Family

Each summer, Ella Davis and her husband, Dr. Alon Davis, go through the same mental exercise: trying to match their three children up with appropriate summer camps. “We have a young child who loves ballet and gymnastics, a pre-teen who is focused on sports and music, and a young teen who prefers to be indoors playing video games, cooking and hanging out,” said Ella, who runs her husband’s medical practice. “It’s a lot of pressure trying to make sure everyone will be happy.”

 

No doubt: picking a summer camp for your child can be stressful. Day camp. Sports camp. Art camp. Adventure camp. Sleep-away camp. And then parents have to consider factors such as transportation, cost, safety, location, quality of instruction, supervision … the list is long and often stressful.

 

According to Kate Gaddis, Recreation Superintendent at Ocean City Recreation and Parks and a working mom, in the race to find programs, parents sometimes forget to consider one thing: their child’s interests.

 

“As parents, we sometimes pick things we want our child to like or be good at, which can be a tricky thing,” said Gaddis. “If you pick a sports camp for a sport you think your child may like, and then come to find out it is not a sport he or she wants to play all day for a week, it could be a very long week for you both.”

 

Ocean City’s program reaches more than 2,500 kids each summer, some for as little as two days, others for as long as seven weeks. In addition to day camp, they offer an array of sports camps from soccer to boogie boarding. The key, says Gaddis, is to make sure your child not only likes the sport, but is being taught in an age and skill level appropriate group – and that the focus is on having fun.

 

Fun and variety are key attractions to a traditional day camp such as Camp Odyssey @ The Salisbury School in Salisbury.

 

This year the camp celebrates 20 years of its special brand of “zaniness.” Every day has a theme (such as the infamous Mud Madness Day), every week has a trip, and all-camp sleep-overs, beach days and festivals are always part of the mix.

 

“Kids need a place to be kids, and summer camp offers a creative, secure environment,” said Executive Director Dr. Harlan Eagle. “Parents should consider several things when selecting a camp, such as whether the program is American Camp Association accredited, what kind of training and experience the staff is required to have, and what the camper-to-counselor ratio is. You want your child to be cared for in a nurturing environment. Some parents are afraid to ask for references – but any credible camp should be willing to offer them.”

 

Eagle, known to campers as “Dr. Z” (for “zany”) notes that Camp Odyssey also offers a selection of camps each summer, including its 8-week “Legendary Day Camp Experience” and Odyssey Academy, which offers art, adventure, travel and athletic camps often skewed to hard-to-please pre-teens and teens.

 

“Camp should be a world where kids are able to experience new things and meet new people in a secure environment. The biggest compliment in the world is when a kid asks to come back to Camp Odyssey, often year after year,” he added.

 

On the other end of the spectrum, if a child has a very distinct interest, a specialty camp can be just the thing. At the Art Institute & Gallery in Salisbury, summer camp groups have no more than 14 participants. Professional artists work closely with campers during week-long sessions.

 

“Specialty camps give kids a chance to dive into a topic in greater detail than during the school year,” said Kate Cashman, program director for the Art Institute & Gallery in Salisbury. “Not every kid wants to be outside, in the pool or on the playground all day. Art camp can be a good way to be engaged with other kids in a small setting.”

 

AI&G recently expanded its offerings into teen groups.

 

According to Cashman, many of their campers came up through the elementary and middle school groups and wanted to continue creating 2-D and 3-D pieces. When asked what advice she could offer parents, Cashman noted that with specialty programs, time is often of the essence.

 

“Groups are small and fill up very quickly. We have a waiting list for several camps each summer, so if your child is interested, we encourage families to make decisions as early as possible for the best selection,” she added.

 

As for Ella Davis, the answer is a patchwork of camp programs that offer her kids specialized content while providing coverage so she and her husband can go to work confident in their choices. “My main goals are for them to be well-cared for and for each to get some time doing what really interests them so they will remember childhood summers fondly.”

 

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