Our Le$$er Parenting Columnist Weighs In On How To Cost-Save For Camp

PLEASE NOTE: The city’s biggest Camp Fairs are coming up on March 5 (in Park Slope), March 12 (in Cobble Hill), and March 25-26 (on the UES and UWS). The fairs are informative, free, and fun for the whole family. The Camp Fairs (the largest in NYC) offer families the unprecedented opportunity to speak with a big host of camp directors and get essential questions answered. CLICK HERE for details and to register.

Send the children to relatives living in more economical environs: Once they hit first grade or so, many kids relish time away with the grandparents or cousins. It’s a bonus when those relatives happen to live in less expensive zip codes. One summer, both our sons went to a full-week, half-day LEGO camp outside of Charlotte, NC. Total cost for both: $360. A few years earlier, our older son, Andy, flew by himself to North Carolina to participate in both a horseback riding camp ($300 for the week) and two weeks of half-day LEGO camp ($180 per week). Even with the cost of camps and airfare—including the $50 unattended minor surcharge—we ultimately spent less than had he camped locally. If you’re not fortunate enough to have relatives living in close proximity to each other and willing to share child-minding duties, you’ll likely be able to hire a babysitter anywhere else for about half the price of a New York caregiver. Depending on where the kids go, they’ll be exposed to regional camps—like NASCAR racing down South, rappelling out West, and boating along the water.

Send the kids abroad: For older children learning another language, consider sending them farther. Cultural organizations like the China Institute offer in-country immersion programs for a month or longer, with airfare, housing, meals, and schooling included.

Look for camp discounts on flash-sale sites like Groupon or Living Social: In addition to standards like Oasis summer camp in Central Park and elsewhere in the vicinity, you’re likely to find unusual week-long offerings like fencing, martial arts, and sailing. From now right up through summer, you can find good deals and coupons on programs, though one can expect offerings to ramp up as the weather gets warmer.

Pay attention to school auction booklets: Most public and private schools (as well as other charities) host annual auctions that fund projects they couldn’t otherwise afford. Some items up for grabs are posted on biddingforgood.com, but others are kept for live- or silent-bidding the night of the event. If you’re not invited to an auction with offers you’d like to buy, ask a friend in attendance to bid for you.

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Patch together a summer of camp, one week at a time: You’ll feel like an army general juggling logistics, but if you can spare the time to coordinate 10 weeks of various activities, you’ll likely see significant savings. Plus, your advanced planning will provide your child with a much greater variety of activities. Say your 10-year-old can’t decide whether she wants to be a historian, scientist, squash pro, veterinarian, or diplomat. You probably won’t find one camp that covers it all. Rather than forcing her to pick one avocation for the entire summer, consider enrolling her in a few different camps. For example, the Mount Vernon Hotel for colonial exposure, the American Museum of Natural History for hands-on time with hominoids, and intensive Mandarin at the China Institute.

Think locally: Check out free (or almost free) city programs, such as Junior Rangers, Parks Department Summer Camps, and NYPD Summer Youth Police Academy. InsideSchools.org lists summer and other programs, and the nonprofit Parents of Accelerated Learners details summer programs near and far across a myriad interests. The programs aren’t free, but check for financial aid. And if you’re tired of shelling out money, consider having the kids get a job: The city offers summer jobs for ages 14-24 via the Summer Youth Employment Program.

Get rewards for the expense: Lastly, try to put your camp bill on a credit card that rewards spending, like an airline Visa card, American Express Hilton Honors card, or cash-back credit card. If you’re going to spend the money anyway, you may as well get something back for it.

Hillary Chura writes the Le$$er Parenting column on our Parenting In Progress blog, where she helps New Yorkers parent for less. She lives in Manhattan with her sons and husband.

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YMCA of Long Island Summer Day Camp

<p><strong>YMCA of Long Island Summer Day Camp – CAMP LIFE is the BEST LIFE with locations in Bay Shore, East Hampton, Glen Cove, Holtsville, Huntington, and Patchogue</strong></p> <p>As one of the region's largest, most-diverse camps for decades, YMCA Summer Day Camp offers a variety of programs with age-appropriate activities and opportunities to try new things, build confidence, and create memories. </p> <p>At the YMCA Summer Day Camp we offer the best of adventure, aquatics, sports & games, creative arts, camp traditions, special guests & trips, and summer learning. Our programs for ages 3-15 are designed to meet your child's interests and abilities. </p> <p>For the 2022 season, each of our two-week sessions will have a theme  Camp at Sea, Out of this World, Summer of Imagination and The Greatest Color War – providing campers with unique activities and special memories. Our staff create a safe, fun, welcoming environment where kids can be themselves to enjoy learning, playing, exploring, and socializing. </p> <p><strong>Two-week sessions run June 27-Aug 19 with a bonus Camp Rocks! week from Aug 22-26.</strong> In-person and virtual open house options. Enrollment extras available.  </p>

Mark Morris Summer Dance Camps

<div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.38; background-color: #ffffff;">Fill your summer with dance, music, and art! The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center’s multi-disciplinary camps for all levels provide a full day of activities from dance with live music to visual art. Students will explore a variety of dance styles and techniques, including ballet, modern, hip-hop, jazz, African, and more. Campers will also learn about Mark Morris’s choreography and use concepts to create their own dances. Summer camps are for children ages 6 to 12. Teen workshops are offered for teens ages 13 to 18. </div> <div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.38; background-color: #ffffff;"> </div> <div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px; line-height: 1.38; background-color: #ffffff;"> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The School at the Mark Morris Dance Center, located in the heart of the Brooklyn Cultural District, is affiliated with the world-renowned Mark Morris Dance Group.</span></p> <span id="docs-internal-guid-c6f61b6b-7fff-a6ca-680e-4a00b4f96c17"></span>Click <a title="https://markmorrisdancegroup.org/dance-center/the-school/dance-camps/summer-camps/?utm_source=BK_Family&utm_medium=Online_camp_guide&utm_campaign=2022" href="https://markmorrisdancegroup.org/dance-center/the-school/dance-camps/summer-camps/?utm_source=BK_Family&utm_medium=Online_camp_guide&utm_campaign=2022" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://markmorrisdancegroup.org/dance-center/the-school/dance-camps/summer-camps/?utm_source%3DBK_Family%26utm_medium%3DOnline_camp_guide%26utm_campaign%3D2022&source=gmail&ust=1640130755643000&usg=AOvVaw0q9f6xU93Ga6SFvt9_fQT6">here</a> for more information and to register, or email <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">[email protected]</a>.</div>

Enforex

<p><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">Students 5-18 years old learn Spanish living with Spanish students while having fun at one of our 8 Immersion Summer programs in Spain. Children will make new friends from all over the world, learn languages, play sports and more, all in a supportive, friendly and diverse environment where students open their minds and immerse themselves in the Spanish culture and language.</span></p>