Happy Campers Children can make friends, learn skills
and aquire confidence and leadership
What do Chelsea Clinton, Albert
Einstein, Martha Stewart and
President George W. Bush have in
common? They are all former
campers — which just goes to show
that you never know whom you might
meet while roasting marshmallows
around a campfire.
In addition to meeting new
friends, summer camp is filled with
opportunities to learn new skills,
hone existing talents and, in some
cases, discover lifelong passions. But
for the first-time camper it
can also be filled with trepidation,
insecurity and homesickness.
To ensure that your child’s camp
experience is a positive one, it is
important to select the right environment
that meets the needs of both you
and your future camper. With literally
hundreds of summer camps across
Texas, there is one for every child
regardless of abilities or interests —
you just have to do a little research.
“There is a camp for any child who
wants to go,” says Danielle Shaw,
executive director of the American
Camping Association (ACA), Texoma
branch. “It really depends on the goals
and desired outcomes of the family.”
Whose idea is it anyway?
Not only is camping a favorite summer
pastime of many Texans; for some
local families it is a rite of passage.
Many of the camps situated in the
beautiful Texas Hill Country are
steeped in tradition with generations
of the same family returning
year after year. For those
families who have a longstanding
history with a particular
camp, the choice is simple —there isn’t one!
“It just never occurred to me
to send them anywhere
else,” says Marguerite
Patterson of her decision to
send four of her five children
to Camp Longhorn,
her own camp alma mater. “My oldest son loved it so much he
went on to become a counselor.”
Regardless of how fondly you recall
your own camp experience, it is
important to take into account your
child’s individual needs when selecting
a camp. Just because a particular
camp was rewarding for you doesn’t
mean it will be as fulfilling for your
youngster.
Camp Longhorn,
for example, puts an emphasis
on athletics, and that is why one of
Patterson’s sons chose not to attend. “He just has totally different interests,”
she explains. “He is more of a
computer guy.”
Experts recommend having a discussion
with your child before committing
to anything, to determine
whether or not he or she is ready for
the overnight camping experience
and is doing it for the right reasons. “The child should really have a
significant choice in the selection
process,” says Shaw. “The child’s
own involvement will help with the
whole experience.”
If your child has his or her heart set
on a particular camp, find out why. Is it
because that’s where all the other kids
are going? Is it because by going
there your child hopes to please you?
“We interview every camper before
they come here to make sure it is 100
percent their own idea,” explains Bill
Robertson, director of Camp
Longhorn’s Girl’s Camp at Inks Lake. “We make sure they understand that it
will be two weeks without television, air
conditioning, parents, boyfriends or girlfriends,” he adds.
And if your child has never spent
the night away from home, Shaw recommends
encouraging a few sleepovers
with friends or grandparents to
test the waters. If a child can’t spend
one night away from home successfully,
it might be wise to wait a few years
before sending that child to camp.
Where do you start?
Determining if your child is truly
ready for camp is the easy part.
Selecting the appropriate camp can
be trickier. There are a myriad of different
camps offering an assortment
of activities. The earlier you begin
researching the camps, the better
your chances of finding a perfect fit.
Traditional camps are what most
people imagine when they envision
the camping experience. Designed to
expose campers to a smorgasbord of
activities, here is where you will typically
find different sports, storytelling,
campfire sing-a-longs and more.
Campers are afforded the opportunity
to explore interests that they might
not pursue on their own and perhaps
develop a new passion.
Specialized camps are those that
focus on one or two specific areas
such as dance, theater, art, music,
horseback riding or a particular sport.
Children hoping to hone existing skills
usually attend these camps.
Within these two groups are several
subcategories that must be
considered before packing your
trunks. First, there is the location.
A first-timer or young
camper might be more comfortable
in a camp that is close
to home, while the older, more
adventuresome child might
welcome the chance to be
exposed to another part of the
state or country.
