Parenting Pointers: Picking Summer Camps

As summer camps grow in popularity, there are some considerations that are more important than ever. Jennifer Veres, National Senior Program Manager for Kids Activities at Life Time, wants to provide some tips for parents to check when considering a summer camp. 

 
- Food/Snacks: Ask what types of food are being served. Are children provided with healthy options free of artificial colors, preservatives, colors and sweeteners, as well as free of trans fats and bleached flour? Do they have guidelines to protect children from food allergies? Life Time collects detailed medical information from parents before camp starts, and children with food allergies wear a colored bracelet that’s checked prior to each meal or snack.
- Activities: Is there a good balance between daily routine yet also something different every day to keep kids interested? Parents should learn about the various healthy activities that kids will be engaged in and get perspective on a typical camp day. Life Time has daily practices and routines but also a different weekly theme and field trip.

- Safety: Does the camp have standard operating procedures in place to keep your kids safe? At Life Time, our child care check-in/out team checks parents' driver's license before they are allowed to take a child home. Counselor to child ratio is also important. While many states and day camp programs allow for a 1:20 ratio, Life Time ensures a 1:10 ratio on-site and 1:7 ratio off-site. These higher standards help ensure safety and allow for higher engagement with kids.
- Counselors: Are they able to keep kids engaged in healthy, active fun? Can the camp provide details on the counselors experience/are they in school for childhood education or other programs? You want counselors committed to kids, not just looking for a summer job. Of course the obvious too is confirming the camp completes background checks of all employees. All counselors at Life Time must go through an interview and audition process.
- Budget: Stretch your dollar as far as possible. Find camps with activities that are hard to find in one place - swimming, gym games, rock climbing, arts & crafts. To the above point on activities, it will keep your children engaged and give you the most bang for your buck. It can also help to identify areas your kids may want to delve further into as they grow up.

- Schedule: Ensure the camp times from start to finish work for everyone. Many camps have forced times for drop-off and pick-up creating extra challenges. Life Time has extended hours to accommodate parents’ busy schedules and kids have the ability to participate in swimming lessons during their camp day, creating one less thing to do and/or place to go. In addition, the LifeCafe within each club allows parents to start or end their child’s day with a healthy meal that can be enjoyed as a family — even after Mom or Dad has gotten their daily workout in.