Why are day camps so expensive? It's more than tuition SAHM

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amother

Emerald

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 6:14 pm

I'm very upset about this right now and I hope this makes sense. I don't understand why summer day camps in Brooklyn are so expensive. The price per child per summer is literally more than two months of tuition per child. Why are they so expensive? We did the cheshbon and it doesn't make sense for me to work since the entire payment would be going toward camp and probably not enough to cover camp. It makes more sense for me to stay home with my children. Are there any mothers that keep their children home the entire summer? I'm getting extremely nervous for them if they are not around other children for 2 months. What are the other options?

mummiedearest

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 6:21 pm

I keep my kids home with me all summer. we have a blast. I used to run a mommy day camp group in marine park, but I moved last summer. I don't know if anyone is taking over, it was once a week, cheap or free activities, a few hours. there are definitely other families doing the same in your area. start asking friends if they know anyone who is home for the summer and make some playdates. also, try to have a schedule arranged before school ends so you know what you're doing. good luck!

amother

Papaya

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 6:27 pm

Chasidish dc are $600

amother

Plum

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 6:33 pm

if you run a business that only operates 2 months a year - you'd need to charge a lot per month to make a profit. (school's are not-for-profit, the tuition goes only cover expenses... expensive day camps are generally for-profit businesses - they need to cover expenses and make money for the owner).

amother

Royalblue

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 6:36 pm

amother wrote:

You need to decide if you'll be a calmer better mother if you work in order for them to go to day camp or if you'll be calmer staying home with them for 11 weeks without having a budget for activies. It might still be worthwhile to continue working.

Simple1

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 6:49 pm

For the summers I cut out day camp- I did it for only one half. I sent them one half and kept home one half. That way I saved some money, but they still got the experience of day camp and didn't feel left out. And 4 weeks is less overwhelming than 8 weeks.

icebreaker

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 7:08 pm

None of my children went to day camp. Everything that was done there, I did at home. We did amusement park trips, museum trips, stayed home and did fun things when the weather was not great. And in the long run, it was way cheaper than sending them to day camp. I have nothing against day camps and I know for families in which both parents work, it's very helpful. But for my family, they just weren't worth it.

amother

Gray

Mon, Feb 27 2017, 8:01 pm

It totally depends on your kids but if you have "easy" kids I would do one half daycamp and other half a family trip for a few days, long weekends away and going to free places, library etc of course while having some extra cleaning help.

Ruchel

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 4:20 am

My kids would go nuts at home for 2 months, and I don't do heat so it would be very hard for me to take them out except in inside places with a/c or in evening. BH for daycamp.

FranticFrummie

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 4:28 am

I didn't grow up with "day camp culture", so it's hard for me to understand it. My sister and I never went to camps, and DD has only been to a couple of local day camps that were not expensive. For us, it was never something that we HAD to do. If money was tight, day camp would be on the bottom of my priority list.

Kids don't need to be entertained every minute of the day, unless the mom really needs them out of the house. My sister and I could play in the back yard for hours and hours, without bothering my mom. When you don't have lots of options, or a set program, you can get really creative and make your own fun. IMHO, we worry way too much about kids being bored, like that's the worst thing in the world for them.

saw50st8

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 4:59 am

FranticFrummie wrote:

In Brooklyn, most people don't have real yards and can't just send their kids outside. That's why the bungalow colony is so popular.

OP, I've done camp mommy (not in Brooklyn). It's fun but challenging. If you do it, make sure to get out of the house almost every day. Find new parks to go to, maybe get a membership to the zoos and aquariums (it's under $200 for the year) and then the subway ride is a trip in itself.

Camps are expensive because it takes a lot of money to run them (renting a space, staffing, activities, insurance, dealing year round with getting a program and taking payments etc). They aren't a necessity for anyone except working parents.

