summer camp cost vs vacation cost

[Anonymous]

What types of camps are $600-$800/wk? Just wondering

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I consider $500 to be an expensive camp. Most camps can be found for $300. You are spending too much on camp.

Not OP, with aftercare costs our camps range from $500 to $600 a week. This includes swimming and specialty camps. Most of the camps for $300 have a very high camper to counselor ratio and not much variety - at least that’s what we’ve found

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Those day camps cost $600 to $800/week because I sometimes need to pay for daily two way transportation busing, aftercare (some I need beforecare as well) and sometimes they include field trips. One PP is right that I probably have mommy martyr syndrome feeling like it’s better to spend money on my kids directly than on something everyone or I’ll also benefit from. I am already looking at $1200-$1500/week sleepaway camp that I have been thinking of but I have not dared to tell DH yet. Vacation to me is fun and tired at the same time. It is more work to plan for vacation and airline /hotel prices flucturate, unlike camp is fixed price. I want to get the best deals for vacation. DH relies on me to plan the whole vacation, and take care of everything. I work full time. For me, I hope DS8 have fun and may learn to be more outdoorsy being outdoor.

DH is not a great model to show kids outdoor activities and sportmanship. I rely on camps and classes to promote these. It is not like that we can't afford those camps. There is nothing wrong with those under $400/week camp, but I am a worried type that why they are so cheap. Will that be bullying, higher ratio, bored, and lower quality if there's no reviews I could find. There's no review for county camp in montgomery county.

You sound like you’re looking for reasons to spend a lot per week. Every parent knows that bullying happens everywhere and every camp hires from the same pool of HS and college kids so there is nothing magic about expensive camps.

Personally, to me camp is childcare and vacation is family time. I definitely prioritize family time over childcare. So camp choices were based on convenience and cost. FWIW, my kids loved camp no matter where it was.

At that age vacations are more valuable and memorable than camp. My kids love the time we have together without work, school and other distractions. Siblings spend time together too. No way would I overpay for camp if it meant not having enough $ left for vacation.

You sound anxious OP. There is no "best" when it comes to camps or vacations. Relationships (including with DH and your kids) are what matter.

[Anonymous]

You need to make a camp budget. A lot of people (including myself) will do a variety of camps to blend something that may be more expensive with a lower cost camp.

I would be pretty frustrated if my spouse was saying we did not have money for a family vacation while at the same time signing up our kids for expensive camps.

Expensive camps do not always mean more fun.

[Anonymous]

It depends because summer camp is often childcare so I would compare summer camp to how much it would cost for day care or a babysitter.

Vacation is a nice to have and the cost would depend on what I am getting and where we would be going.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Those day camps cost $600 to $800/week because I sometimes need to pay for daily two way transportation busing, aftercare (some I need beforecare as well) and sometimes they include field trips. One PP is right that I probably have mommy martyr syndrome feeling like it’s better to spend money on my kids directly than on something everyone or I’ll also benefit from. I am already looking at $1200-$1500/week sleepaway camp that I have been thinking of but I have not dared to tell DH yet. Vacation to me is fun and tired at the same time. It is more work to plan for vacation and airline /hotel prices flucturate, unlike camp is fixed price. I want to get the best deals for vacation. DH relies on me to plan the whole vacation, and take care of everything. I work full time. For me, I hope DS8 have fun and may learn to be more outdoorsy being outdoor.

DH is not a great model to show kids outdoor activities and sportmanship. I rely on camps and classes to promote these. It is not like that we can't afford those camps. There is nothing wrong with those under $400/week camp, but I am a worried type that why they are so cheap. Will that be bullying, higher ratio, bored, and lower quality if there's no reviews I could find. There's no review for county camp in montgomery county.

You sound like you’re looking for reasons to spend a lot per week. Every parent knows that bullying happens everywhere and every camp hires from the same pool of HS and college kids so there is nothing magic about expensive camps.

Personally, to me camp is childcare and vacation is family time. I definitely prioritize family time over childcare. So camp choices were based on convenience and cost. FWIW, my kids loved camp no matter where it was.

