Summer might be a few months away, but when it comes to booking a camp program, parents need to start planning now.
“The closer you get to the summer, the harder you have to work to find it and the less options you have around affordability as well, so it does pay to start early,” Henry DeHart, CEO of the American Camp Association, told NBC 7.
Camp programs have price points across the spectrum, but the cost depends on a couple of factors: Overnight camps tend to be more expensive, and the length of the program can drive the price up, making it feel unaffordable to some parents.
There’s some financial relief available, though.
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“Across the camps we have surveyed, 93% of them offer financial assistance of some sort,” DeHart said.
The American Camp Association recommends that parents focus first on finding a program that fits their family’s needs. If that program is out of budget, contact the camp and ask for financial assistance. Ask about scholarships, subsidized payment programs, payment plans, scaled financial aid based on income and tier program options. Also, ask about early registration and sibling discounts. Those can all help bring the price down.
And don’t forget about your flexible spending accounts.
NBC 7 Responds
“A lot of people know that they can pay for aftercare during the school year with these programs, but they're not familiar with the fact that summer camp is also eligible for some of these tax credits and flexible spending accounts,” said Kimberly Palmer from NerdWallet. “So, it's definitely worth looking into.”
And for parents with older teens, think about internship programs, community volunteering and online courses like the ones Coursera offers for free that could be a great addition to a teen’s resume and productive educational activity during the summer.
If you still can’t find a summer camp within your budget, try to widen your search. Often local universities and even some churches have summer camps that might be more financially accessible.