Is anyone ready for warmer weather? Summer may be a few months away but it’s time to start planning NOW, especially if summer camp is on the agenda. Working moms need to map out every single day of summer long before school gets out. For SAHM’s, camp serves as an enrichment program for kids to explore the things they like and give moms a break. Regardless of your working status, the camp opportunities in Charlotte and surrounding areas are plentiful, but you need to get your game on N-O-W. Charlotte area camps fill up fast! To help you with your planning CSP put together some Smarty tips to consider when mapping out your camp plans, as well as a few of our tried and true Smarty camp faves.
Keep in mind:
* CMS summer is 11 weeks long, one week longer than last year – yippee! Many summer camps start as early as June 5th and run through August 20th to accommodate our longer summer this year. Most area private school summer programs follow a similar schedule.
* Be sure to pay attention to drop-off and pick-up times. This is particularly important for the working mom – not all camps cover “business hours” so a little creative flexibility may be required.
* Costs range from around $125/week for half day camps to around $200-$300/week for full day camps. Depending on the specialty, however, we’ve seen rates as high as $500/week. This might be a good option if camp coverage is not required for all 10 weeks!
* Check your local churches. Most churches in the area offer Vacation Bible Schools. Some require church membership, but most do not. The best part is that many of these Vacation Bible Schools are completely FREE, need I say more? Typically, they run M-F from 9a-1p (ish).
* Check with your local preschool. Many offer summer camps and often times, they open up to children not currently enrolled in their program.
* Ask around – Word of mouth is the best way to find out what’s going on and to get some great reco’s.
Presenting the 2016 Smarty Summer Camp Picks, tried and true by local moms!
Click here for our Smarty recos for resident camps.
Click here for our Smarty recos for day camps.
