S/O of Camp- a question for not yeshivish families

keym

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 3:30 pm

In the RW community in US, camp is considered standard. We can argue luxury or necessity, but most boys and girls by 8th/9th grade go.

This question is addressed towards the more MO or LW imas in the US.

How does camp, both day camp and sleep away camp play in your communities.
I'm talking about a regular year, non COVID.

Does everyone go? No one go? Somewhere in the middle?
Starting what age? For how long?
Is there structure available for kids who don't go to camp?

amother

Copper

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 3:43 pm

Growing up in a RW family and community, kids went to camp at much younger ages than they do now. At least where I live. Almost no one in my daughter’s sixth grade class in Lakewood went to camp this summer and I already went going into fifth grade.

amother

Goldenrod

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 3:44 pm

MO here - I would say somewhere in the middle.

In my community, day camp is popular among school-aged kids whether or not both parents are working. There are also lots of other day programs (science, martial arts, performing arts) which provide valuable opportunities for kids to follow their interests.

I'm not sure exactly when kids start overnight camp, because my family was never interested. Certainly the kids outgrow regular day camp by the end of grade school, if not earlier. Kids who loooove camp continue as CITs, then counselors as teens. There are some day camps that have programming just for "tweens," which is helpful.

For high school kids, summer is time for camp for some, trips to Israel for others, more science/arts/sports and special interest programs and college courses. Some teens get jobs, either at camp or elsewhere, or start small businesses.

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 3:47 pm

I would think (and hope) That day camp would be different than sleep away camp.
When I was growing up, over 25 years ago, most of my peers never went to sleep away camp or some did for a few years here and there.
But everyone who had at least one working parent went to day camp.
I would assume its about the same now.
I think sleep away camp is something that kids should want to go to, not have to go to (I had a girl in my bunk whose parents forced her. It was awful)

amother

Beige

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 4:39 pm

I grew up MO in the NY metro area, pretty wealthy community. Day camp was pretty much universal, likely because most families in my community had both parents working. Sleep away camp was also pretty much universal from about age 9 or 10 until 14 or 15. Not necessarily for two months, but at least one month was across the board, and in the case where it was only one month, it was generally because the other month, that family was going on a huge vacation. Somewhere between 14 and 16, pretty much everyone did at least one summer at a travel camp, like NCSY in Israel or one of the Achva programs. After 10th grade is where you started to see more varied summer plans. Some kids went back to camp as counselors or other staff, some did summer college programs, or some other college resume booster, or prestigious internships and such.

saw50st8

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 4:48 pm

A large majority of kids go to camp. Most families have 2 working parents. The ones that don't are often the wealthier families that can afford camp anyway.

Many kids are already in sleep away camp going into 6th/7th grade. A decent amount start younger. My boys started going into 3rd and 4th (they went together).

amother

Cerulean

Wed, Aug 19 2020, 5:01 pm

In my experience it's much more standard in American MO communities for kids to go to sleep away camp- start at a younger age and stay for longer, than it is in yeshivish communities. Camps are more expensive and it is almost a given in many communities you go to sleep away from going into 4th/5th grade.
Before that you go to day camp.
Also it is very accepted that one attends a travel camp for a few summers in highschool

In yeshivish communities where there are bigger families and often smaller salaries, it is rare for all the kids in the family to go to camp for the whole summer starting from that young age. The kids are more likely to work in camp during high school though, once you don't have to pay