Blog and Forum Messages

Camp Press Releases

Winter is the Perfect Time to Research a Camp for Your Child

 
You might not think that the dead of winter is a perfect time to find a summer camp for your child, but indeed it is. Would your child be interested in a horseback riding camp or a sailing camp or traveling to National Parks? How about a fashion or modeling camp? What about an adventure or weight loss camp? Are you looking for a summer camp for your child with special needs?  All of these type of camps and many more will be attending the 6th Annual ACA-NJ Camp Fairs throughout January.
 
The first camp fair will be held on Saturday, January 16, 2010, at The Grand Summit, 570 Springfield Avenue, Summit.  The next day, Sunday, January 17, 2010, the second camp fair will be held at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe, 100 Frank W. Burr Boulevard, Teaneck. 
 
The following Saturday, January 23, 2010, the third fair will be held at The Excelsior, a catering hall, 355 Route 9 South, Manalapan. On Sunday, January 24 2010, the ACA will host the fourth fair at the Bridgewater Marriott, 700 Commons Way, Bridgewater. 
 
The next weekend the fifth camp fair will be held Saturday, January 30, 2010, at the Woodcliff Lake Hilton, Woodcliff Lake.  The next day, Sunday, January 31, 2010, the last camp fair of the season will be held in East Hanover at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center on Route 10 West.
 
All fairs will run from noon to 3 p.m., and are open to the public; admission is free. There are numerous free giveaways and free snacks. Free face painting at all fairs will be done by Bella Faccia. The Somerset Patriots will bring their mascot, Sparkee, to the Bridgewater fair, and Radio Station Z-100 will bring its prize van to the Manalapan fair.
 
The free admission provides parents with a 60+-page booklet summarizing all the camps and providing future contact information for all the camps participating in the ACA’s camp fairs this season.  Camp directors show DVDs, talk with parents about the programs and facilities that their camp offers.  In addition, they distribute their own pamphlets and often their own camp DVD’s and giveaways. Camp directors offer sign-up sheets for parents to make more personal and further contacts.  Often camp directors make home visits to discuss their camp.
 
“Although the Internet is a great way to do preliminary research when finding a camp,” according to Barbara Rubin, Camp Fair Director, “it does not have the impact of a face-to-face meeting with a camp director, let alone, almost 35+ of them in one room. The camp fairs provide a perfect one-stop shopping spot for busy parents.”
 
 Representatives from the non-profit American Camp Association (ACA) will be on hand to answer questions about “How to Choose a Camp,” distribute pamphlets with the questions most frequently asked by parents who are trying to choose a camp for their child.
 
The camps, which are located from Maine to Georgia, and include a camp from Spain, will be informing parents and campers of their wide range of activities.  Sessions vary from one week to eight weeks, and are priced to meet a variety of family budgets. For younger children and those less eager to go far from home, there are numerous camps and summer programs available nearby.  Many of the day camps offer early drop off and late pick up to accommodate working parents. Numerous resident camps offer special sessions for young or first time campers; a number of the camps specialize in programs only for teenagers.  Sleep-away camps offer a variety in the kinds of activities available, length of session, location, cost, and population.  Some camps are coed, while others cater to one sex; some are sports camps, some camps are private, others are run by YMCAs, and several stress religious values.
 
Rubin said, “If your older teen is interested in unique adventures, traveling around the globe or taking pre-college course there is program out there for him/her. Certainly there are lots of traditional summer experiences available but more and more adolescents are looking for a new experience and our camp fairs are a way to find not only the traditional but what’s cutting edge in summer programs.