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Your child is already in school and you are considering a summer
camp, but how to choose? There’s a camp that is ideally
suited for every child, providing a summer of growth and fun
whether your child attends a day or overnight camp, a specialized
or traditional camp. With a little help from the camp professionals
at the American Camp Association, here’s some sound advice
to help parents sort
through the choices and benefits that camp delivers.
First, it’s important to determine if your child is ready
for camp. Children are ready for new experiences at different
stages. Parents know their children best, and these questions
can help gauge whether this is the summer your child will start
camp.
- What is your child’s age? Children under age seven
may not adjust easily to being away from home. Consider the
day camp experience to prepare them for future overnight camp.
- How did your child become interested in camp? Does your child
talk about camp on a sustained basis? How much persuasion is
necessary from you?
- Has your child had positive overnight experiences away from
home? Visiting relatives or friends? Were these separations
easy or difficult?
- What does your child expect to do at camp? Learning about
the camp experience ahead of time allows you to create positive
expectations.
- Are you able to share consistent and positive messages about
camp? Your confidence in a positive experience will be contagious.
Camps offer widely varying
options to
help parents and children reach their goals for summer fun and
exploration. Talking with your child about the goals you both
share helps determine which choice is right for you.
And the
choices are many. Camp can last for just a few days or stretch
to all summer long; it can be a day camp or resident camp. It’s
well worth the trouble to investigate the variety of choices
offered by camps before your child packs a backpack.
Day camp
can be the perfect fit if your child is ready for camp, but you're
not sure if he or she is prepared for overnights away from home.
There are wonderful day camps in your area that your child’s
school friends have been enjoying for years—it could be
in a park near your home. And day camp can be the perfect first
camp experience for the younger child—preparing him for
an overnight camp when he’s a bit older.
If your family
decides on a resident camp, the next question is where do you
want your child to go to camp? Locally or far away? A local camp
is easier to evaluate and visit; friends and family are likely
to be familiar with the camp; there are minimal travel costs;
and your child will likely have contact with classmates or children
from the same region. A far-away camp opens up more possibilities
and more choices; offers the opportunity for different experiences,
different geography, and even different languages; promotes independence—particularly
for early and late adolescent campers; and provides your child
with the chance to interact with a diversity of campers.
There
are other things to consider as a family—short or long
sessions that run from one week to all summer. Does your child
prefer a single-gender camp or a co-ed camp? Choices also abound
when it comes to camp programs. One may highlight a wide variety
of activities geared to campers of all ages and skill levels;
others, because of their setting and expertise, may concentrate
on one or two activities while providing traditional activities
as well. Parents of children with special needs are pleased to
learn about the range of camp activities that help kids be kids
first.
And, of course, look for a camp that has been accredited
by the American Camp Association. ACA accreditation
means that the camp you are considering cares enough to undergo
a thorough (up to 300 standards) review of its operation—from
staff qualifications and training to emergency management.
What
happens when you make the decision to choose camp? You open up
a world of discovery and learning for your child, a world that
values children for who they are and who they will become. Camp
gives each child a world of good.
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