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If
you have a student that has expressed interest in
attending a summer camp where they would go and stay
overnight, often for weeks at a time, you probably are
excited but full of questions. If so, you are no
different from any other parent thinking about sending
their child away to camp.
First,
let us go over the benefits of sending your child to
summer camp. These camps are an excellent way for kids
to get together with other kids their same age to have
fun and build new friendships. Although some kids are
very apprehensive about going to camp for the first
time, the majority come home thrilled with the
experience and more confident about themselves.
Most summer camps are designed for kids ranging in age
from 13 to 18. However, you will find summer camps for
all types of situations. For example, there are
established camps for kids with cancer, asthma,
overweight kids, kids that specialize in a particular
sport, etc. This means that regardless of your child's
challenges, he or she can still head off to camp to
spend an exciting summer of fun.
As the parent, your number one concern should be safety.
Just remember that many different circumstances can
arise so to help you choose the right camp for your
child, we have provided a list of questions to ask. Once
you have received all the answers from the camps being
considered, you can sit down with your child to
determine which one would be the best choice.
- How long has
the camp been in existence? How long has it been under
the same ownership/management?
- What is the
camp's experience with kids?
- Do they have
references that you can check?
- Are they
licensed?
- How do they
deal with kids that are homesick? Are kids permitted
to call home?
- Is there a
doctor or nurse at the camp at all times in case of an
emergency? How is an emergency handled should one
arise? How far away is the closest hospital?
- Are the kids
all from the same region or do they come from around
the country?
- If the camp is
for sports, acting, or some other competitive nature,
how competitive are the kids allowed to be? Does every
child get to participate?
- What is the
age group of the kids?
- How many kids
will be under each counselor?
- How is fights
or bullying handled?
- What is the
schedule for the kids and do they have alternatives if
they have something they are not comfortable doing?
- Does the camp
offer religious services and if so, are all kids
required to attend?
- What is the
cost of the camp and what all is included in that
price?
- What type of
sleeping accommodations do the kids have?
Armed with this
information, you will be able to see the differences in
camps. The important thing is to make sure your child
will be safe but also to ensure your child is going to a
camp that he or she is interested in and not simply a
camp for the sake of |
