Each year 11 million+ children attend a summer camp. They are great for building self esteem and confidence as well as teaching independence along with building social skills and making lifelong memories. We want our kids to have fun but we also want them to be safe. There are day camps and residential camps that last 2, 3 days, a week or longer. If it is a day camp- some of these concerns aren’t as needed however just asking will cause the business to hopefully have this discussion and that can only be a good thing.
Top 5 Questions that parents/guardians should ask when choosing which camp to send their children…
1. Is this camp accredited by the ACA (American Camp Association)? The ACA conducts up to 300 critiques for a camp to qualify and does the leg work to make sure this camp is up to date with the most current practices and safety measures.
2. What is the student/staff member ratio? Kids trying new activities or going on field trips may need closer watch. There isn’t an exact number that is the best to go with. It is based on if you as a parent are comfortable or not.
3. How is the staff trained? No matter what type of camp, staff needs to be trained in CPR and basic first aid. Some things they need to be able to handle include dehydration, overheating, respiratory distress, asthma, poison ivy, sunburn, ticks, etc.
4. What is their history? How long have they been doing this? Camps that have been around a long time have handled most situations at this point. Experience can go a long way.
5. Communication Plan- what if something does go wrong? How do they plan to inform parents of any changes in plans or health concerns?
Keep in mind that their are many great local small businesses with wonderful new camps that are being offered. Many of these questions are geared more towards a residential camp where the child is staying overnight so don’t rule out a camp if they don’t know how to answer all of these questions. Check out our latest 2016 Summer Camp Guide!
