February 25^th, 2011 by Doug Vanderwell, Camp Roger

A week at camp can be a great experience for a child, but did you know there are about 50 different camps in West Michigan?!  How do you choose the right camp for you and your child?  It can be a bit overwhelming trying to narrow down the options. In this article, I’m going to focus mainly on resident camps, but the same principles apply to choosing a day camp.  Working through this list may help you narrow down the field and eventually choose a camp that is best for you and your child.

1. Narrowing the field (Camp Theme/Type) - Start by narrowing down the type of camp that you are looking for.  Pick several characteristics that are important for you and then look for a camp that provides each of those.  Are you looking for a sports camp, backpacking in the wilderness, religious camp, arts-n-crafts camp, horse camp, dance camp, outdoorsy camp, etc? Would you like to find a large camp (hundreds of campers per week) or a smaller camp (maybe only 40 per week)? Figuring out what type of experiences you want out of a camp will help narrow down your choices.  The following websites are good tools for searching for camps, www.westmisummercamps.org, and www.acacamps.org. Another great way to find a camp is to ask people in your neighborhood or at your church about where they have sent their kids. Personal references from friends and family are a great place to start.  Hopefully you can come up with a short list of camps that are good possibilities.

2. Interviewing the camp – Once you have some names of camps, go to the website or call and request a brochure.  Learn all you can about the camp.  As you look over the website or brochure, jot down questions that you could ask them.  Realize that smaller camps don’t have the staffing and funds to develop expensive websites, but the website should give you a feel for what the organization is like.  Then give each of the camps a call.  Feel free to ask them questions, even if it is something that is on the website.  It’s a good idea to talk with their staff.  The time, attention and patience they show to you on the phone may likely be similar to the time, attention and patience they show your child while at camp. Here’s a list of questions that I might ask:

a. Tell me about your camp.  Describe how you compare to other camps.

b. What activities are available? What choices will my child have?

c. What do you do to make children feel comfortable on the first day?

d. How do you hire your counselors?  What are the important things you are looking for when you hire counselors?  How do you screen your staff to make sure you are   hiring safe ones?

e. What does your camp cost?  Are there any other costs (store fees, program fees, etc.?)  Is financial assistance available?

f. What do you do if my child is homesick?

g. What do you do if my child misbehaves?

h. What contact can I have with my child?  Will I be able to know how they are doing?

i. What do you feel your camp does better than other camps?

j. If I were not to choose your camp, please recommend another camp or two that you would feel comfortable recommending (if the same few names kept coming up, then I would add them to my list…As a camp director, I would not be offended at all if I were asked this question.)

3.  Visiting the camp – I cannot stress this one enough.  Take the top name (or two or three) on your list and make an appointment with the director to take a tour of the camp.  I realize that if you are considering a camp that is a few hours away, this may be hard to do. However, you really want your child’s first camp experience to go well so they continue to go for years. The actual tours will be well worth your time.  Again, the camp’s willingness to take the time to show you around and listen to you is likely going to be similar to how they treat your child.  I would even take my child along on these tours.  Let them ask questions. This gives you an opportunity to see how the camp staff relate to your child and to see how your child reacts to the camp.

4.  Asking for references – If you don’t have a personal reference for a particular camp, don’t hesitate to ask them for the names of a few families who have been there that you may call. They likely won’t have names and phone numbers ready to go, but give them a day or two and see how quickly they get back to you.  Then call the parents and ask them to tell you about their experiences at the camp.  They should rave about it and if they don’t; I’d be nervous about sending my child there. 

 

Hopefully this helps!  If you have any questions, feel free to give me a call at 616-874-7286.

 

Doug Vanderwell

Camp Roger

Permanant Link View/Leave Comments