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Ten tips

Pick a summer camp for your kids now

By LAURA T. COFFEY
Published March 20, 2005

Sending children to summer camp can help them make new friends, learn new skills and come home brimming with newfound confidence. If you're a parent who works full time, this move also can give you untold relief from stress about child care in the summer months. But with nearly 10,000 camps across the country, how are you supposed to pick one? And how much money will you have to spend? These tips can help you navigate the selection process.

1. START NOW. If you haven't already found a sleep-away camp for this summer, concentrate on choosing one this month. Most enrollments happen between December and March. After that, you could land on waiting lists that never yield openings. (The deadlines may not be as onerous for day camps in your area, but ask just in case.)

2. THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILD'S INTERESTS AND PERSONALITY. Just because the child of someone you know liked a certain camp, that doesn't mean yours will. The same camp might not even be a good fit for two siblings. Interview a variety of camp directors until you get a good sense of what will be best for your child.

3. DECIDE BETWEEN SPECIALIZED OR GENERAL. For a first sleep-away camp experience, many counselors recommend camps with a general focus so a child can discover new interests. A host of specialty camps also have emerged in recent years, focusing on everything from ballet to diving to football to science to video-game animation to overseas archaeological digs, so consider those too.

4. COUNT THE COSTS. Privately run sleep-away camps charge about $400 to $1,200 a week, which typically covers general activities, meals, basic medical care and incidentals such as laundry. You can search for camp details on the Web sites of the National Camp Association (www.summercamp.org) and the American Camping Association (www.acacamps.org)

5. BARGAIN SLEEP-AWAY CAMPS EXIST. Camps offered by nonprofit and service organizations such as church groups, YMCA, YWCA, Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of the USA generally cost less than privately run camps - between about $165 and $350 a week. Some church camps charge just $10, and some camps charge low-income children nothing.

6. DAY CAMPS CAN BE GOOD DEALS. Check now with your city or county recreation department about daytime camps in your area. Many charge $50 to $100 a week for a wide range of activities, from sports to nature walks to cultural programs to swimming.

7. ASK ABOUT SUBSIDIES, FINANCIAL AID AND PAYMENT PLANS. Most camps offer scholarships based on need. Apply for scholarships as early as possible, and never assume that you earn too much to qualify. Most camps also allow you to spread costs out over several months.

8. INQUIRE ABOUT REFUND POLICIES. Some camps never provide refunds, while some do so only by a certain date or if your child gets sick.

9. FACTOR IN OTHER COSTS. Most camp fees do not cover specialized activities, such as horseback riding or field trips, or specialized gear such as team uniforms. Also, don't forget about the costs of care packages and spending money for your child.

10. CONSIDER TIMING. If your child tends to get homesick, you might be tempted to choose a short camp session. Many camp counselors say longer stays give shy children enough time to overcome homesickness and make friends.

Sources: National Camp Association (www.summercamp.org) Bankrate.com (www.bankrate.com) American Camping Association (www.acacamps.org)

[Last modified March 20, 2005, 01:06:08]