Camp Match
Not sure which camp fits? Start here.
A long list of camps is not help. What helps is someone to talk it through: is my child ready, what should I ask, what is a red flag, when do I register. These pages answer those questions plainly, and link to the real camps in the Booka directory when you are ready to look.
Take the quiz
One minute. Narrows camps by age, weeks, place and budget.
Read the Camp Match Guide
Readiness by age, twelve questions for any director, and the red flags.
Talk to Joe C.
A free 20-minute call. You leave with a short list.
Decide
What kind of camp, and whether your child is ready.
- Day camp or overnight camp? How to decideHow to choose between day camp and overnight camp: age, readiness, cost, schedule, and what each gives a child that the other does not.
- Is my child ready for overnight camp?Signs a child is ready for overnight camp, how to prepare, and how to handle homesickness before and during the session.
- How to choose a summer camp that fits your childHow to choose a summer camp by type, size, setting, and your child's personality, with the questions that narrow a long list quickly.
- Camp for teens: leadership, CIT and trip programsWhat camp offers teenagers: counselor-in-training programs, leadership and trip programs, and specialty intensives, and how to choose one.
- Siblings and friends at camp: together or apart?Should siblings or friends go to the same camp? How to think about it, what camps usually allow, and how to help a child who goes alone.
Evaluate
How to tell a good camp from a polished website.
- How to evaluate a summer camp: visits, references and red flagsHow to evaluate a summer camp before you pay a deposit: what to see on a visit, how to read reviews, whom to ask, and the warning signs to watch for.
- Summer camp safety: accreditation, licensing, staffing and medical careWhat to check for summer camp safety: state licensing, ACA accreditation, staff screening and ratios, medical care, water safety and emergency plans.
- A typical day at summer campWhat a day at summer camp usually looks like, for day and overnight camps: schedule, activities, meals, rest, and how choice and free time work.
Plan and pay
Money, timing and getting there.
- Summer camp cost, financial aid and tax benefitsWhat summer camps cost in New England, what is and is not included, how financial aid works, and how dependent care benefits can apply to day camp.
- When to register for summer camp: a timelineWhen to start looking for summer camp, when registration usually opens, how waitlists work, and what to do at each step from fall to spring.
- Getting to camp: buses, drop-off and travelHow campers get to summer camp: day camp drop-off and buses, overnight camp travel days and group transportation, and what to ask about safety.
Prepare
Packing, phones and staying in touch.
- Packing for summer camp: what to bring and what to leave homeA practical packing approach for day and overnight camp: follow the camp's list, label everything, pack for weather, and leave valuables at home.
- Phones, mail and photos at camp: how to stay in touchHow camps handle phones, letters, email and photos, why many ask children to leave devices at home, and how to stay in touch without making homesickness worse.
Camp Match advice is written by Joe C., founder of Booka. How we keep it independent of the camps listed here is written down in how Booka stays neutral.