away as humanly possible. If the camp meets your expectations, needs, and budget, it really shouldn’t matter if the camp is located in the same town. The single most obvious benefit of distance is that the child cannot just come back home if they wish, thereby requiring them to ride out and find ways to cope with less than desirable or challenging situations.
Once you have identified the general goals for your child, and the budget you have to work with, you can then begin narrowing down your list of choices for the right camp. Take a look at the most promising candidates and ask yourself a few questions.
How long has this camp been operating, and what is the age and experience level of the camp director?
What are the camp’s goals and philosophy and do they translate well with the experience you want your child to have?
What is the schedule like? Structured? A lot of free time? A reasonable balance of both?
What is the camper to counselor ratio and what is the experience level of the counselor staff?
Of course other details figure into your decision, such as cost, but it should be possible to narrow down the best bet for your child.
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