By Ed Metzendorf, Owner and Founder of Next Level Camps

Feb 5, 2020: As you start to think about summer camp for your child, you may have questions. I am a parent of two sleepaway campers and own four-day camps. Additionally, I built software for summer camps for 14 years, visited over 300 camps, and have spoken at over 50 summer camp director/staff conferences (yes, those do exist). So I thought I would share what I have learned over the years.

Why is Camp Important?

Although each camp is different, when talking with campers, parents, and camp staff, there are common themes that continually come up when talking about the benefits of summer camp.

Summer camp is a special type of community where kids come together to have fun. Also, they unplug and use their creative powers. Within the camp setting, children develop a sense of independence as they try new activities.

Summer camps are known for providing a safe environment where children gain self-confidence as they learn new skills. A camp is also a place where children develop a variety of social skills. 

What Types of Camps are Available?

There are many different types of camps (e.g., single-sex, co-ed, residential, day, all-around, specialty) that have distinct missions. Understanding your goals for the camp experience will help you narrow down the type of camp that is best for your child.

Why are there Price Differences between Nonprofit/Recreational Camps and Private Summer Camps?

If we’re going to talk about the price of summer camps, we’ll have to acknowledge that camps have different cost structures due to the extent of skill development, staffing, and activities.

Skill Development: Summer camps come with different focuses. Many are typical summer camps that include fun games and challenges. There are also many camps that specify skill development in music, sports, enrichment, or a host of other activities. These specialty or skill-based camps often come with additional costs for professional coaching, equipment, and anything else that will help your child become the best he/she can be.

Staffing: One of the biggest cost differences between summer camps affiliated with nonprofits and those of the private sector is the cost of counselors and staff.

Typically, camp counselors at private summer camp go through a few hoops to land the summer gig. Many of these camps hold regional interviews or embark on a tour of colleges to find the best candidates. Some private summer camps hold events throughout the year and keep a small level of staff on-hand for planning purposes.

By contrast, most nonprofit camps have a director that is part-time or works in another department in the offseason.

Private summer camps often provide a much lower counselor to camper ratio than nonprofit camps. Many also have more experienced staff that has higher salary needs. If you have a camp with 200 kids and the counselor-to-camper ratio is 1:5, that means you’re looking at 40 counselors that a private summer camp would need to pay.

A town or recreational Camp might be closer to a 1:10 ratio of counselors to campers.

As a result, the private camp payroll tends to be higher.

Most private camps also employ a camp nurse and bring in speakers during orientation for staff development, which adds costs.

Finally, the amenities at nonprofit camps are typically safe, modest, and efficient but more limited than those at private or more expensive camp programs.

Activities: One cost factor that has to be included when considering the price of summer camps is the number of and types of activities.

Some day camps offer substantial water sports and need to maintain lakes, pools, and the equipment that goes with each, which isn’t cheap. Not to mention ropes courses (which we all want to be in top condition), paintball, and other activities like archery. Also, specialty activities like STEM or fencing are more expensive to run.

In sum, the more a camp offers and the more it is skill-based, the more likely the price will be on the higher end of the spectrum.

Photo by A. Warner

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