Guest Author - Jeanette Norman

Since most preschoolers haven¡¦t spent significant amounts of time from home, day camps during the summer may be a better alternative to a day care center in the summer months. Most day camps offer a structured program that runs Monday through Friday from 9 am to 3 pm. When doing my research for this article, I noticed some camps may offer extended hours for a small extra fee such as the YMCA.

The American Camp Association has a wonderful website for help in finding a camp and other useful bits of information. The ACA offers the following tips for finding the right camp for your child:

„X Is the day camp accredited by the ACA? Are there certain standards that must be upheld by the camp to ensure a fun, safe environment for your child?
„X What training does the staff receive prior to the start of camp? It is essential to choose a place where all staff has certification of CPR and first aide training.
„X Is the price all-inclusive or will there be a charge for food, transportation, field trips, etc? Does the day camp offer before and/or after care if you work?
„X Are campers with one counselor/group all day or are they free to move from activity to activity at will?
„X Is there an open house prior to the start of camp where you can meet the counselor and bus drivers?

Let your child be as involved in choosing as possible aster all, they are the one who will be spending their day there. Pay attention to group size the camp setup. Some children may be more comfortable in a smaller group size.

The optimum time to begin your search and registration is now. Many of the good camps fill up quickly with return campers. Finding a camp may be tricky depending on where you live. Camps are really a big deal where I live. There is a camp fair here in February at the local Children¡¦s Museum. I found this out by talking to the librarian. (They seem to have an answer for everything when I go in there!) I always check the community bulletin board for local things going on. This would also be a good place to start. Many camps put ads up at libraries.

A local free family magazine recently put out their camp issue. A look into the yellow pages and a browse on Google may help as well.

Other useful links:

Day Summer Camps
A comprehensive listing of day summer camps for kids and teens throughout North America.

National Camp Association