Joys of summer camp start with winter task
Bette Bussel still cherishes the pillowcase that her camp friends signed as a souvenir when she was about 11. She still keeps in touch with two former bunkmates — and feels like she could tell them anything.
‘‘Summer camp was one of the most life-changing experiences I ever had,’’ says Bussel, 51, executive director of the American Camp Association New England. ‘‘If I had my way, every child would go to camp.’’
Winter is the time to choose a summer camp. January and February weekends are filled with camp fairs for families exploring their options. The camp association, which recently moved to offices in Lexington, offers a free camp information service that includes individual consultations and referrals.
The nonprofit accredits and represents 350 camps in New England, which is home to some of the oldest and most respected camps in the nation. Whether it’s a day camp or an overnight camp, parents are faced with an overwhelming variety of choices.
Camps teach life skills, such as independence and leadership, as well as offer an array of programs in creative and performing arts, land and water sports, horseback riding, computer skills, canoeing, and whitewater rafting.
They are generally privately owned, sponsored by a religious organization, or run by a nonprofit. Day camps can cost from about $200 to about $500 a week, while overnight camps run from $300 to almost $1,500 a week.
Most campers are between the ages of 8 and 14, but some day camps take children as young as 3 and some overnight camps take children through age 17.
Lucy Norvell, the camp association’s director of public information, has suggestions for narrowing the choices. First, figure out what kind of camp you and your child want. Are you ready for overnight, or do you need a day camp close to home? ‘‘The first thing to remember is that the child is the customer,’’ she says.
Particularly for overnight camps, it’s important for parents to feel that the camp is safe and nurturing for children, who may be going away from home for the first time.
Norvell recommends letting a child stay overnight for a few days at friend’s or relative’s house as practice.
Pamela Cobb Heuberger, director of Camp Runoia for Girls in Belgrade Lakes, Maine, recommends visiting a camp the summer before you might want to go. This not only lets you see the camp in action, it also may give you an edge in getting in.
Heuberger says her camp, which has a waiting list, definitely likes to see a camper, and even have an interview, before accepting her. ‘‘We’re looking for like values,’’ she says.
Bussel says that even if parents can’t visit the camp while it’s in session, they should do as much research as they can, including an in-depth interview with the camp director.
‘‘You can walk into a camp, and in five minutes you’re going to know more than any video, DVD, or brochure is going to tell you,’’ Bussel says. ‘‘But if you can’t see the camp, you want to grill that camp director. You as a parent want to know that you’re sending your child to a place that you feel comfortable with.’’
