Camp must haves- Insanity

amother

Aquamarine

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:48 pm

amother Kiwi wrote:

I’m ready to start a we don’t must send to camp movement.

Dd was registered for first half. She went past 2 summers. She backed and decided to stay hom.Im more than happy and bh she got herself a daycamp assisant job. Were not even in the country. All in the city. If shes happy then im happy.

And this is not a camp with all the must haves.

amother

Poinsettia

Wed, May 03 2023, 3:52 pm

Ruchi wrote:

Copy the system we have here in Stamford Hill, UK.
5 weeks vacation for the girls and 3 for the boys.
Families go away for 2 weeks, daycamp and sleep away camp are also for two weeks.
There are 2 weeks vacation in the winter plus a day off when its "Half Term", which is a few times a year.

This system is less pressure and more cost effective for the parents compared to the vacation system in the States.

Yes, depends what schools you send to, but my younger kids have just under 2 weeks holiday for shavuos! I love it though, much nicer when it's split up like this. Our half terms are more than a day though. And also my girls don't have any school on bank holidays and there's 3 this month. My younger son has cheder only till 12.30 bank holidays. The last bank holiday this month is incorporated in the shavuos holiday.
So for 2 Sunday and Mondays in a row my daughter won't be going to school (thanks to the coronation)

amother

NeonYellow

Wed, May 03 2023, 4:27 pm

amother OP wrote:

Already paying crazy price for camp and now all this narishkeit about must haves for camp... I'm sick and tired of the insanity. I feel like I was born into the wrong generation. What happened to simple, wholesome people? Do they still exist??
Just venting really, I can't change the reality...

You can raise your children to be simple, wholesome people who don't care about the narishkeit and who choose their friends accordingly. My teenage DD has been going to sleepaway camp for at least 5 years now, and her only "must haves" are a camp chair, one shirt in her division color, and plenty of nosh. She brings old linen/towels from my parent's linen closet and isn't interested in brand name clothing or a million accessories. And before you automatically think that she's a nebach, she is actually a very confident and popular young lady.

amother

Ruby

Wed, May 03 2023, 5:03 pm

amother NeonYellow wrote:

Because she's confident & popular she can get away with not having the nice things. It's very hard on a girl that feels ignored & unnoticed to also not have nice things that "everyone" seems to have.

PinkFridge

Wed, May 03 2023, 5:11 pm

Ema of 5 wrote:

My sisters went to camp, but I only went twice. The rest of the years I worked. Lots of kids didn’t go to camp when I was growing up. It wasn’t a given. I think it’s really only a given in certain places/among certain groups.

I should have clarified. You're right that it wasn't a given, but a sizeable minority did go to camp for a trip.

amother

Slateblue

Wed, May 03 2023, 5:15 pm

amother Kiwi wrote:

I’m ready to start a we don’t must send to camp movement.

I cannot afford sleepaway camp. I don’t even try. I can’t even afford daycamp for all my kids. Schools do not understand when you send your kids to camp, but can’t pay full tuition. I send the kids who are too young to stay home so I can work.

keym

Wed, May 03 2023, 5:21 pm

amother Ruby wrote:

Genuinely curious what stuff kids are asking for these days.

Signed a chasidish boy mom whose boys just want torn old stuff & tons of nosh.

Kind of wondering the same as a yeshivish boy mom.
My boys ask for a lot of nosh, but nothing special- pretzels, twizzlers, etc.

The first summer that they went, they were a bit particular about the linen- not to childish or cutesy. But we found something basic and that's their camp and yeshiva linen.

Each year, they request differently tshirts, polo shirts, junky white button down for the non Bais Medrash part, but that's mostly as they grow up and yes and not wearing tshirts for basketball is a thing.

But that's it. Once we got the first year in terms of what and how much they need, they don't care. Neither do their friends. And they're socially aware kids who would care if it was a thing to care.

DrMom

Sun, May 07 2023, 3:17 pm

Highstrung wrote:

But you need to know the fine line . My mother didn’t care what others did . She thought it was outrageous and proudly sent us to camp with the towels that had holes . And linen was second hand linen that she called “camp linen” because they had stains and so on. Every item that was torn or stained she put the word “camp” before it and it became a “camp” skirt , a “camp” top and a “camp” pillowcase .

OMG I would totally do that (but I live in Israel). Why bring fancy new bed linens to camp?

amother

Obsidian

Sun, May 07 2023, 5:31 pm

ShishKabob wrote:

Of course! It’s a money making business! Now waiting for those to counter that it’s a losing money enterprise. 😁

Are you in the camp industry? I am. The only camps that make a killing are camps that have over 300 paying campers and own their grounds. Otherwise, you’d be shocked by the numbers. They are coming out with a deficit. Have you ever looked into renting camp grounds. I know for a fact that it ranges from 250-400k for ONE half. Depends on how well maintained the grounds are and how many bunks. You don’t see hundreds of camps like hundreds of nursing home owners. Not because people aren’t capable but because to be profitable takes years and hundreds and thousands of dollars to invest. Do your own homework if you don’t believe me.

Editing just to add:

Food on average per kid is $10-$15 per day x average of 29 days x campers + staff + married staff and families.

Busing for trips:

Average of 650 a bus per trip x 8-10 buses. Not including the entrance fee to wherever they are going.

Swag:
Average per kid is $100.

Entertainment:

Average of $2000 per entertainer not including concerts.

Insurance:

Depending if you have property insurance, auto insurance, workers comp and liability.

Supplies:

Depends on how much they need to replenish every year but easily adds up to thousands a season.

Payroll:

Director, program director, specialties, head counselors, office staff (year round as well) nurse, cook, maintenance staff, counselors, lifeguards etc. I’d say payroll is for sure 150k-200k.

Should I go on?