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Choosing a camp

According to area experts, there are steps parents can take before the summer begins to help their kids become happy campers:

• Ask your child what he or she wants to take part in this summer: Computer activities? Swimming? Horseback riding? All of the above? The answers will help you pick between traditional camps that offer a variety of activities or more specialized groups.

• Do your research. Find out if the camp is accredited by the American Camp Association or is licensed in a similar capacity. Also look at the size of the facility, staff-to-child ratio, location and session length, among other criteria.

• Network with other parents. Find out what camps their children have attended, and then let the kids compare notes. Personal stories will help a child get a better picture of what a camp is like.

• Look at the bigger picture. Consider "the mission statement," suggests Derek Smith of the Plano Family YMCA. "What's the goal of the whole program? Will my kid learn more than how to kick a soccer ball? The values system that an organization has will be woven into everything they do."
– Darla Atlas / Special Contributor

Published in The Dallas Morning News: 04.08.05