Sidwell summer camp Early Bird discount gone - what are alternatives ?
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Anonymous
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The early bird discount used to be $100 off per week if enrolled before Jan 31. A substantial saving. The camps were nice, but not significantly different from others, so the extra discount was the reason we went. Plus the after care went up from $100 to $150 and the camp rate itself also went up. So we are looking at $425 versus $600 per week...per kid...
It is such a shame. Classic bait and switch ... I wonder if there are enough people like us who will not go back? Our question: What are other camps that are in the $400- $500 range including after care? |
Anonymous
Classic bait and switch? 
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Anonymous
| We like the camps run by Beauvoir (same general area as the Sidwell DC Campus in case location is an issue for you). The kids seem super happy there! We found sidwell a bit cookie cutter to be honest, huge classes with few counselors, and you are right the price was a way to try it out. We also like TIC and NPS camps. Good luck! |
Anonymous
| Summer Horizons at NPS. Nicer staff and easier pickup/dropoff and cheaper too. |
Anonymous
| They had the early bird discount - it ended Dec 31. You were late. |
Anonymous
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PP, the early bird discount ended in late January since at least 2010. I think OP mentioned January 31 and that it has changed this year.
OP, I would definitely try NPS. We had some good/some not great camps at Beauvoir. Are your DC interested in sports? Homerun baseball is very popular with our kids. It used to run out of Turtle park. We second TIC and love Calleva. There are many alternatives to Sidwell, I would not sweat it at all! They will learn ..... 
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Anonymous
| Congressional |
Anonymous
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If downtown is an option, we have really liked the Smithsonian camps. Some more than others. What we dislike most about Smithsonian honestly is getting downtown!
We have not tried Sidwell but would be surprised if they were offering anything very different from camps run by the other schools. |
Anonymous
| Saint Albans is in the neighborhood and offers a bunch of sports camps as well as some educational camps. We have done the tennis camps for many years, our DC has loved it and the guy who runs the camp is really great! I forget his name !! |
Anonymous
| Some local Tenleytown kids run an awesome minecraft camp that is very affordable. https://minecraftandmorecamp.weebly.com/ |
Anonymous
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OP, how, in any way, was this "bait and switch?" They "baited" you by providing the discount for the past few years and then decided not to?
Here is the actual definition of "bait and switch:" https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/bait-switch.asp |
Anonymous
And also, they did have the discount - it ran from 12/1 - 12/31. I suggest following sidwell summer on twitter as they post when Registration is open and the discount available. @sidwellsummer |
Anonymous
To the OP, Ben Mortimer who runs the Stoddert program runs a pretty good soccer camp. It used to be held at AU, not sure if it still is. BSC is great too, but it's out near Montgomery mall.
WHOA! Tks for this info. Never heard of it before, but WOW! Just trying to figure out what ya mean by "kids run " this....are there adult supervisors around? One week of camp for new campers is $250. One week of camp for returning campers is $225. We offer a $25 discount for siblings. Single day drop-ins are $60. Aftercare is $20 a day. |
Anonymous
| Yes, there are parents there in the house, but it really is run by the kids. They set the schedule of activities and hang out with the campers. My kids have gone for a few years now and love it. |
Anonymous
 "Actual definition" would come from a dictionary. .... For example: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bait%20and%20switch
1 : a sales tactic in which a customer is attracted by the advertisement of a low-priced item but is then encouraged to buy a higher-priced one 2 : the ploy of offering a person something desirable to gain favor (such as political support) then thwarting expectations with something less desirable I think OP is suggesting the second. No political support, but getting kids accustomed to it and then when hooked, ... new deal! (usually, worse deal  )
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