Is more expensive camp a better one?

[Anonymous]

I picked a cheap camp ($200/week) from 8-5 pm because it was close to our house which was a key factor because we have drop off and pick up of the younger child at daycare which is super challenging at rush hour. I also picked this camp because it was advertised as a playground camp (Vienna Community Center), where they spend a lot of time outside in the playground, do an arts and craft project, play some sports, etc. DC is 6 so I thought it would a good low key camp. However, she is bored. The counselors are friendly to the children so she likes them and there are a few kids she knows from her school but she complains about being bored, and wants to go to the pool or do something else when we pick her up. For next year, I'm going to look for a camp with more activities but $500-600/week for one child is quite expensive. Hopefully, she'll be a better swimmer by next summer as I was also paranoid about sending her to a camp that takes the children to the pool and she won't being a beginner swimmer.

[Anonymous]

When the kids were younger, the rec dept camps were fine as long as you realized what you were getting. You're not going to get counselors that are going to plan engaging activities; you'll get HS/college age kids that are more like babysitters. The activities will be inexpensive such as coloring or cut/paste. The games will be simple ones that can be played with a ball--soccer, kickball, red light/green light. At the end of the day, you will not get a written report detailing your kids day. Johnny will have had a "fine" day. Your kids will be safe but not necessarily entertained or learning something new.


Where on earth do you get a written report each day?


Its just an update on what they've been doing - no biggie.


I find that really bizarre. Why can't your kids just tell you what they've been doing?

Ha! You clearly don't have kids!!

I have two kids, 6 and 9. And they can and do answer basic questions about what they did at camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

When the kids were younger, the rec dept camps were fine as long as you realized what you were getting. You're not going to get counselors that are going to plan engaging activities; you'll get HS/college age kids that are more like babysitters. The activities will be inexpensive such as coloring or cut/paste. The games will be simple ones that can be played with a ball--soccer, kickball, red light/green light. At the end of the day, you will not get a written report detailing your kids day. Johnny will have had a "fine" day. Your kids will be safe but not necessarily entertained or learning something new.


Where on earth do you get a written report each day?


Its just an update on what they've been doing - no biggie.


I find that really bizarre. Why can't your kids just tell you what they've been doing?

Ha! You clearly don't have kids!!

I have two kids, 6 and 9. And they can and do answer basic questions about what they did at camp.

Of course they can. But they probably cannot tell you the lead teachers objective in say the dance or ceramics class they are taking

[Anonymous]

It's just weird that you would question something like communication from the camp organizers. How can that ever be a negative...???

[Anonymous]

I have two kids, 6 and 9. And they can and do answer basic questions about what they did at camp.


Of course they can. But they probably cannot tell you the lead teachers objective in say the dance or ceramics class they are taking

I'm not really interested in that. I have a full time job, two kids, and hold a fairly demanding volunteer position with an advocacy organization. The lead teacher's objective in a ceramics or dance class at their camp is not something I need or desire to get involved in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

I have two kids, 6 and 9. And they can and do answer basic questions about what they did at camp.


Of course they can. But they probably cannot tell you the lead teachers objective in say the dance or ceramics class they are taking

I'm not really interested in that. I have a full time job, two kids, and hold a fairly demanding volunteer position with an advocacy organization. The lead teacher's objective in a ceramics or dance class at their camp is not something I need or desire to get involved in.

So you are anti-communication from an organization responsible for your kids for what, 6 hours each day? Then lady I think you're probably very stupid

[Anonymous]

My son absolutely LOVES the Kids After Hours camp, which is one of the cheaper options I have found in Montgomery County. He does a week or two of other 'special' camps that typically cost much more, and each year asks to do more weeks of KAH. This year we are down to just 1 week of a more expensive camp.
These are just day camps. I have no idea about any sleep-away camps and cost/value.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

I have two kids, 6 and 9. And they can and do answer basic questions about what they did at camp.


Of course they can. But they probably cannot tell you the lead teachers objective in say the dance or ceramics class they are taking

I'm not really interested in that. I have a full time job, two kids, and hold a fairly demanding volunteer position with an advocacy organization. The lead teacher's objective in a ceramics or dance class at their camp is not something I need or desire to get involved in.

So you are anti-communication from an organization responsible for your kids for what, 6 hours each day? Then lady I think you're probably very stupid

Is more expensive camp giving you more peace of mind than a cheap one then?
Be very careful if that's the case....

[Anonymous]

I'm not really interested in that. I have a full time job, two kids, and hold a fairly demanding volunteer position with an advocacy organization. The lead teacher's objective in a ceramics or dance class at their camp is not something I need or desire to get involved in.


So you are anti-communication from an organization responsible for your kids for what, 6 hours each day? Then lady I think you're probably very stupid

I'm not interested in what you think, but it is a free country and you're entitled to your opinion.

[Anonymous]

Like with most things in life, you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not necessarily. We haven't done the really expensive camps because I just can't rationalize it. But we've done a few camps in the $300/week to $480/week range. We've been just as happy on average with the cheaper camps as with the more expensive ones; I think a lot of it is just setting expectations. The cheaper ones will generally have fewer field trips.

WHOA- $300-480 isn't expensive? That is the very high end from what I've seen. Who the heck is paying more that $480/ week for camp?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not necessarily. We haven't done the really expensive camps because I just can't rationalize it. But we've done a few camps in the $300/week to $480/week range. We've been just as happy on average with the cheaper camps as with the more expensive ones; I think a lot of it is just setting expectations. The cheaper ones will generally have fewer field trips.

WHOA- $300-480 isn't expensive? That is the very high end from what I've seen. Who the heck is paying more that $480/ week for camp?

When you factor in before and after care, plenty of camps reach that level. Others reach it even without before and after care. There are also plenty that don't reach it. We typically do a mix. We can afford a few splurge camps each summer, but can't afford a whole summer of splurges, while other people definitely can.

This is our third summer of camps with our rising 3rd grader, and he likes to bounce around to different things so he usually does 5-7 different camps each summer. I have found that you do generally get what you pay for, but that doesn't mean the cheaper camps aren't adequate or fun. The cheaper camps my kid has attended just haven't been exceptional (based on his feedback), but they've kept my kid safe and busy. He comes home saying the day was fine or good, but doesn't come home raving about 3-4 exciting things he did that day, like at most of the more expensive camps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not necessarily. We haven't done the really expensive camps because I just can't rationalize it. But we've done a few camps in the $300/week to $480/week range. We've been just as happy on average with the cheaper camps as with the more expensive ones; I think a lot of it is just setting expectations. The cheaper ones will generally have fewer field trips.

WHOA- $300-480 isn't expensive? That is the very high end from what I've seen. Who the heck is paying more that $480/ week for camp?

Isn't the coding camp in Northern VA about $1000 per week?

[Anonymous]

Really? That's insane

[Anonymous]

Congo Camp -- regular day camp -- is $425 per week plus $125 for bus transportation. Specialty camps -- pony camp, for example, are over $600 per week, plus bus.