Can you negotiate flexible summer hours at your job to accommodate new day-care needs? Need a list of free and low-cost city programs? Our Summer Survival Guide provides that and more. We even offer tips for teens trying to land a summer job. Take a deep breath and peruse the information. Your perfect solution awaits.
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Because their best friends go there may be reason enough for your kids to insist on summer camp this year. And that reasoning isn't all bad, particularly if it would be a child's first time at camp. But there are other considerations.
Overnight or not?
"It makes sense for kids to start at a day camp," said Michael Chauveau, executive director of the American Camping Association's Keystone regional section, which covers Pennsylvania, Delaware and parts of Maryland and New Jersey. "All their anxieties are dealt with by the end of the day. They know they're going to go home."
Choosing sleep-away camp is more a matter of maturity than age, though many experts suggest age 7 as a good time to start.
Yet Jeff Solomon, executive director of the National Camp Association, a sleep-away camp referral service, tells parents that children as young as 4 can consider it. "Though it may come as a surprise, the younger the child is, the more easily the child adapts to camp," he said. "They have less of a sense of fear. They're less self-conscious. Older children have a more difficult time adjusting."
Keeping their interest
Many camp professionals favor traditional camps that offer a variety of activities. As children mature, however, they may develop specific academic, vocational or sporting interests.
For older teens, there is adventure camping, with extreme-sports activities such as kayaking or rock- climbing. There are career-oriented camps for future jazz musicians, actors or computer jocks.
