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Parents scramble to find summer camp openings

Summer is still a few months away, but the race is on for parents to secure spots for their kids at summer camps. Summer camps are a way for kids to continue their education while school is out and also learn new skills. But camps are also an important form of child care for working parents. And this year, parents can expect longer waitlists and higher prices.

Marshall Terry: Cristina Bolling wrote about this for the Charlotte Ledger Business Newsletter, and she joins me now. So just how fast do spots fill up?

A child climbs a rock wall at camp.
larvitar20000es
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Pixabay
A child climbs a rock wall at camp.

Cristina Bolling: Basically, it really depends on the type of camp, and the location, and also the price. So what we're finding is a lot of parents are saying, you know, some of these camps that are in areas where there's a lot of demand, a lot of young families, the spots are filling up really fast. Some camp directors say that within just, like, a week of them opening up registration, all the slots were filled. Others — especially those more kind of specialty camps that might have higher price tags or maybe less convenient hours — have less demand and more availability still at this point.

Terry: And how does that compare to years past?

Bolling: What camp directors are saying is that they are filling up faster this year than they have in the last several years. I know that in Pineville, the director there said that they have an eight-week summer program, and this year it filled up about a month quicker than it did last year. When Pineville opens its registration process, it opens it just for Pineville residents first, and then it opens up to the general public. And this year, a lot of those weeks were taken up just by Pineville town residents. So that just kind of shows how great the demand was, that there really wasn't much left over, some of those weeks, for folks from outside of Pineville.

Terry: Are there some camps that are harder to get into than others? I know you mentioned a moment ago that one thing parents look for is location. There are also specialty camps. But are some just harder, in general, to get into than others?

Bolling: There are. So, like, for instance, Mecklenburg County has a big park and recreation camp program, very popular with a lot of families. It's in various locations throughout the county. And I know that some of those locations go very, very quickly — like within hours or days even — just because there's just a lot of demand in certain areas and, you know, a limited number of spots. Some of the specialty camps have become very popular in the last few years. There is a bike camp called CLT Bike Camp that actually opens its registration at midnight on New Year's Eve, and it goes by dawn. Some parents tell me that by dawn they cannot get a slot anymore. So that kind of tells you, you know, what demand is for some of these very specialty camps that have a very limited number of slots.

Terry: Wow. I can't believe some of these spots go quite that quickly. In addition to being tougher to find a spot, the cost of some of these camps is going up, as I mentioned earlier. How much? And, is it just due to inflation like everything else lately?

Bolling: Yeah. So actually, I spoke with someone from the American Camp Association who said, indeed, I mean, like everything else in our lives these days, summer camp is going to cost more. Anecdotally, parents are saying that they are noticing that the costs are inching up a bit. Really, summer camp cost ranges are all over the place. So kind of a basic park and rec, largely outdoor camp, might cost you anywhere from, you know, $130 to $150 a week. Some of these specialty camps will go up to the threes and the fours, well into the $ 400-a-week price range. It's definitely very taxing on a lot of families' budgets. A lot of families have to decide if they can even take a vacation because some of these camps are so pricey. If you want to go to pottery camp, that might affect our family vacation budget and that kind of thing. So it really does run the gamut.

Terry: Now, some experts have likened trying to find a summer camp spot to a part-time job. And one person you spoke with for this piece developed a tool parents can use to help in the search. What is it?

Bolling: Absolutely, Marshall. I mean, if you have kids who are out of school for the summer, it is absolutely a huge source of stress. You know, you're worrying about managing your own workload, having them be cared for in a way that's safe and that's educational, that's fun for them. It's, it's a huge source of stress for parents. So there's a woman — she's actually a bank executive. Her name is Anna Snowden. She did a lot of research and found a lot of women were coming to her. Well, I say women — parents — saying, you know, 'What do you know about camp registrations? What are the good ones? How much do they cost?' So she put together a Facebook page that is really popular. I think it has more than 4,000 members. It's a private group that folks can join who have kids in Charlotte. It's called "CLT Summer Camp (After-School) Activities and No-School Days." And, basically, it's sort of a clearinghouse where she allows camp directors to put up information about their camps and parents to pose questions. And it sort of has worked as a matchmaking site for parents looking for care for their kids and able to sort of help navigate all that, because it's very confusing. And, you know, a lot of times families have multiple needs. You have, you know, of course, a budget, you have kids that are interested in different types of activities. You know, you live where you live or you work where you work, and so you're trying to kind of juggle all that. And it is very, very taxing for families.

Terry: So here we are now, almost at the beginning of April. I imagine some parents listening to this might be starting to hyperventilate. What would you say to parents who have not yet begun the process of enrolling their kids in summer camp? Is it too late at this point?

Bolling: What I would say is don't panic, but it's a good idea to kind of get to work. One thing that experienced parents will tell you is that the waitlists are your friends. And so what I would recommend is: identify some camps that your children will want to go to, and go ahead and get on those waitlists. Because what a lot of families do is that they put their kids on multiple camp lists waiting to see what their friends are going to do, or how vacations are going to shake out, and then they cancel them because a lot of them have very forgiving cancellation policies. So put your kids on some waitlists. And I would say that there's a fair chance that you're going to get some of what you're hoping for. I would also, you know, jump on the Facebook page, like I mentioned — that "CLT Summer Camp (After School) Activities and No-School Days" Facebook page. And, really just talk to friends and see where their kids are going to be this summer and what other resources you might be able to tap into.

Terry: It sounds like trying to find a spot at a camp is almost like trying to score Taylor Swift tickets.

Bolling: I have had families tell me that that's how they feel about it. Absolutely.

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Marshall came to WFAE after graduating from Appalachian State University, where he worked at the campus radio station and earned a degree in communication. Outside of radio, he loves listening to music and going to see bands - preferably in small, dingy clubs.