Five Things to Know About Choosing A Summer Camp

According to Camp Harmony's website countdown, it's only 148 days until the beginning of summer—just enough time for parents to begin researching options for their kids' summer days.

And for many, Warren will offer the best choices—there's the summer playground program, sponsored by the Recreation Commission, as well as Camp Riverbend, which is holding weekend samplers in its Saturday Club events, and Camp Harmony. 

Then there are specialized camps, such as sport camps like the Hoops Camp, led by Watchung Hills Regional Boys basketball head coach Justin Salton. Last year, Warren hosted week-long camps for fans of American Beauty Dolls, rock and roll music, and inventions.

With so much to choose from, how's a parent to know what's right for them?

You Need to Know The Counselor-to-Student Ratio: The American Camp Association recommends one counselor per child for young daycampers, and a 1:6-ratio for overnight camps. The ratio can increase for older campers, but shouldn't exceed one counselor per dozen teenaged day campers.

You Need To Know Camps' Emergency and Medical Plans: Is there a medical professional onsite? What plans for emergencies are in place? It's always a good idea to know what planning for such contingencies the camps have made.

You Need To Know Some Camp Costs May Be Tax-Deductible: The expense of summer day camps may be tax deductible for many parents, as a qualified childcare expense.

You Need To Know The Options: There are so many choices, it's hard to get a grasp of all the choices, but you may find a camp your kids will love at the Kids Camp Fair slated for noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Bridgewater Marriott. More than 20 overnight and day camps will be represented.

You Need To Know What Other Parents Think: Last year, we asked parents what camps they thought were best—and we encourage parents to share their comments on camps their kids have attended in the comments section. Talk to other parents to find out what they enjoyed, and check the camps for references (a little Google backgrounding can help, too).

Get started now, and rest assured you'll have a great plan for the summer—remember, it's only 148 days away!