It's Camp Time

Believe it or not, summer is just around the corner and that means it will be camp season! Many teens as well as younger kids and their parents have already laid out detailed plans of how they will be spending their summer vacations. If you are not one of them, worry not. There is still plenty of time to line up a day camp or a week-long resident camp that will fit your needs perfectly. According to the American Camp Association, a community of camp professionals which accredits camps across the nation, more than 12,000 day and resident camps exist in the United States. While fees vary, your average week of resident camp ranges from $325 to $780 per week and day camp from $100 to $275 per week. Camp offerings include everything from sports, special needs, religious and organization affiliated camps, to those teaching courses not typically offered at high schools such as film, acting, photography or even math and science. Some camps also provide Counselor in Training programs, where teens train to become counselors and staff for youth camps. If boosting skills in your chosen sport is your mission, it is relatively easy to pick a camp. Clubs that specialize in sport-specific training or teams almost always offer summer camps or will have information on more intensive camps that are offered in that sport. Most clubs offer daily and weekly sessions. Additionally, major universities such as the University of Louisville, the University of Kentucky and Bellarmine University offer a wide variety of day and resident sports camps. Information can be found on the schools' websites. If you're looking for more of an overall experience, or are focusing on a unique activity, however, things get a little trickier. You must consider options like overnight or day camp, week or weekend camp, local or out-of-state camp. Wanda DeWaard, the director of the American Camp Association, Heart of the South district suggests parents and children start by discussing what the student hopes to get out of the camp. Is the camper an adventure seeker, simply looking to meet new friends and build self-confidence or does he want to experience something new? Once you decide on the perfect type of camp, it's time to find it. DeWaard recommends you start the old-fashioned way by asking friends. Word of mouth from friends or older campers always helps to eliminate some of the groundwork. Next, check on the Internet. Finding a camp can be done on sites such as gocamps.com, kidscamps.com and http://find.acacamps.org. Another great site, summercamp.org, operates as a 'camp advisory service.' Produced by the National Camp Association, Inc, summercamp.org provides extensive resources on resident camps only. It breaks down the search by asking numerous questions, including preferences on geographical location, cost, even accommodations questions such as whether the child prefers a cabin or tent and if a bathroom must be located within the sleeping quarters. The NCA acts as a free referral service and responds to each request with a list of programs that meet those requirements. Additionally, the NCA only recommends camps that are visited and evaluated regularly to ensure that they continue to meet the NCA standards. Once you narrow down your choices, you may want to visit the camp, or at least talk to the camp director. "Youth development is so terribly important," says DeWaard, "it is imperative to find the quality camp that provides a safe environment with professionally trained counselors and a mature adult staff. You are spending your hard-earned money; make sure it is spent on a quality experience." One way to speed your efforts to locate the perfect camp would be to attend a camp fair. Fairs are usually publicized in the local paper or in parent magazines and are set up like trade shows. Typically, the camp director is the representative at the booth. Fairs provide a great opportunity to research many camps in a short period of time. They also provide the opportunity to meet a director and to ask questions. Some questions to ask: Do all staff members have experience working with children? What percentage of the staff returns each year? (60 percent or more makes for a happy camp.) How is the staff screened? Is the staff trained in CPR and first aid? Do you have emergency plans? What if the child becomes homesick? Can you provide references? What is the ratio between campers and staff? Equally important is to find a camp that works with your budget. If a camp fits all your requirements but is beyond your price range, many camps offer financial aid - and not just to disadvantaged and low-income families. Additionally, non-profit camps often are subsidized by sponsoring organizations or outside groups such as the United Way, so the full cost of camp is not absorbed by each individual camper. This allows the non-profit camp to offer a quality experience that is affordable to more families. Summer camp is a safe and fun learning environment for kids of all ages. So make the most of your summer and as the NCA touts, enjoy an "experience of a lifetime." Questions to Ask Camp Directors: What is the camp's philosophy and program emphasis? What is the camp director's background? What training do counselors receive? What is the counselor-to-camper ratio? What are the ages of the counselors? What are desired qualities in camp staff? What percentage of the counselors returned from last year? How are behavioral and disciplinary problems handled? How does the camp handle special needs? How does the camp handle homesickness and other adjustment issues? What about references? Is the camp accredited by the American Camp Association? Why or why not? Camp-finding Websites www.mysummercamp.com www.gocamps.com www.kidscamps.com http://find.acacamps.org www.summercamp.org