Planning ahead for summer
Top ways to
fi nd a camp in
the NYC area
BY JESS MICHAELS
T hinking about summer camp for
your child? There are many different
ways to begin your camp
search to fi nd the right camp for your
child.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the
process of fi nding a camp, but if you
sit down and think about what kind of
experience you want your child to have,
what type of camp you are looking for
and how long you would like your child
to attend camp, you can start to narrow
down the choices even before you begin
your search!
Once you do your research and narrow
down the choices, make sure to
involve your child in the process. You
want your child to be excited and making
them part of the process will go a
long way in having their buy in.
Websites & social media
Heard about a camp? Checking out
a camp’s website and social media is a
good starting point. Take a look at who
the leadership team is, what activities are
offered and what the philosophy of the
camp is.
Look at posted videos to get a sense
of what the camp is like. But don’t end
your search on the website. Make sure
to connect with the camp director and
have conversations before just registering
your child for camp!
Talk to the camp director
Whether this is done at a camp fair, by
Zoom, on the phone or in person while
touring, one of the most important parts
of your camp research is to talk to the
camp director at a camp you are interested
in.
When you choose a camp, you are
forming a partnership with the director
and you want to make sure you feel comfortable
with them. Clicking with the
camp director and feeling that you can
be open and honest with them is imperative
when choosing a day or overnight
camp.
Touring
One of the best ways to get a feel for
a camp is to tour the camp. Day camps
offer tours all year long and overnight
camps tour during the summer into the
fall. Touring allows you to see the facilities
and ask questions about the camp
CAMP GUIDE
while in the camp environment.
Touring during the summer allows you
to see camp in action which can give you
a good feel about how the camp is run. If
you are considering overnight camp for
2023, set up a few tours at camps you are
interested in.
It’s helpful to have an initial conversation
with the camp director before
scheduling a tour to be sure the camp is
potentially a good fi t for your child before
traveling to see a camp.
Camp fairs
At camp fairs, families can walk from
table to table to fi nd out about all the different
summer camp options. The fairs
allow families to talk to multiple camp
directors all in one day to compare various
camps and gather information. Find
out about New York Family’s camp fairshere.
Camp open houses
Many day camps and some overnight
camps offer open houses in the spring
and fall so families can have a chance to
visit the camp. During the open house, the
camp will offer activities and provide families
with a chance to walk around camp.
These days are fun ways to visit the
camp and give you the opportunity to
talk to the camp director and leadership
team in the camp environment.
Home visits
Since it’s diffi cult to tour overnight
camps in the off-season when camps are
closed, camp directors are happy to do
home visits to get to know your child and
family.
Home visits give both the camp director
a chance to see if the camp would be a
good fi t for your family and for you to get a
feel for the camp director. If you are more
PHOTO VIA GETTY IMAGES
comfortable with a Zoom, you can set up a
zoom call with your family as well.
Word of mouth
It’s good to talk to friends and neighbors
about where their children go to
camp and to learn about their child’s
camp experience, however, parents want
to make sure to do their own research
when it comes to choosing a camp.
While one camp might be a perfect fi t for
one child, it might not be for another.
Call the American Camp
Association, NY and NJ
The ACA, NY and NJ offers parents
free, one-on-one advice in fi nding a
camp. Whether you are looking for a
day, overnight or specialty program,
the American Camp Association, NY
and NJ can help in your search! Call
212.391.5208 or visitacanynj.org.
Schneps Media February 24, 2022 15
/visitacanynj.org
