Like sleepaway camp, day camp is a fun, nurturing, and safe environment dedicated to giving children special summertime experiences. These programs help children build confidence and independence, forge lasting relationships, and cultivate strong life skills. Day camp also gives campers the best of both worlds: camp and home. Campers enjoy their days filled with exciting activities, then, after hours of fun, they get to go home. There’s a lot packed into those days, so much so that, at least in terms of their range of programs and activities, a day at many day camps increasingly resembles a day at many sleepaway camps.
Go for a tour of a full-service general interest day camp or visit a camp’s website and you’ll find a menu of activities that includes: ropes courses, climbing walls, bumper boats, go karts, tennis, horseback riding, yoga, cooking, golf, zip lining, fishing, kayaking, and more. No matter what interest your child may have, you can be sure there’s a day camp that caters to it. Throughout the summer, day campers also enjoy themed event days like Color War, Halloween Day, Olympics, and Carnival.
Besides all the fun that happens on camp grounds, many organizations schedule day trips throughout the summer to sporting events, museums, Broadway shows, miniature golf, water parks, bowling alleys, and the beach. These trips are a break from the everyday activities and expose children to many different experiences, both educational and entertaining, beyond the camp itself.
“While the core camp experience for children—achieving personal bests, friendship, and fun—hasn’t changed much over the generations, what has changed drastically is the menu of program offerings,” says Doug Pierce, Owner and Director of Pierce Country Day Camp in Roslyn, NY. “Day camps today offer a wide range of activities to their campers, which include adventure ropes courses, full-blown stage productions, team sports and league play, and weekly field trips. The summer day camp experience has grown dramatically and has become a large piece of a child’s overall growth and development.”
If you’re a working parent and need before- and after-camp care, there are programs that have extended hours to accommodate your schedule. Josh Male, Owner and Director of Gate Hill Day Camp in Stony Point, NY, says, “We offer early and late stay programs daily, included in a camper’s tuition, plus an academic support program that some families find essential for their kids.”
Many day camps also offer flexibility in session length, which can range from a full season to a few weeks, or half-day or part-week options for the youngest campers. Many also offer transportation to and from camp for your child with door-to-door pick-up/drop-off or centralized pick-up/drop-off locations. Whatever your family’s schedule or summer plans are, there are day camps that can fit your lifestyle.
Many families who send their child to day camp often assume that their kid will eventually end up at sleepaway, because of the unique virtues of being away from home. But the untold story of day camp is that it attracts a lot of older kids who just aren’t that interested in going to sleepaway full time.
“I have three children, all well-adjusted and full of varying interests,” says one New York mom. “The oldest and the youngest love sleepaway camp. The middle one, who happens to be the best athlete of the group, never had any interest: ‘Why go away when I can have my own bed?’ But he always went to day camp and ultimately became a counselor.”
Another twist on the day camp experience that sweetens the deal for kids is that they sometimes offer occasional overnight experiences, too. Many day camps partner with sleepaway camps to send age-appropriate day campers to overnight camps for a few days. This gives children a feel for being away from home to see what sleepaway camp is like and if it appeals to them. Some day camps host overnights for their campers over the course of the summer. Others have “late nights” after day camp hours, with movies or other evening entertainment. These experiences are often a child’s first experience away from home and another big step towards independence.
Day camps have adapted to the needs of older campers as well. To keep them engaged, many camps offer travel programs that include weeklong trips to places such as Toronto and Washington,D.C.
“Our Trailblazers: Teen Travel program is geared toward our 8th and 9th graders, both first-time and returning campers,” says Male, of Gate Hill Day Camp. “They travel the East Coast on overnight trips, day trips, and enjoy special days in camp. Our teens see this as something new and different, but still within a day camp philosophy and a community that they love.”
Other camps schedule a couple of overnight trips for older campers throughout the summer to places such as Hersheypark, PA, or Six Flags Great Adventure, NJ. These programs are great options for campers who want to still be part of the camp community and participate in camp activities, but would also like the adventure of traveling.
“The popularity of day camp continues to soar due to the broad programs being offered,” adds Pierce, of Pierce Country Day Camp. “Children join an environment that’s free of failure with something for everyone and success for all.”
For more information on camps, visit aca-nynj.org, therightcamp.com, and www.newyorkfamily.com
