With summer right around the corner, your child is probably starting to get excited about all of the possibilities that the seemingly endless two school-free months can lead to.
You, on the other hand, might have already begun to stress about how to care for your child during the summer. With the cost of childcare spiking, it can be very difficult to find a way to keep the kids entertained and supervised while you’re at work during the day.
Summer camp is a classic option for daytime summer activity, but even day camp at a local community center can turn into a real financial commitment. Here are a few “extra” costs to consider when thinking about just how much camp is going to run you:
- Lunch: Most day camps do not have a lunch program (or if they do, it’s an added fee, and you should ask for a menu so you know what your child will be eating daily). Always remember to consider the cost (and time) associated with packing lunch for your home-from-school camper.
- Transportation fees: How is your child going to get to/from camp? Will you be available to drive them every day, or will they have to take a bus or some other form of transportation? Most camps do not include bus service with their per-week cost, so remember to budget for it separately.
- Day trips/overnight trips: The addition of enriching activities and trips to a camp schedule can be extremely exciting for your child, but can also mean associated additional costs for you. How frequently does your camp take day trips? What is the fee for these day trips or is it included? Will you be expected to pay this fee at the time you pay to enroll your child, or can it be postponed until closer to the trip?
- Additional activities and/or extras: Your child likes to paint or horseback ride. Will his camp experience include these “extra” activities, or will you be expected to pay an additional fee for them? Will you be expected to purchase your child materials of any kind on top of camp fees? Make sure that you know the facts about exactly what you are getting for your camp fee, and if that experience will be the most enriching for your child.
- Additional camp fees not included in registration: The fine print can hide a great deal. Is it hiding a secret surprise about additional fees that you will need to be aware of? Will there be an insurance/liability fee for your child? Will you have to pay sales tax on any portion of your child’s tuition? Is the sticker price of camp actually what you will be expected to pay? Often, these questions can be answered by a camp representative better than they can be by a piece of paper; don’t be shy to ask about these issues when touring the facility.
The best scenario for both you and your child is to find a camp that includes all of these items in one easy-to-read fee. Hot healthy lunch, bussing, day trip tickets, etc.— there’s no reason for these items not to be calculated into your child’s camp tuition. For a summer camp that won’t try to nickel and dime you with hidden fees, check out Cedar Brook Summer Day Camp: the inclusive way to keep your child active and engaged all summer long.
