Nov/090
Are Summer Camps Recession Proof?
You’ve heard it before: Summer camps have limited space availabilty which fills up fast, so you better sign up soon or you might not get in. Sometimes this sounds like a sales pitch more than anything else.
Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. But the truth is, the more popular summer camps fill up much faster than the others, and your chances of getting in is indeed limited by the camp’s enrollment capacity.
It’s kind of like an airplane: When the last seat is gone, it’s gone for good. They can’t just add another seat on the plane to accommodate you, and the camp doesn’t have room “for just one more kid.”
Here’s something about camp enrollment that’s more relevant now than ever: Camps generally fill up even faster than usual when the economy is weak like it is now.
Maybe it sounds like an oxymoron, but summer camp enrollment often thrives in a weak economy. Here’s why.
In poor economic conditions, parents will generally cut back on everything they view as non-essential, but history shows that the absolute last items they’ll slash from the family budget are products and services for their kids.
In a weak economy, moms and dads might decide against spending $10,000 for a family vacation. But they’ll still shell out $2,500 or so to send their kids to camp.
During the recession of the early 1990’s, camp enrollment was impacted across the board. This phenomenon — higher enrollment in a weaker economy — can largely be attributed to the many families who would have otherwise taken a family vacation, but with less discretionary income stayed home, thereby increasing their childcare and summer camp needs and filling camps to the brim.
Sending your children to summer camp in any economy is often viewed by parents as an American pastime. What does this mean for consumers? Simply this: you might want to start looking for summer camps earlier than usual if you want to get in to the camp of your choice next summer, otherwise somebody else might beat you to the punch.
Most popular camps often fill up by April or May, but if you wait that long to sign up for camp next summer, by then it could be too late.
One of the best places to find a camp is at http://www.findacamp.com, the American Camp Association’s camp search web site.
You can search for camps by various criteria such as type of camp, location, price and more. Just start looking soon as possible to make sure your child gets his or her first choice!
Copyright Eric D. Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.
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Nov/090
How to Afford Summer Camp in a Recession
When you think of summer camp, the word “affordable” probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. And if you’re like other parents concerned about money in this awful economy, you might be wondering how to afford summer camp for your kids this summer. But don’t worry!
There are many things you can do to make the cost of camp more affordable and lesson the financial burden of giving your child a fantastic camp experience this year. Here are three top strategies you can use to save money at camp for your kids right now:
Early Bird Discounts
Early bird discounts are perhaps the best known and highly publicized of your available summer camp discounts. Here’s how Early Bird Discounts work.
Camps generally offer two sets of tuition rates: the regular price, and the Early Bird Price.
If you sign up for camp by a certain date, the Early Bird Price can save you money. For example, one camp in Los Angeles charges $5 per day less when you sign up for camp by March 1.
Since the price increases by $5 per day after March 1, it obviously it pays to sign up for camp sooner rather than later!
Barter
In bleak economic times (like this recession!), bartering can be one of the smartest money-saving strategies you can use. Summer camps want to save money just like you do, so this is a win-win strategy for you both.
Maybe you own an advertising agency and you have a few kids you’d like to send to camp. You might be able to provide advertising services to the camp in exchange for a fantastic camp experience for your kids. Here’s another bartering concept that actually happened last year. A day camp in Los Angeles needed a nurse, and the nurse wanted to send her kids to camp. So the nurse ended up working at the camp and sent her kids in exchange. The best way to start bartering is to consider what you might have to offer, and then pitch your idea to the camp director. He or she might be very open to your suggestion!
Sibling Discounts
Most camps offer sibling discounts, but they may not advertise the fact these discount are available. So, if you have more than one child attending camp, make sure you ask the camp director if they offer sibling discounts.
The discount will vary from camp to camp, but generally, the most common sibling discount we’ve seen is 5% off each additional camper beyond the first child.
Five percent may not sound like a lot, but given how much a high-quality summer camp experience costs these days, 5% off can save you a load of money!
Hopefully these three money-saving tips will help you save money off your camp tuition this year. Good luck!
Copyright Eric D. Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.
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Oct/090
Why is Summer Camp so Expensive?
If the word “affordable” doesn’t come to mind when you think of summer camp, you’re not alone. Sending your kids to sleepaway camp for just a few weeks could run you several thousand bucks or more.
But the good news is there’s a camp for every budget. You don’t have to break the bank for your child to enjoy a fantastic camp experience, and a less expensive camp does not necessarily mean it’s a lower quality camp
You might be asking yourself whether sending your child to camp is worth the price. And by the way, why does it cost so much?
In general, summer camps have high operating costs that need to be covered in order to maximize your child’s safety and fun. When you pay a little more for camp, the camp can be extremely selective in the staff it hires and pay its camp counselors more than they’d make elsewhere, plus it allows the camp to purchase and share with your child the highest-end (best quality) equipment and supplies.
You can’t put a price tag on safety, supervision and fun for your child!
But that’s not all. We haven’t even discussed insurance premiums, advertising, transportation, and other many other costs camps incur to deliver an industry-best-practice camp experience for your child.
The high cost of raising kids is indisputable, but the documented benefits of the camp experience are indisputable, too. Imagine all the fun and important things your child would miss by not going to camp:
In this economy, families are cutting back on everything that’s not essential. Certainly a fantastic camp experience is something every child deserves, but whether the price of camp is “worth it” is open to subjectivity. Only you can decide the appropriate answer for your family.
And although the summer camp in industry is often considered to be one where you get what you pay for, the important point to remember is that there’s a camp to fit every family’s budget whether you’re looking for a day camp in Los Angeles, a sleepaway camp in New York or any camp in between.
Copyright Eric D. Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.
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