I don't know if Brooklyn has public camps. My town does and DS is going there for the summer. It's really affordable (I think it's $175 per 2 week session and it goes for 3 sessions).

amother

Rose

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 8:29 am

When kids can play outside without some crazy person calling the cops, then we'll talk.
Also not everyone can afford a house.

mha3484

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 8:41 am

When you have boys and do a mommy camp how do make sure that they learn? My son's camp has learning and davening for the first two hours every day with a rebbe. I am not sure I could replicate that myself. I work and camp here is reasonable so he goes but I always wondered how that works.

mummiedearest

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 9:10 am

mha3484 wrote:

there is a learning program in brooklyn for boys who are not in day camp. I haven't used it myself, but if interested, call the Yeshiva Ahavas Torah office and ask about it.

5S5Sr7z3

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 9:15 am

Technically, camp is a luxury not a necessity.

To the poster that said not everyone can afford a house, I've done mommy camp while living in an apartment.

BrachaBatya

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 10:02 am

I believe in the value of quality summer camps. I am a product of camp, and my children are, too. We always paid a fortune for good Jewish camps, and I even worked a good 6-7 years for at least four weeks at the camp (used up my annual four weeks vacation) to get a discount. That said, it IS a luxury when all is said and done. If a family can't afford it, the child can still have an excellent summer of activity and learning.

33055

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 10:17 am

mha3484 wrote:

I hired a one-on-one tutor for an hour a day first thing right after dovening. Summer learning is lite learning anyway, and he got a focused start on the learning for the next year based on his next year rebbe's curriculum.

I did Mommy camp for the reason that my kids hated lining up and waiting for activities. When you have to change everyone, or toilet everyone, or give everyone snacks, or wait for the whole group to be dropped off and picked up, you lose a lot of time. It seems at least half the time is waiting. We tried 3 different day camps for each child before I gave up.

We had an organized and focused day. My kids dovened, and then they also did an hour of secular learning. We had two big trips a week, daily outings, canteen, arts and crafts, biking, swimming, and boating. Twice a month we had an educational outing to a place like the discovery center.

Amarante

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 1:21 pm

saw50st8 wrote:

Do think it's a geographic issue to a great extent.

I grew up in Midwood Brooklyn but spent summers in the country with my cousins. We didn't need camp because we had all kinds of things to do outside with the cousins and other kids or games indoors when it rained. The aunts would take us for outings to the beach or super big deal amusement park very occasionally some days and I do think we might have gone somewhere to learn to swim but definitely my memories of summers are out in the country being able to run around freely and play games with the gang of kids.

It would have been much different if I had to fend for myself in Brooklyn even though my street was residential and had a backyard albeit small. We did play outside with kids the rest of the year but in the summer it is so hot in the City and everything is a shlep to get to and so many kids on the block are away somewhere as well either in day camp, sleepaway or in the country.

If the country hadn't been an option, definitely day camp would have been necessary because it would be very hard for a kid to keep themselves entertained in Brooklyn without a massive amount of commitment from the parents and I was a kid who enjoyed reading and playing by myself because there just isn't much to do for a kid on the hot urban streets without adult help.

amother

Copper

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 1:37 pm

IYamWhoIYam wrote:

Technically, camp is a luxury not a necessity.

To the poster that said not everyone can afford a house, I've done mommy camp while living in an apartment.

Camp is a necessity for many people. When both spouses work, kids need to be supervised somewhere.

mummiedearest

Tue, Feb 28 2017, 3:08 pm

amother wrote:

Camp is a necessity for many people. When both spouses work, kids need to be supervised somewhere.

I know of a few families in brooklyn who hire a teenager to run a camp for their kids. it's a small group of kids, they switch off houses for the indoor parts of the day, and the teen takes them to the park regularly. it's a significantly cheaper arrangement than day camp, they hang out with their friends all summer, and the parents can work. I did this for a couple of kids when I was a teen, we had a half-day day camp so mom could work. I didn't have to come up with activities, we went to the park daily, and the kids came up with things they wanted to do. day camp is a huge expense and unnecessary. there are cheaper alternatives around.

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