Summer camp is a great learning and growing experience for children and it's a good idea to carefully select the best type of camp for your child. Even though summer is seasons away now is the time to plan for it.

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Choosing A Summer Camp

Tucked away among towering eucalyptus trees is Camp Cahito. Camp Fire USA program director, Nancy Thompson is already preparing for next summer. She says, "It's important to sign up ahead of time, so we can have enough staff. So that we can make sure that your child can come to our camp."

Thompson says it doesn't take long for summer camp to fill up. She says, "If we get too many children coming, we won't go against our ratios and so therefore, we'll be turning children away."

BusinessWeek reminds parents to plan ahead. Amy Dunkin, Associate Editor for BusinessWeek says, "A good place to start your search is on the Web. There are a number of sites that offer camp selectors and let you search by location and specialty. Definitely have a talk with the camp's director to see if the camp meets your needs."

Here are some ways to choose a summer camp:

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Don't wait. Choose a summer camp by fall or winter. Most camps fill up by February.
See if at least half of the counselors return each year. This reflects how they're treated and gives youngsters a chance to establish bonds.
Camping organizations say the ideal camper-counselor ratio is six to one for children ages six to eight.
The ratio is eight to one for children ages nine to 14.
Visit the American Camping Association's Web site, and get a list of camps to help you decide.
It's always a good idea to check out camps in the summer time while they are in session. You can check out the camp in action and see if you like it.

Dunkin says, "You should go about selecting the right camp first of all by figuring out the personality of your child and what sort of interests he or she has, because that's going to be important in matching the camp to the person."

It's important to visit the camp and take a look at the facilities. Get to know the administration and the qualifications of the people working with your child. It takes time and preparation but the right camping experience is worth it.

Additional Resources:

• McGraw Hill Children's Publishing
• I Village
• Summer Camp
• Camp Advisors
• Email Camp Fire USA National Organization