DC Metro Mommy Blog

In reality, unless you have a vacation house, a pool membership or an amusement park in your backyard most kids will get a bit bored playing at home before July rolls around. Even more critical is the need for structured play and supervision for the children of working parents. Any way you slice it summer poses an interesting dilemma for lots of parents in the DC Metro area. That is why summer camps have become so popular.

Here are a few tips for finding the perfect camp.

1. Ask friends, family, teachers and parent groups for recommendations.

2. There is a litany of camps offered to kids. Some examples of local camps includes: traditional, overnight, computer, science, art, music, theater, equestrian and even math to name a few. Find out what your child is most drawn to when making your selection. If your child is considering an overnight camp, have a serious discussion about the implications of being away from home. If this is a non-starter for you don't offer these types of camps as an option.

3. After narrowing down your choices, make considerations for cost, location, hours of operation, etc.

4. With your short list in hand make some calls and find out about the camper-to-counselor ratio, get the facts on the camp director, staff, counselors, facilities, safety procedures, philosophy toward children, average staff tenure and program structure including a sample of a daily agenda. Find out if there is a medical professional on staff, how allergies are treated, what alternate activities are planned for raining days.

Using a solid selection process and armed with facts, you and your child will be able to make an educated decision about what camp is best for your family. Start your search by checking our insanely large listings of area camps under the following link: Camps in DC, MD & VA and Overnight Camps.