Big changes arrive at summer camp |
| By Lori Johnston • Bankrate.com |
|
Remember your summer camp experience? You explored
nature, spent evenings around the campfire, and returned home with
sunburns, bug bites and long-lasting friendships.
Your children may bring home similar memories at the end of this summer, but some things have changed since
the days when you were at camp.
Camps have added specialized activities and amenities to appeal to today's children. As the range of day and
overnight options has grown, so have the prices.
Learning about the new offerings and costs is vital to finding the right camp for your child.
"There is a camp for every child and every budget," says Tom Rosenberg, a director of Blue Star Camps in North Carolina.
Changing costs
More than 6 million children attend the nearly 10,000 camps in the
United States each summer, making summer camps an $11 billion industry,
according to data from the National Camp Association, or NCA.
Sixty percent of these camps are overnight programs.
 |
| Selection help |
|
|
|
|
The average tuition at a private, for-profit camp is $2,500 a week, according to NCA statistics. Private,
"sleepaway" camps range from two to eight weeks in length, according to the American Camp Association, which accredits more
than 2,400 camps.
Nonprofit camps, such as those sponsored by YMCAs and federations, usually are less expensive than private camps.
Tuition at nonprofit camps ranges from $400 to $2,000 for one-week sessions, $800 to $4,000 for
two-week sessions, $1,500 to $6,000 for four-week sessions, and $3,000 to $9,000 for full-season camps, which last seven
to nine weeks, according to American Camp Association data.
Recently, camp tuition has become more expensive as camps pass on the increased costs of everything from health
insurance, salaries and training to facility maintenance, food and fuel.
"The tuitions have only recently kept pace with the increase in expenses," says George Coleman, chief executive
officer of Coleman Family Camps in Merrick, N.Y.
For the summer 2008 season, tuition at Coleman Country Day Camp has increased by 4 percent. It now ranges from
$2,700 for a six-week camp for 3-year-olds to $5,975 for an eight-week session for grades 5 to 8.
|
