How to Choose The Right Summer Camp For Your Child

Summer is a great time to learn new things and meet new friends. And there are countless reasons why parents spend so much time searching for the right summer camp for their child. Not all summer camp experiences are the same. There may be some that focus on social interactions and others that focus on individual development and activities. What most parents are seeking is a camp that will make an impact on their child's life.

So here are 7 things to look for to find the right camp for your child:

1. Nurturing and Safe Camp Instructors

Great camps have well-trained, caring adults able to guide kids through conflict, providing opportunities to practice communication, empathy and compassion. Great camps have instructors that have gone through a background check, meet or exceed the qualifications of skills being taught, and are trained on health and safety protocols. Great camps have a safe student to teacher ratio and keep groups consistent throughout the week.

2. A Place to Build Your Child's Independence

Find a camp that is known for providing a safe space for kids to learn valuable life skills in different ways than they do at home or school. Going to camp offers kids needed time away from family and regular friend groups. The experience at camp gives them the space to gain their independence.

Qualities to seek in a summer camp include opportunities for your child to be responsible and accountable for individual and group tasks. These opportunities can be as simple as maintaining their personal belongings throughout the day or remembering choreography they've learned for a parent showcase at the end of the week. A quality camp experience is one in which kids gain the confidence that they can take care of themselves and also contribute to something bigger.

3. A Camp where kids are encouraged to make new friends

A great camp encourages your child to make new friends. An artistic type of camp, such as dance or acting, offers kids the opportunities to practice the skills needed to build and maintain relationships. For most campers, this social part of camp is one of the most impactful. Unlike school, where academic outcomes drive most of their daily activities, camps are centrally focused on relationship building. Parents who went to camp as a child often say that their summer camp experience was very impactful in developing their ability to create friendships over that short period.

4. Camps that Foster Creative Development

Summer camps have been connecting kids to their creative side for about as long as kids have been going to camp. Ballet camps, acting, singing, hip hop, tumbling, cheerleading, art, aerial, you name it, all these kind of camps foster the creative development your child craves. Great camps connect kids to their creative side through performance-based programming.

Trends on social media, such as Tik Tok, show us that kids (and adults) are spending more time exploring their creative side. Great camps can provide an environment for kids to learn new artistic skills and explore their own possibilities. Parents often share that camp was the place where they learned to play the guitar, or last sang or danced in front of others. Camps can spark an affinity for the arts and ignite their creative side more than any other place during their childhood.

5. Camps that Encourage Diversity

Great camps provide a space where kids can understand and appreciate differences among people. When children interact with other children from different backgrounds and worldviews, it builds their awareness. At an interactive camp, kids are learning to be empathetic to people with different life experiences, especially those unaffiliated with a school or specific neighborhood. Camps bring together all kinds of kids and caring adults, providing an excellent opportunity for young people to see the world slightly different than how they might at home.

6. Camps that Make Your Child Feel Special

Children know intuitively when they are liked and accepted. They also know when parts of them are disliked or rejected. Our camps focus on the inner beauty and uniqueness of each child. Our instructors discourage campers to compare themselves or others, teaching that it is disrespectful and hurtful. Campers are also encouraged to accept and love themself as is. Each child is an individual with so much to offer the world. If you choose the best camp for your child, you can relax knowing the folks in charge will see the value in your child. When they recognize the value in your child, others see it, too.

7. A Safe and Healthy Environment

When you look for a camp, parents should determine if the camp facility has health and safety protocols in place, an illness exclusion policy, if staff members are required to wear masks, and if children are required. Find out if the camp encourages physical distance, follows CDC, state, and local guidelines surrounding COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and teaches hand hygiene tips, and has campers wash their hands throughout the day.

A great camp can also accommodate children who have special needs, such as asthma, diabetes, or allergies. Safe day camps have directors and/or other camp staff that are certified in CPR and First Aid. While your child is in their care it is important to know that camp staff can handle minor injuries, such as bruises, scrapes, and cuts. And lastly, in an emergency, make sure the Camp you are sending your child to has a detailed and practiced emergency action plan.

Our summer camps are a very exciting experience for both your child and you. When you take the time to find the right camp for your child, you can guarantee that they will have a great summer experience!