Youth
www.SanTanSun.com
April 19 - May 2, 2014
Choosing a camp this summer starts with questions
DIRECTORY
BY TRACY HOUSE
Day camps, overnight camps, out of town camps. From sports and drama camps, to cooking and engineering camps, there are as many types of camps as there are kids to go to camp and choosing the right one for a child can be one of the most important decisions parents make as the number of school days counts down to the beginning of summer. Ginger Pauley, executive director of American Camp Association (ACA), said the first thing a parent should consider when choosing a camp is the age of the child. “If it’s a young child, say 7 year old or 8 years old, and they’ve never been away from home, I would suggest that they first put them at a day camp because that’s an area where the child will be comfortable coming home in the afternoon and wouldn’t have to stay overnight,” Pauley says. “I would never put a child in an overnight camp if they’ve never stayed the night at a friend’s house or grandma and grandpa’s where they’ve been away from their parents.” Parents, Pauley says, should consider the child’s interests when thinking about a day camp. “If they’ve got an interest in sports, a sports camp would be a better idea for them. If they want the child to be outdoors and get some peer, one-on-one play time, social time, just about any camp will do.” Most of the camps that have been accredited through ACA, says Pauley, are in northern Arizona and have gone the extra mile. They’ve taken every step to assure that the camp is safe. She continues that camps that are not credited by ACA can be very safe.
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Camp Zoo offers special needs campers unique opportunity BY TRACY HOUSE
SUMMER FUN: Day camps are a good way to acclimate kids to being away from home. 123RF.com
“There are many reasons why they don’t do accreditation; short camp, a play camp, where they can’t afford accreditation,” Pauley says. “It could be a church camp, where they don’t think they need to. Boy Scouts, where they don’t think they need to.” Accredited or not, choosing the right camp starts with gathering information about the camp, which can include the philosophy of the camp, how the staff is trained, what the disciplinary procedures are and what the camp fee includes such as transportation, meals and activities. Specifically, for the children, parents should ask about the ratio of campers to counselors and practices of taking the campers out on field trips. “It depends on the age of the children,” Pauley said. “I believe the ratio starts with 1 to 5, depending on the younger kids. As they get older, it goes up exponentially. If they’re a teenager, it’s going to be 1 to 10. If they’re going out in groups there are always two people with them, one at the beginning, one at the end. They do the buddy system; they do count off, to ensure the child is safe when they’re out.” Camps in Arizona are governed by the
county in which they are located, and Pauley says there is no state mandated ratio. Pauley says parents should always ask how the staff at the camp is hired. “They should always ask the director what the rules are of the camp. What are the training procedures? Anything they want to ask, the camp director should be willing to answer that. If they’re not, don’t put the child there. When my children were growing up, if they (the director) couldn’t answer the questions, they’re not going.” “You want to know your child is safe,” says Pauley. “You want them in a safe environment.” From information about how to choose a camp to the benefits of the camp experience and even how to deal with homesickness, camp visits and a list of questions to ask the director, the American Camp Association has articles, publications and research available for parents on its website at www.acacamps.org. Tracy House is the news editor for SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at tracy@santansun.com
The Phoenix Zoo’s summer camp extends to children with special needs through Camp Zoo Sense of Wonders, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 29, and Camp Zoo Wild Hearts Camp, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 30. Camp Zoo Sense of Wonders is specially designed for campers with visual impairments and combines auditory and tactile experiences for campers to get up-close with the animals, interact, play games and experience the natural world. Camp Zoo Wild Hearts Camp was developed for children with orthopedic impairments to experience the zoo. Activities and behind the scenes experiences have been selected specifically for children with physical disabilities. Each camper receives a T-shirt, water bottle and hat. Contact the Camp Zoo supervisor to discuss your child’s needs and determine if Camp Zoo is appropriate for your camper at (602) 914-9333. Both camps are sponsored by the Arizona Diamondbacks and scholarship information is available at www.phoenixzoo.org, click on “Camp Zoo.”
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