Term lengths are another
important element. Depending
on the camp, terms can last from
one week to all summer. A short term
means less time for homesickness,
and, again, this is a great option for
young or new campers. Long-term
sessions facilitate a sense of community
and allow more time for learning
and developing skills.
Of course, the longer the term,
the higher the cost, which brings us
to what is often the deciding factor
for many families: the expense.
According to Shaw, camp costs can
run the gamut from free (for qualifying
families) to the equivalent of a
semester of college.
In addition to these considerations,
there are other issues to evaluate,
such as whether you prefer a same-sex
or co-educational environment or if a
faith-based organization that supports
your family’s religious beliefs is important
to you. By prioritizing the things
that matter most to you and your
child, you are on your way to narrowing
down your choices.
Does accreditation matter?
Once you have made a short list of
camps that meet your own personal
criteria, you will want to investigate
whether or not they are meeting the
criteria set by the state. The department
of health and services regulates
Texas camps by creating, evaluating
and updating camp codes.
In addition to the state’s mandatory
guidelines, the ACA has a
voluntary accreditation program
that goes
above and beyond
the basic requirements
to encompass specific areas of
programming. Counselor-to-child
ratios, staff training, safety standards
and program quality are part of the
nearly 300 standards that a camp must
meet in order to be ACA accredited.
“An ACA accreditation
simply provides parents
with a little extra insurance
and peace of mind,” says
Shaw. She is quick to point
out, however, that just
because a camp doesn’t
bear the ACA seal of
approval doesn’t mean it
is a substandard camp."
“If a camp is not accredited, it
doesn’t mean that they are not following
the same set of standards. It simply
means that the camp has volunteered
to let outsiders come in and
evaluate their programs against industry
standards,” she explains.
As a matter of fact, some of the oldest
and most beloved camps in the Hill
Country are not ACA accredited.
Instead they are part of an organization
known as the Camping Association for
Mutual Progress, or C.A.M.P.
Working closely with the state to
ensure regulations are met, this group
exists to strengthen the industry by
raising health and safety standards. “It
is like the ACA but more centrally
located for the Texas Hill Country
camps,” explains Meg Clark, president
of the organization and director of
Camp Waldemar. “The Hill Country
camps are so supportive of one another
and really work
to help each
other out,” she adds. “And we have a great
relationship with the ACA.”
Accreditation or no accreditation,
the most foolproof way to ease your
mind about a particular camp is to
drop in for a visit. “Tour the camp if
you have the ability,” encourages
Clark. “See the facility and meet the
people. That’s what tells the story.” If
you can’t make it in person, call the
camp and speak to the director. Ask
questions about staff training, discipline
tactics, homesickness and visitation
policies, group size and any other
concerns you may have.
“If a camp director can’t or won’t
answer simple questions about the
camp’s policies, that should definitely
raise a red flag,” cautions Shaw.
A lifetime of benefits
With so much to consider in the
camp selection process, it is tempting
to close your eyes, open the Yellow
Pages and point. But just as the wrong
camp can prove detrimental to your
child’s overall view of the experience,
finding the perfect camp can facilitate
a lifetime of benefits.
According to the ACA Web site,
summer camps foster self-identity,
confidence and leadership skills in
children. “I think camp prepares children
for life,” says Clark. “They learn
to adapt and become comfortable
with themselves and people from all
different backgrounds.”
Camp Longhorn’s Robertson agrees. “They learn independence and how to
get along with others,” he adds.
But don’t just take the director’s
word for it. Felicia Baldwin, mother of
two campers, says that her boys
came home from summer camp
more outgoing, independent and
with better organizational skills. “They learn how to take care of
themselves,” she observes.
But perhaps the best part of finding
the perfect camp is the relationships
that are fostered. “When you live with
a group of people day in and day out,
year after year, you make lifelong
friends,” says
Clark.
And who who knows? Your new life-long friend might just turn
out to be the
future president of
the United States!
