Tips for Choosing the Right Camp for Your Child

Summer is right around the corner. School will be out but you may still be working or just simply need a break from them during the long weeks of summer. According to a recent online survey conducted by Bankrate.com, Parents say they expect to spend an average of $998 per child on summer child care expenses. Of these parents, one in five parents say they plan on spending over $2,000 per child for summertime child-care services, that includes summer camps, classes or baby-sitters. With the possibility of spending thousands of dollars this summer, you want to make sure you are sending your child to the right camp for your family’s budget. Here are some tips from PB Parenting for finding the right camp  that fits your child and budget.

What are your child’s Interests? Think about what your children enjoy and get really excited about during the school year? Some love sports and being outdoors while some children geek out about minecraft and building robots. There is a camp out there for every interest out there.  Camps themes range from traditional sports and outdoor camps to specialty interest including culinary, robotics, web design, animation, photography and videography.  Remember this is about what they like not you. Figure out what makes your children tick, and look for the type of camp that fits their interests and personalities.

Try Camps With Many Activities

Maybe your child is still learning what interest them. They also may have hit the indecisive tween/teen stage and when you ask they shrug their shoulders and say I don’t know.  Check out a camp that offers a variety of activities, as opposed to a single-activity camp. Choose a camp that offer programming that exposes the children to a wide range of activities so that they can find their interests and foster them. Another idea is to rotate each week and try new interest. One week check out culinary camp, the next week head to dance camp, then a tech camp the following week. Variety during the summer can also prevent boredom and makes each week an adventure.

Day Camp or Overnight Camp?

Is your child older and ready for the experience of overnight camp? Is an overnight camp experience in your summer care budget? Overall, overnight camp will cost more but it requires less driving and coordination whether that’s a week or a month, etc. Such experiences give children a taste of independence and nurture self confidence and personal growth in a supervised setting, and are a great option for a child who are comfortable being away from home for longer periods of time. It can be a memorable experience if  both your child (and you) are ready.  

Budget Friendly Camps

Most camps offer a multi-week discount, sibling discount or discounts for member. Sometimes if you register early they will have a early bird discount or waive the registration fee. Contact the camp directly and early and see how you can save. If your family budget doesn’t have a lot of room for camp costs check out camps that are run by community organization and nonprofits often their weekly rate is less. 

Do Your Research

Check out PB Parenting’s 9th annual Summer Camp Directory for a comprehensive directory of camps that are in the Palm Beach County area. Even better meet the camp representatives in person on Sunday, April 26th at PB Parenting’s 6th annual Summer Camp Expo at the South Florida Science Center and Aquarium. It is a great opportunity to gather information and ask questions all while the kids have a fun time! Activities for the kids including face painting, arts and crafts, photo booth, fun science experiments and more!  Plus you can explore everything the Science Center has to offer such as the Discovery Center, playground, mini golf and outdoor Fisher Family Science trail.You could also win a free week of Camp! Pick up your “Passport to Summer” at the PB Parenting table and complete it for a chance to win a free week from any of the camps present at the event (up to a $250 value).

Investing in our Children

Think of camp as an investment.  Children and teens gain so much by attending summer camp. Keep in mind that cost is typically reflective of all that goes into camp, and could be correlated with what your child will get out of it. Tech and speciality camps might be more expensive given the type of expertise, hardware and software required for a complete learning experience. 

And don’t forget to determine what’s included in the final price of camp, since most added benefits can bump up your total cost. Does the camp provide lunch? Offer early pick-up and drop-off? Make sure you’re paying for the things that are most important to you and your family.

Finally, have fun with the process. Our childhood summers are precious moments that are meant to be fun and memorable.