Is Your Child Ready for Sleepaway Camp?

JTA – Wondering if your child is ready for overnight camp?

A sure sign, according to Karen Alford, a sleepaway camp consultant, is that he or she has grown tired of day camp.

“At 9 [or going into fourth grade], you’ve probably been doing day camp for several years, and there’s just a natural progression to sleepaway camp,” she told JTA.

Of course, Alford added, some kids aren’t ready until they’re older.
“You have to know your child and what they can handle,” she said, adding that “some parents with kids who have trouble separating find camp even more helpful at a younger age because it builds independence.”

Luckily, most Jewish summer camps pay close attention to easing their youngest kids into the sleepaway experience. From pre-camp meet-and-greets to special presents for first-time campers to the common availability of ultra-short sessions — anywhere from five to 11 days — camps are acutely aware of the need to gently transition their littlest and newest campers into the culture of overnight camp.

In addition to providing additional resources for the young newbies — and, of course, their anxious parents — many camps also hire additional staff and train them in some hand-holding.

Take Camp Judaea, a pluralist Jewish camp in North Carolina. It offers a Taste of Camp Judaea, an 11-day program for kids as young as 7. Unlike older campers who can specialize in certain activities, the youngest campers, called “Rishonim,” get to sample all of the camp activities, including zip-lining and horseback riding.

The Taste program is available for kids until the fourth grade.

“To be honest, in some ways it’s more for the parents than the campers,” said Lori Zeligman, executive director of Camp Judaea. “The parents tend to be more nervous. This is our way of hooking them into camp.”

Additionally, the ratio of campers to counselors is lower for the Camp Judaea’s Rishnonim campers, hovering around three to one, as opposed to about 4.5 to one for the older kids.

To prepare the first-timers, Camp Judaea holds parlor meetings for new families, most of whom come from the southeastern U.S., Zeligman said. New campers get to watch a video, hear about a typical day at camp and have their questions answered.

“It allows the families an opportunity to meet the staff before the summer begins,” Zeligman said.