Published: March 07, 2009 05:35 am      

MONEY: A toolkit for saving on summer camp

By CANDICE CHOI

AP Personal Finance Writer



NEW YORK (AP) — It's the fireside tale that spooks parents every summer: A few weeks at camp can cost thousands of dollars.

To avoid that scary fate, Gabriel and Jennifer Griego and their friends plan to take turns watching the kids for part of this summer.

"In the past, we always sent them to camps the whole summer," said Gabriel Griego a 43-year-old father of two in Berkeley, Calif. "This year we're looking to reduce that by about half."

Translation: No more than $1,000 for both kids.

As families across the country watch their portfolios melt away, the penny-pinching approach is being applied to every corner of life. Summer camp, which families often plan for months in advance to secure slots, is no exception.

That doesn't mean parents are opting out of the national camp tradition altogether. In fact, enrollment numbers are on track to hit the 10 million mark that has held steady for the past several years, according to the American Camp Association.

"It's not that camp has become a yes-or-no question, but (parents are) changing the way they make decisions," said Peter Surgenor, president of the ACA, based in Martinsville, Ind.

Most commonly, Surgenor said parents are inquiring about shorter or less expensive programs. They're often surprised to learn how many options they have.

To start, there are more than 12,000 sleep-away and day camps in the country, according to ACA, meaning there's one likely to suit any budget. In some cases, nonprofit camps such as the Boys & Girls Club might waive fees for families that can't afford to pay. Churches, synagogues and social service groups also offer low-cost or free options.

One way to begin your search is through CampParents.org, an ACA-run site that lets families search for camps by region, price and key words like "soccer" or "language studies." The site also lets users narrow options to camps that accommodate special needs such as autism, diabetes or attention deficit disorder.

Limiting your search to day camps, rather than a round-the-clock sleep-away, is a fast way to slash spending.

Fees vary widely, but day camps can cost around $275 a week, while sleep-away can cost about $780, according to ACA.

Another way to scale back spending is picking shorter sessions; many camps offer a menu of programs that run between two and 10 weeks.

Kids generally get the same social benefits from camp anyway, regardless of the duration of the program, Surgenor said.

"Camp is about forming social bonds and learning how to fit into a new situation away from home," he said. "You don't need months or an elite program to achieve that."

That less-is-more philosophy is one the Griegos are embracing whole heartedly. It's a turnaround from last year, when their two children were enrolled in a patchwork of day camps that spanned the entire summer.

Now the family is cherry picking the kids' favorites, said Griego, a marketing executive for an online company. For their 6-year-old daughter Ella, that luckily includes an independent sewing camp run out of a nearby home. It costs $200 a week, compared to about $350 a week for some of the larger camps the children attended.

"The economic situation being what it is, parents are looking for comparable options that are a little less expensive," said Sean Nienow, director of the National Camp Association, a free referral service that is sponsored by the industry.

Once you settle on a camp, roll up your sleeves to wrestle down the price tag yet further.

Start by talking to the camp director. Every year, camps give away more than $39 million in scholarships, and 90 percent offer some form of financial aid, according to ACA. Don't be shy about asking camp directors what type of aid is available.

Camps will often work with struggling families to make prices more affordable, too.

At the Jefunira Camp in Mountain View, Calif., an outdoor day camp, a two-week stay typically costs about $800. But director Jeff Gamble said he's willing to negotiate lower prices for families that are struggling financially this year.

For the first time, he's also allowing payment plans, rather than requiring full payment at the time of enrollment.

"Some parents are even asking if they can defray costs by volunteering," Gamble said. With an enrollment of just 270 each year, however, he said the camp already has enough staff.

One way parents at the camp can whittle down costs is packing their child's lunch, rather than signing up for the camp's meal program.

If you can't get any financial relief from the camp, check with your employer. Your company may offer flexible spending accounts for dependent care, which typically lets workers set aside up to $5,000 to cover costs such as child care (including day camp, but not sleep-away camps.) Last year, 84 percent of large companies offered the benefit, according to the business consulting firm Mercer.

Lastly, start thinking about next summer. It might seem far off, but camps often offer deep discounts to families that sign up a summer in advance. Early enrollment for the following year can begin just a week or two into a session.

Of course, you should wait and see how your child takes to the camp before committing to another year.



Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.