Sleepaway Camp: Sending Your Children for the First Time?

Are your children going away to sleep away camp for the first time, next summer? This past year was the first time our kids went away to camp and I felt our lessons learned would help a myriad of other parents and children get more out of the this wonderful experience.

Some background on our kids first. We have twin 11 year olds and a 14 year old. None of them have really spent any significant time away from home before. My 11 year old daughter likes adventure and new experiences. She wasn't the problem. My two sons were terrified. Both are fairly introverted and shy in new social situations. My older son hates a lot of noise and big crowds. Both boys insisted they would not attend camp. We did not give them a choice as we weren't able to find day camps all summer that were convenient and we felt our kids needed the experience away from home. All three kids ended up having the time of their lives and want to return.

First things first! Find a camp! Do your homework on the camp! A great source is the Camp Lady! Check out this site, which has lots of good advice: http://www.campadvice.com. You can tell "the camp lady" about your child or children and through a series of questions she'll come up with a list of possible camps. She'll then take care of contacting these camps and have them send brochures, videos, and other materials to your home. It's a free service (for you!). We received about 15 videos and brochures to browse through. We had picked out two camps from what the Camp Lady had sent to us which looked incredible, but in the end, found another camp on our own. But the choices we were given from the Camp Lady were excellent. I believe there are other organizations which provide the same services but we didn't contact any others.

Read carefully through the brochures and look at the videos if you receive any. The videos will give you feel for the surroundings, cabins, and activities. For instance, my daughter was afraid of lakes (after living in Florida for eight of her eleven years she was scared to death of alligators) so she would not go to any camp that did not have a pool. In looking at videos she would cry out, "Where's the swimming pool?!?! I'm not going to THAT camp!"

If the camp has done their job correctly, the videos and brochures will make the camp look incredible no matter HOW good or bad it is. So it will be important to call the camp directors and if possible make appointments to meet them personally. Meeting the directors one-on-one is a terrific way to get a feel of a camp and have a lot of initial questions answered. We were able to meet with two camp directors and one of them completely turned all of us off as he wouldn't look the kids in the eyes and was speaking to us rather than the kids. We felt that if HE couldn't relate well to the kids, perhaps his camp wasn't the right place to send our children for three weeks. Unfortunately, it's not always possible to meet with the camp director if you live too far from the camp. If you are too far from the camp, find out if the directors or other staff travel to meet with prospective campers. We did have some people come to our house to speak to us and show us slide shows and videos. Ask the camp directors for names/phone numbers of families you can contact for reference purposes. It's important to speak to other parents AND their kids about their likes and dislikes about the camp.

Many camps will have an "Open House" at someone's home, nearby, and even if you have to drive an hour or so it's well worth it for you to meet other parents and for your kids to meet some kids who have previously attended the camp. Hearing personal experiences from other kids and parents is a win-win situation. It's a great place to ask questions and for your kids to feel more comfortable about going to the camp.

Questions/Considerations

Here are some important questions you might want answers to in trying to find an appropriate camp:

1) How many kids to a cabin and how many counselors to a cabin? (our kids had about 18 kids to a cabin with about 3 counselors to a cabin)

2) What and where are the bathroom facilities? This was a big consideration to our kids! The camp they attended had facilities in each cabin.

3) What kind of security is there at night?

4) What kind of background and training do the counselors have?

5) What kind of safeguards are there to prevent or deal with any bullying?

6) What percentage of kids are repeat campers each summer?

7) What percentage of counselors and staff returns each year? 40-60% is good.

8) What kinds of meals and snacks are there? Does a certified nutritionist pick the menus? Ask to see some menus.

9) Is the camp religious based and what type of religious activities are there?

10) What are the lists of activities and is my child interested in these?

11) What activities are the kids required to participate in and which ones are "electives?"

12) Are the kids allowed to call or write or email their parents?

13) Are the parents allowed to call or email the children?

14) Are there social workers on staff to help kids who may be having a difficult time adapting to camp life? If not, how does the camp handle children who are suffering from homesickness?

15) Does the camp have the proper facilities, staff, and appropriate activities for children with disabilities?

16) What is the process for handing out medications (eg. ADHD meds)?

17) Is there any financial assistance available to families who can't afford the whole camp fee?

18) Are there discounts for multiple children?

After you've picked out a camp, you'll want to know what to send with your kids. In the next part of the guide I'll give hints on packing, on what to pack, and what kinds of "extras" you could send along to make the kids more at home. Also, I'll tell you the three BIG rules you should never break!! Stay tuned!