6 Tips to Help Narrow Down the Camp Choices

There are so many camps to choose but with so many options, how do you sort through the choices? Using these tips as a guide will help you narrow down the search to help you find the best camp for your child and family.

Consider Your Child

The first step is to think about who your child is.  Does your child love playing sports all day or prefers to perform on stage?  Does your child thrive in a large setting or would do better in a smaller environment?  Thinking about who your child really is and what type of camp they would be successful at will help you focus on camps that could be a good fit.

Philosophy/Mission

Each camp has its own philosophy or mission.  It’s important to understand what it is and how it is integrated into the camp program.  Before choosing a camp, you also want to make sure that you are choosing a camp that has a philosophy or mission that mirrors your own family’s values.

Camp Director & Leadership Team

One of the most important parts of the camp search is getting to know the camp director or leadership team.  These are the people making decisions at camp and the ones responsible for your child, so you want to make sure you click with them.  Get to know them when touring a camp, at a camp open house or on a zoom call.  Ask how long they have been working at camp and what their background is.  Ask questions about the camp and make sure they are happy to answer them. 

Must Haves and Wants

Perhaps you would like your child to learn to horseback ride or try water skiing.  Maybe it’s important to you that the camp has new facilities or that the overnight camp has a pool.  Make a list that includes what the “must haves” and the “wants” are.  Creating this list will help guide your search, however, try to be flexible.  If a camp checks off a lot of your boxes but doesn’t offer a certain activity that you were hoping for, perhaps you aren’t crossing the camp off your list.  A wonderful camp experience won’t depend on just one activity or how nice a new arts building is, but the feeling your child has when at camp.

Session Length

If you are considering overnight camp, how long are you looking for your child to go away for? There are both full-session camps (seven weeks) and session camps that offer different lengths of camp from 2-7 weeks.  Are you looking for your child to have multiple camp experiences over the summer?  Do you want your child to attend camp for the whole summer and become immersed in the community?  Do you know your family always travels in August and will only go to camp in July? While it’s hard, try to look ahead at future summers and not just choose a camp based on what works for the age your child currently is.

Do Your Own Research

While it’s great to hear about the camp experience of your friend’s child, it’s important for you to do your own research.  What is the perfect camp for one child might not be the best for your own so always do your own research to find out for yourself.   

Jess Michaels is the Director of Communications for the American Camp Association, NY and NJ.