Is Your Child Ready for Camp?

Your child going to summer camp for the first time is a big step in his or her life.   While it is an exciting time, your child going to camp may cause some nervousness for your child.  So how do you know when the right time is to send your child to camp?   Consider the following when figuring out whether your child is ready for camp and how to prepare your child for the experience.   

Interest & Readiness - Talk to your child about camp and see if he or she has interest in going. Does your child sound excited about the idea?  Is your child able to separate from you for long periods of time? Remember, the decision to go to camp should be made together.  Keep in mind that the more involved children are in the process, the more ownership they feel. This helps ease concerns about camp, and can help make a child’s camp experience more successful.

Age - You want to consider your child’s age when considering camp. Day camps are designed for children three-years-old  years and up.  Children can go to sleepaway camp at seven-years-old, but, families should keep in mind that just because a child is a certain age doesn’t mean he or she is emotionally ready for sleepaway camp. 

Day or Sleepaway - Day camp is often a child’s first experience away from home and a step towards independence. Day camp gives campers the best of both worlds:  camp and home.  If you are considering sleepaway camp, make sure your child has had successful overnights away from home with friends and relatives.  Were these overnights positive experiences?  You want to make sure your child is mature enough to go away for an extended period of time and that that he or she can do certain things independently like showering, getting dressed and brushing their teeth.

Expectations – Learn about the camp program ahead of time and create positive expectations for your child.  Talk about camp in the months leading up to camp.  Visit the camp's website together and watch the camp video.  Tour the camp ahead of time when possible.  The more comfortable a child feels, the more successful their camp experience is likely to be.

Positive Messages - It is important for parents to share positive messages about summer camp.  It is common for a child to have some apprehension as the first day of camp approaches—encourage your child to talk about these feelings.  Let your child know you are confident in your child’s ability to have a wonderful summer camp experience

Summer Camp Safety

When choosing a summer camp, parents want to make sure they take an active role in determining that the camp they are sending their child to is fully committed to providing a summer of fun and growth in a well supervised and safe camp environment. Parents should make sure they feel comfortable with the camp director and that he or she is willing and happy to answer any question you may have about the camp program and about safety at camp.   Here is a list of recommended questions parents should ask the camp director about a summer camp’s safety.

• Camp Review – It is important that a camp reviewed.  Ask if the camp program is inspected each summer by the Department of Health and if the camp is ACA Accredited.  ACA-Accreditation is a way of grading how camps are doing. Beyond a state’s basic licensing requirements, ACA Standards address specific areas of programming, personnel, health care, emergency response, management practices and youth development
• Camp Director – Inquire about the camp director’s background and if he or she is a year round camp professional or a seasonal employee.   Year-round camp professionals spend the year focused on camp and concentrate on youth develop, along with recreation.
•  Staff composition and screening – Inquire about a camp’s staff composition.  Parents want to look for a camp director who addresses child protection and safety issues with knowledge and sensitivity. Ask about who is caring for your child.  Ask about age of staff, experience, pre-season and on-going staff training, background checks, staff ratios, the interview process, and camper-staff ratios, work history checks, and character references
• Staff training– Find out what topics are covered during staff training. At a minimum, camp staff should be trained in safety regulations, emergency procedures and communication, behavior management techniques, child abuse prevention, appropriate staff and camper behavior, and specific procedures for supervision.  If there are waterfront activities, families want to make sure they are supervised by a certified lifeguard.
• Medical staff- Ask if there is a doctor or nurse in residence or on call for campers at all times. Parents want to be sure there is a nurse or doctor on staff or on call at all times.   Parents want to also make sure the camp has epi-pens and automated external defibrillators on site and that the camp employs staff members trained to use them.
•  Safety procedures - Ask about the safety measures that are in place.  These can include inquiring about medical personnel on property, emergency plans (i.e. evacuation, inclement weather), staff screening procedures, and instructor qualifications.
• Special protocol for off camp ground trips – If campers are going off camp grounds, ask if the accompanying staff have first aid and CPR training, a buddy system or lost camper plan. Find out if counselors bring communication devices with them out of camp.
• Camp references - Look for a camp director who welcomes your request to contact other camp parents.   Parents shouldn’t be afraid to ask for references. This is generally one of the best ways to check a camp's reputation and service record.  Ask other parents about the experiences of their children at the camp and if they are going back next summer.  Families can also ask these parents for the names of other parents and children who have attended the camp.

