There are many reasons to choose a day camp over a sleep away camp, not the least of these the personality of the child. Sleep away camps are great if the child is ready to be away from home for an extended period of time. Usually the minimum stay at a sleep away camp is 4 weeks.
A day camp is a lot like going to school, only without the teachers and homework. Another reason is the cost. It is much less expensive to go to a day camp, obviously. Many of the day camps are run by local churches, so the child is in a familiar atmosphere.
There are things you need to take into consideration when choosing a day camp. First of all transportation. If the camp is held right at a church, you may have to drop off and pick up the child. Other camps have busses that will pick up the child either at your house or at a designated spot and drop the child off at the same place in the evening. You may feel safer in the knowledge that your child will be coming home every evening, but that does not mean that you do not need to check the camp out.
Do they belong to any associations? What is the experience of the staff and the ratio of staff to campers? Will the child be at the same location all day or will there be a lot of field trips? What is the makeup of the medical staff? It sounds like a lot, but everyone of them is important.
Take a look at these day camps in New York City and see if they measure up to the above requirements and to your standards.
Young Peoples Day Camps http://ypdc.com/ is a well known group of camps located all over the New York area. They are accredited by the American Camp Association. The camps in New York City are licensed by the
Department of Health. The ratio of campers to counselors is less than 8-1 (lower with younger campers). The head counselors are teachers. They do make use of the public parks. Click on the link to the camp nearest you and you can get the particulars for that camp.
Magic Carpet Day Camp http://www.magiccarpetdaycamp.com/
is located in Bayside Queens. You can go and inspect the camp before making a commitment. The camp director has 10 years experience and is a licensed teacher and they provided door to door transportation.
Park Slope Day Camp http://www.parkslopedaycamp.com/
is accredited by the American Camp Association and has three locations in Brooklyn. Transportation is provided from several points in Brooklyn and door to door transportation is provided at additional cost.
Be sure to register your child as early as possible. Ask you questions before making your decision. You must feel comfortable with the people and the place.
