CBSMarketWatch.com

April 2001

Camp sites save the day

Is your child signed up for summer camp yet? The fever pitch for camp searches occurs in the winter months, so parents who have yet to sign kids up should act quickly, said Jeff Solomon, executive director at the National Camp Association.

"This is a time to be making decisions and selections as quickly as possible to avoid being closed out of put on a waiting list," Solomon said.

A host of Web sites offer parents tools for locating camps nationwide with information on cost, staff and quality of activities and programs.

Interests in sending kids to summer camp remains strong despite the slowing US Economy. It's expected that 6.5 million campers ages 5 to 21 will flock to camps around the country, up from 5 million just two years ago, according to Solomon. About 75% will sign up for "sleepaway" camps.

Most overnight camps are for children 10 and up, but some will accept kids as young as 7. Parents should expect to pay $350 to $1,000 a week per child, Solomon said. Transportation to and from camp is typically extra.

Kidscamps.om has a directory of more than 12,000 sport, academic, special needs, military and family camps. The company recently launched Payforcamp.com, a site that helps parents with financing for summer camp tuition. Parents can apply online for a loan with a credit line up to $25,000 and rates as low as 12.99%, said Nancy Diamond, Kidscamps.com president and co-founder.

Parents who develop camp envy after searching Web databases on behalf of their children can check out Kidscamps.com's sister site, Grownupcamps.com, for information on adult programs.