Parents Letting Go

Going to camp is an exciting time in a child’s life and often a child’s first step towards self-

reliance.  Often times, parents experience nervousness about letting their child go to camp 

and navigate their way without them.

So, how can parents become more comfortable with their child going to camp?   Renee Flax, Camper Placement Specialist for the American Camp Association, New York and New Jersey offers parents some tips that will help ease their concerns. 

•           Talk to the camp director.  When you are choosing a camp, ask the camp director questions and get to know him or her.  Ask the director to describe the camp’s philosophy and how the staff implements it.  Make sure the philosophy reflects your own families’ value system.   Find out about the camp director’s background and the staff training.  Ask about the age of the counselors and what is the counselor to camper ratio?  Talking to the camp director and learning about the camp program will help parents feel more comfortable and will ease some nerves they may have.
•        Keep in mind that camp directors have your child’s best interests in mind and the skill to guide your child towards an appropriate level of independence. 
•          Remember that kids often get over the adjustment to new experiences and a new environment before parents get used to the next stage of development.  
•          Once your child is at camp, don’t focus too much on correspondence from camp in the first few days of camp. If you have a discouraging conversation or receive a less than enthusiastic letter from your child, remember that like any new experience, adjusting to camp may take a few days.   
•           Camp is a setting that allows your child to experience the real world in a safe environment. Kids learn quickly to rely upon themselves and the camp staff.   By sending your child to camp, you will be giving him or her the opportunity to grow more independent which builds self-esteem and confidence. 

Five Benefits of Going to Summer Camp

We all know camp is fun.  How could it not be with so many different activities and special events!  But besides the fun children have, there are many benefits for children who attend camp.  Here are just five of the benefits of camp.

Camp allows kids to unplug from technology - Today’s children spend over 7.5 hours a day engaged in media.  The majority of summer camps don’t allow campers to have smart phones, ipads, and computers, allowing children to focus on learning new activities and social interactions.

Camp provides children with the skills needed to become successful adults in the 21^st century - The Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21), a group of businesses, education leaders, and policymakers including the U.S Department of Education, AOL Time Warner Foundation, Apple Computer, Inc., Cisco Systems, Inc. and others, has performed extensive research on the skills needed to become successful adults in life and work in the 21^st century.   The majority of essential skills needed for success are fostered at camp and include oral communication, collaboration, work ethic, creativity, leadership, social skills, problem solving and critical thinking.

Summer camp helps stem summer learning loss in children- Summer programs keep students engaged in learning.   According to the National Summer Learning Association (NSLA), intentional summer programs, like camp, help stem summer learning loss – providing experiences that challenge children, develop talents, keep them engaged, and expand horizons.

Camp keeps kids active and moving- Children today are more sedentary than ever and they don’t get enough exercise.  According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 17% of children and adolescents are obese.  At camp, children are active all day long playing soccer, swimming, hiking, and playing gaga. 

Children make wonderful friends at camp - Camp is a community where children bond quickly by sharing in the activities and the traditions of camp.  Research by the American Camp Association (ACA) has found that 96% of campers say that camp helped them make new friends and 69% of parents say their child remains in contact with friends made at camp.

10 Questions to Ask the Camp Director

Whether you are looking for a day or sleepaway camp for your child, there are certain pieces of information you should find out in order to make an informed decision. The American Camp Association, New York and New Jersey recommends asking the camp director at least these ten questions to help you better understand what a particular summer camp is about. 

1. What is your camp’s mission and philosophy? – Can the director easily explain the camp’s mission statement and philosophy?  Each camp is unique, and provides unique programming and approaches.  Consider whether the camp’s philosophy matches your own.  Also, ask the camp director about the type of child that is a successful participant in their program. 

1. What is your camp’s program? –Are you looking for a traditional well-rounded experience or a specialty program? Think about what activities are must have’s for your child.  How long is each activity?  How many electives do the children get and what kind of help do they receive in choosing them?  Inquire about how long each activity is.                          

3. What type of training and education does the director have? - The American Camp Association recommends directors possess a bachelor's degree, have completed in-service training within the past three years, and have at least sixteen weeks of camp administrative experience before assuming the responsibilities of director. 

