How will your child spend this summer? Does your child need to develop new skills in sports, arts or sciences? Or gain self-confidence? Is your child happier with a variety of activities or a focused program devoted to a special interest? Is your child competitive or more interested in life-skills based programs? Would a nurturing environment be best? The answers will help guide you to the type of summer program that best fits your child. Quality summer programs offer so much more than a recreational experience — they teach life skills such as developing independence, relating to peers, coping with fears and challenges and problem solving. Michael Eisner, former chairman and CEO of Walt Disney Company and author of the book Camp, considered his camp experiences the foundation of invaluable life lessons and has described their enduring impact: No matter what the background of a child, camp opens doors, exposing children to possibilities and opportunities they might never know could be theirs. Camp transports kids with everything to a place where they have close to nothing. In doing so, it takes kids away from things they value to teach them the things of real value. Preliminary Questions Before a family begins a search for a summer program, some basics need to be decided. Begin with some practical considerations: program focus, readiness, duration, location, transportation and tuition. Does your child need a traditional program or one with a specific focus? Are you looking for a two-week camp or an eight-week program? Coed or single sex? Religious affiliation? Would your child do better in a competitive sports environment or an elective, life-skills based program? Is New England too far? What price range? (Remember when looking at program fees, check what’s included: airfare, uniforms, horseback riding and other fees may not be.) When is your child ready? Most sleepaway programs take children as young as seven, but it’s more common to enroll them at eight or nine. Children are often ready for camp well before parents are ready to part with them. If your child is interested in going away, encourage that feeling. Summer camp can help develop new interests, open their minds, choose a new direction and make lifelong friends. How long? Length of stay depends on your child’s maturity, but shorter is not necessarily better. It takes time for a camper to adjust to the new environment. In a two-week session, two days are lost to travel, one day lost to packing to return home, one day lost to taking swim tests and just getting to know the facility. There’s limited time for building skills and developing deep friendships. And so, two weeks is definitely better than one. Four and eight-week sessions generally increase the benefits of the camp experience. Strategies for Success After you’ve identified the preliminary criteria, there are strategies to help make the transition from home to “home away from home” easier. • Involve your child in the selection process. Talk over their interests and be open to the unexpected. Watch the camp DVDs together. Acknowledge your child’s concerns and address them head-on. Your child’s participation is very important to finding a good fit. • Recognize your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Although it’s important to try new things, it’s also important to find a camp with features that match your child’s needs and interests. Decide if you want your child to build on existing strengths or develop new ones this summer. • Choose a camp based on your priorities and concerns, not those of a friend or neighbor. • Practice with sleepovers before your child leaves for camp. This practice will give the child a better understanding of how he may feel there. • Be aware that some children may feel homesick, but all good camps are prepared for this. It’s important to discuss that homesickness is normal before your child leaves for camp. And it’s best not to suggest that your child can come home before camp’s end. • Talk about realistic expectations. Every day may not be wonderful. Disappointments may occur. In the end, it’s part of a great process of growth. Let your child know you have confidence that she can handle these situations. • Find out the camp’s phone, e-mail and visitation policy. Many camps have restrictions to help give campers time to adjust to camp life. Even the most devout campers can experience a setback after hearing from home. Day Camps Although overnight camps provide a wonderful opportunity for growth and development, many families and campers are not ready for that option. This may happen for a variety of reasons: cost, family obligations, maturity of the child, and so forth. For these children, day camps are a great alternative. Day camps are a haven of play. Embedded in the play, students learn social skills, group dynamics and communication. The counselors are typically younger and easier to relate to than a schoolteacher. These summertime “teachers” are important role models for children. Additionally, with so many young students being over-programmed during the year, day camp provides a respite where children can “just have fun.” Leaving home each day and returning without the burden of homework creates a relaxed family environment. “Work hard – play hard” is a fitting description for the joy of summer camp. Help is Available With hundreds of summer camps in this country, finding the best fit for your child can seem daunting and time intensive. Luckily there are resources available to help in your search. There are free advisory services, using camp consultants, which provide information on hundreds of overnight summer camps, trips and programs. These camp advisors and consultants, in addition to helping with traditional and specialty camps, represent programs offering student travel, language immersion, outdoor adventure, community service, internships and academic study on college campuses in the U.S and abroad. Through interviews with directors, personal visits to programs in session and feedback from families of recent participants, these experts gather information to share with the families they advise – offering parents a thorough selection process and saving them valuable time. Make Summer 2010 the best summer ever!
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How will your child spend this summer? Does your child need to develop new skills in sports, arts or sciences? Or gain self-confidence? Is your child happier with a variety of activities or a focused program devoted to a special interest? Is your child competitive or more interested in life-skills based programs? Would a nurturing environment be best? The answers will help guide you to the type of summer program that best fits your child.
Lois Deckelbaum of Tips on Trips and Camps has 37 years of experience helping parents find the right camp.
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