Thursday, January 28, 2010

Help In Picking The Right Camp

By Lonnie Lorenz

So you are thinking about a Minnesota Summer Camp for your child. GREAT!
Here are the top 10 questions to ask a summer camp director. This list was compiled by the American Camp Association.

1. What's the camp's Purpose?
Is it Sports? Is it Traditional? Os it Science? Are you comfortable with this ? Is it a good fit for your child? Is competition or cooperation emphasized? Do you want religious observances or practices? Try to understand all parts of the program

2. How does the camp recruit, screen and train its staff?
Do counselors have criminal background checks? First aid training? Drug Testing?

3. What about Staff and Camper return rates?
How many counselors are returning this year 50% is a good numbers. How many campers return? Fifty percent is good, and more is better. Still looking for that perfect camp Check out this Summer Minnesota Camps

4. What's the ratio of counselors to campers?
ACA guidelines for overnight camps call for a 1:6 ratio for ages 7 and 8, 1:8 for ages 9-14; and 1:10 for ages 15-18. Day camp guidelines call for 1:8 for children ages 6-8; 1:10 for children ages 9-14; and 1:12 for ages 15-18.

5. What's the Staff Ages ?
Eighty percent of the staff be 18 or older and that all staffers be at least 16 and a minimum of two years older than the campers they supervise. Are the staff a paid position or volunteers?

6. Is a Nurse at hand?
The ACA recommends that an sleepaway camps have a physician or nurse on the site daily. If your camper has medications, food allergies or a medical condition, be sure you ask all your questions and are comfortable.

7. How does the camp handle conflicts and Discipline?
Find out what the camp's rules are and what breaches would result in a camper being sent home. You should be comfortable that the camp's practices are in line with your parenting practices.

8. What does a camp Day look like?
This will help you decide if your child will be happy with the level of physical activity or the amount of time devoted to arts and crafts. Ask how much freedom a child has to choose activities.

9. Does the camp have vans for transportation?
How often are camp vehicles inspected? Who will be driving them and what's the training.

10. Ask for references.
Finally and most important, get the names of parents with children the same age who have attended the camp.

Still looking for that perfect camp Check out this Overnight Summer Camps

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