5 Tips for Choosing the Best Camp

Choosing the best camp for your child doesn’t usually happen in a day. It’s worth investing some time to choose the right one. The result: children will return for many summers where they have fun and grow. At the right camp, children are happy to be off screens and social media, enjoying nature, learning new skills, making lifelong friendships, becoming a part of a community, taking memorable trips, gaining confidence, independence, and resilience, and more.

Now’s the time to get to know Maine Camps and camp directors as there’s time to research and enroll before the coming camp summer and while there is still some availability. Check out these five tips from Maine Camp Experience to find the best camp for your child:

1. Make a list of camps of interest. Use resources like www.mainecampexperience.com with tools like Select-A-Camp and personalized guidance from the Campcierge®. You can also view camps’ websites, videos, testimonials, and social media. Ask yourself important questions to guide your search:

• Length of session in first year and subsequent summers
• Coed or single gender
• Structured schedule, elective, or a combination of the two
• Size
• Level of rusticity
• Activities and trips
• Uniform or not

2. Ideally speak with at least two camp directors to hear about the camp.

• Ask about: daily schedule, special traditions, trips, staff hiring and training, health and safety protocols, and more.
• Each conversation will help determine if the camp is a good fit, and it may clarify what you liked (or didn’t like as much) about the other camps.

3. Connecting with camps of interest will often include a few steps:

• Parents speaking by phone with the director
• Prospective camper and parents meeting with the director by Zoom, home visit, and/or camp tour
• You can ask if the camp has any pre-camp meet-ups in your area that your child might want to attend or rookie experience at camp in summer
• You can ask for reference families

4. Even if you think you know which camp you want because you went there or have cousins or neighbors who go there - do your diligence to ensure it’s a good fit for your child.

5. Ideally involve your child in the process. An enthusiastic camper helps make a great camper. Ask your camper what s/he would like in a camp. Parents can narrow the list to the camps they like and involve campers in the final decision.

Maine Camp Experience Resources & Tools: Looking for the perfect Maine camp for your child? Try out our helpful tool where you can select a camp by choosing: type of camp (girls, boys or coed) and session length (1-8 weeks). It helps to narrow down a few camps to a manageable list that includes rates. Then you can research these camps in more depth. Next, be sure to contact our Maine Camp Guide, Laurie to discuss these camps as well as for free, year-round advice and assistance on choosing a great Maine summer camp for your child.