4. What are the enrollment options- What is the length of the program offered? Is there flexibility?  What is the length of the day?  Is transportation available?

5. What is the staff composition? –Ask who is caring for your child?  Ask about the age of the staff, their experience, pre-season and on-going staff trainings, background checks, the interview process, camper to staff ratios and supervision in cabins and for various activities.

5. What percentage of the campers return each year? While every camp is clearly not right for every child, a large number of returning campers usually indicates a high level of satisfaction with the camp’s programming and operation.

7. What are the safety procedures? - Ask about the safety measures that are in place.  These can include inquiring about medical personnel on property, emergency plans, staff screening procedures, and instructor qualifications.

8. Is your camp accredited?-Find out if the program follows a nationally known accreditation process and if the camp is inspected each summer by the Department of Health. The ACA is the only national organization which establishes uniform standards for reviewing camps. Ask if the program has chosen to participate.

9. Sensitivity to Camper Needs – If your child has special requirements, such as food allergies, religious obligations, ADD, etc, ask how the camp handles special considerations.  Parents should be honest and upfront about their child’s special needs and they want to be certain that the camp is able to accommodate them.

10. Ask for references from the camp - Parents shouldn’t be afraid to ask for references. This is generally one of the best ways to check a camp's reputation and service record.  Ask other parents about the experiences of their children at the camp and whether their child is returning to camp.

10 Camp Things to Look Forward To

While it’s cold and dreary outside, here are 10 things you can look forward to when camp begins in less than 156 days…

1. Opening Day – That feeling you get the moment you step off the bus and onto camp.
2. Camp friends – You love your friends from home, but you know there is no one like your camp friends!
3. The lake – Taking a boat out or going for a swim in the lake is the best. 
4. No cell phones – Admit it.  It will be nice to give up texting for a few weeks.  
5.  Singing – It’s so much more fun singing songs at camp than in your room at home!
6. Camp fire – It’s just so nice sitting around the camp fire with your best friends.
7. Favorite activities– Jewelry making, archery, swimming & the ropes course—you just can’t wait to get back to your favorite camp activity!
8. All camp competitions – Whether it’s color war or the Olympics, all camp events are amazing highlights to the summer.
9. Special events –  Carnival, concerts, Halloween in July -camp special events are always fun days.
10. The staff – Seeing your favorite camp staff again!

What are you looking forward to the most?  

Should Your Child Go to Camp With a Friend

Should Your Child Go to Camp with a Friend? 

This is a question that parents often ask Renee Flax, the Camper Placement Specialist for the American Camp Association, NY and NJ.   Here are some of her thoughts on children going to camp with a friend:   

• Camp is a place where children can reinvent themselves.  Your child has gone to school with the same children for years and may be thought of at home as the athletic child or the shy child.  At camp, your child can be whoever they would like to be. It’s harder to do that when your child is at camp with a friend from home.  Your child can have their camp life and home life.

• When you send your child to camp with a friend, your child will feel they have that friend to count on and might not be as outgoing in making new friends. One of the friends may also get closer to another camper and the child he or she came with could feel left out.  You might run the risk of the children not being as close when they return home after the summer.

• If your child won’t go to summer camp without a friend, have a conversation with the camp director and let him or her know that these children are friends from home. Consider putting the friends in separate bunks.   The friends will still see each other every day, but they will have the opportunity to be with new campers and push their comfort zone a little bit. 

• Going to camp is a growth experience for children.  For children who go without a friend, it lets them know that they can meet new friends and be independent and in the end, gain self reliance. 

• Often parents will make a decision about camp based on the camp that their friends’ children attend.  Unless your child is similar to theirs with comparable needs and interests and you both have the same values, you may find that the camp they find ideal for their child, might not be the right fit for yours.  Do your own research and make sure you know and agree with the philosophy of the camp you are considering.

• Worried your child won’t make friends at camp if he or she doesn’t go with a friend? Don’t be!  Camp is a community where children bond quickly by sharing in the activities and traditions of the camp.  Manyy camps host a pre-camp day event for first time campers.  This is a good way for children to meet other children going to the camp for the first time.   If a camp doesn’t offer this type of event, your child will still make friends easily, even starting from the bus ride to camp!