About 26 million children nationwide are expected to be enrolled in camps this year after schools shut down for just a few weeks.
“Demand for camps is incredibly strong because parents are yearning for their kids to be in nature with friends,” said Tom Rosenberg, president and chief executive officer of the American Camp Association. peers and away from technology devices after two years of social distancing,” said Tom Rosenberg, president and chief executive officer of the American Camp Association, a non-profit representing the camp industry. summer.
As demand soars, parents should be prepared to pay more to secure a camping spot for their child. Rosenberg said camping fees are estimated to increase by 10% to 15% this summer compared to 2021.
Some of this is due to demand, he added. The summer camp industry, which includes more than 15,000 camps, has been operating at full capacity towards the pandemic. In 2020, 82% of overnight camps and 60% of day camps are completely inactive. Loss of business forced some camps to close completely. Demand is outstripping supply more than it is now, he said.
Just as households are paying more for goods and services on a daily basis, camp operators say they are incurring more costs as a result of paying more for camp supplies such as food, bus carrier and insurance.
The pandemic has also added another cost category: Covid safety and testing protocols in place.
Out of space
Camp Creek Run is a 50-acre non-profit camp and nature reserve in Marlton, New Jersey that hosts summer camps for children ages 4 to 12. Camps typically attract 200 campers per week.
“We’re a smaller camp so demand is always high. But this year is definitely different,” said Keara Giannotti, the camp’s executive director and director of Ecological Research. “Our positions fill up quickly. Some of our age groups filled up within two weeks of we opened registration, and that’s never happened before.”
Camp now has a waiting list for every week and all ages this year. “We had to close the subscription a couple of weeks ago, which we’ve never done before, either. [and] We’ve canceled a few open houses,” she said.
Camp Creek Run’s fees are $330 a week this summer, compared with $300 in 2019.
Camp Tawonga, a 97-year-old Jewish non-profit summer camp located on 160 acres in Stanislaus National Forest outside Yosemite National Park, offers both summer camps and year-round programs.
Casey Cohen, the camp’s senior communications director, says the most popular summer camp programs, which last from five days to three weeks, are full.
“Those programs filled up as early as late November last year for the summer of 2022, and the camp opened a waitlist,” she said.
Fees for its programs are also higher: In 2019, a two-week course at the camp cost $4,065. In 2022, the same program costs $4,850, Cohen said.
Camp Tawonga CEO Jamie Simon said almost all of the costs were higher, increasing overall operating costs.
“As our fees go up, we try to balance that increase with expanded financing options,” says Simon. “We want to make sure that people can participate in Tawonga’s programs regardless of their financial situation. To that end, we financially support more than $750,000 per year. “
Not every family can afford summer camp. The Salvation Army is one of a number of organizations that offer free camps.
According to The Salvation Army Commissioner Kenneth Hodder, the organization operates 43 sleepover camps and hundreds of day camps across the country for youth ages 6 to 17.
“These camps are very important to families,” he said. “Parents are under a lot of stress right now. As schools are about to close, many people don’t have the option of doing their jobs remotely and have to do it,” he said. their daily work”.
Hodder said demand has skyrocketed this year.
“80% of our campers don’t pay for the experience we offer, such as learning a new skill like swimming, archery or crafting. We also provide our campers with three meals a day. eat every day. Many of them don’t get that at home,” he said.
The Salvation Army relies on public donations to fund its week-long summer camps, which Hodder estimates cost around $400 a week. “With inflation, costs will be significantly higher this year, but that cost varies from place to place,” he said.
Hodder hopes public donations will continue to help offset the higher costs of running the camps.
“I worked at summer camps for eight summers. I was a dishwasher and camp counselor. And I even met my wife at the camp,” says Hodder. “These camps are so important to children, and families need to know they have an option for their child.”
