🧭 How to choose the right sleepaway camp

There are hundreds of sleepaway camps, and the brochures all show happy kids and a beautiful lake at sunset. Here's the process I wish someone had handed me when I started - it narrows the field fast, and it ends with the right camp for YOUR kid, not the right camp on paper.

Step 1: Know your non-negotiables

Before you look at a single camp, decide the frame: How far from home can it be? What's the budget, honestly? Full summer, half, or a short session? Kosher or not? Single-gender or coed? These questions cut hundreds of camps down to a few dozen in ten minutes.

Step 2: Match the camp to the kid you actually have

Not the kid you wish you had, and not the kid your friends have. A serious athlete will be happiest where sports are the main event. A kid who does everything wants a traditional camp with a variety of activities. An artsy kid needs a real arts program, not just one tiny craft cabin. And your kid's social battery matters: some camps are big and showy and some are smaller and more understated. Be honest about which one your child comes home happy from.

Step 3: Read what real families say

This is the whole reason I built Ten for Two. The brochure tells you what the camp wants you to know - reviews tell you what the last family found out.

Step 4: Talk to families who go there

Ask the camp for two or three current family references - good camps hand them over happily. And ask around - your own town, your social circles, your community moms Facebook page. The mom whose kid goes there will tell you things no reference will.

Step 5: Then, and only then, tour

Touring five camps is exhausting and they blur together. Do steps 1-4 first, tour your top two or three, and go in with sharp eyes - I wrote a whole article about exactly what to look for on a tour, because that's where I learned my biggest lessons.

👀 Read next: Touring a camp - what to look for (and what to ask) →