You get what you pay for with camps. Private school camp won out for us because they had many more teachers and college students on staff and adults teaching and running the programs. DD had a great experience. We did one week of a cheaper YMCA type camp that was 1/2 the cost and there were serious safety issues I witnessed with the pool (former lifeguard), crappier ratio, less supervision, and high school kids running things. For older kids that might be ok but for little kids who need help and more supervision and are more Vulnerable and are not strong swimmers, I would not cheap out. Some high school kids are responsible but a lot of them were not and we’re on their phones, said inappropriate things to the kids, didn’t supervise well, and were poor leaders for groups with little kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I consider $500 to be an expensive camp. Most camps can be found for $300. You are spending too much on camp.

Not OP, with aftercare costs our camps range from $500 to $600 a week. This includes swimming and specialty camps. Most of the camps for $300 have a very high camper to counselor ratio and not much variety - at least that’s what we’ve found

Yes, this. This is still much cheaper than a week at the beach. A condo for a week in the Outer Banks or Delaware beaches will easily cost you 4-5K. Add on food and other costs and you’re easily looking at 6,000 or more for a week at the beach.

[Anonymous]

That seems very high except maybe for a speciality camp, but that's too young for real speciality camps. We are paying $800 for a week overnight speciality camp at a college. Includes food...I cannot imagine paying that for a day camp.

[Anonymous]

In my area (not DC), we are looking at just under 900/week now for the 5-6 age range for full day. These are general day camps run out of local private schools, with a few "adult staff" but mostly college students. I think the camps are averse to having the pricetag start with a 9, and that's probably the only thing holding them back.

[Anonymous]

DP, but for those of you paying less than $300 per week for camp, what are the camp hours and do you need camp for full time childcare? If you can pick your kid up from camp at 3pm, that is going to be a very different price than parents who need childcare until 5:30/6 pm. And if you don’t need the childcare, and your kid doesn’t like their cheap camp, it’s NBD to keep them home for a day.

OP, unless your DH is helping you look for camps and will doing drop off and pick up, his opinion isn’t particularly relevant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I consider $500 to be an expensive camp. Most camps can be found for $300. You are spending too much on camp.

Not OP, with aftercare costs our camps range from $500 to $600 a week. This includes swimming and specialty camps. Most of the camps for $300 have a very high camper to counselor ratio and not much variety - at least that’s what we’ve found

Yes, this. This is still much cheaper than a week at the beach. A condo for a week in the Outer Banks or Delaware beaches will easily cost you 4-5K. Add on food and other costs and you’re easily looking at 6,000 or more for a week at the beach.

No one is saying a week of camp costs the same as a week of vacation. It's looking at your overall budget and balancing between camps and vacation. Doing a cheaper camp for some or all of the summer will mean more funds leftover for vacation, obviously what you can do depends on your overall budget. Some of us are saying that vacation and family time/experiences are important to us.

[Anonymous]

Your DH sounds like a complete tosser to me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What types of camps are $600-$800/wk? Just wondering

All I know about is specialty camps where you have to audition. Either ballet or musical theatre for my kids. Three weeks can be $5,000 which includes dorm living and food. Seven weeks can be $8,000 including dorms and food. Typically these are the big city companies and they have the top teachers instructing.

I’m thinking sports might be like that but I don’t know anything about it.

OP why don’t you have a budget for vacation and camp. Plan a vacation and whatever money is left use use that for camp

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DP, but for those of you paying less than $300 per week for camp, what are the camp hours and do you need camp for full time childcare? If you can pick your kid up from camp at 3pm, that is going to be a very different price than parents who need childcare until 5:30/6 pm. And if you don’t need the childcare, and your kid doesn’t like their cheap camp, it’s NBD to keep them home for a day.

OP, unless your DH is helping you look for camps and will doing drop off and pick up, his opinion isn’t particularly relevant.

I just paid $284 for a week of Ancestral Knowledge camp and the hours are 9-4. It’s all outdoors in the woods. We did one week last year and my kid wants to do it again.
Camp Sonshine is $375 per week I think but if you do at least 2 weeks you get $25 off per week. So it’s $350. Also outdoors but they go swimming, do archery, go karts, and a bunch of other fun stuff.

[Anonymous]

That is a lot. I am from an area that the cost of living isn’t high at all. I am paying $50 a week for camp for my daughter. This includes food and all field trips. Normally it’s $100 but she got half off for being on Medicaid.