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Rise in popularity of summer camps
If you haven't signed your child up for summer camp yet, you may want to do it soon as demand is soaring for the programs and some are already sold out.
NEW YORK - Although summer is still months away, 2022 camps sessions are filling up fast.
Danielle Stern and Danielle Dolgin are both parents on Long Island. Their children will be attending camp this summer. Like many families, they point to challenges from the pandemic and say their children are in need of more in-person interaction after being deprived for almost 2 years.
"We are doing as much as we can at home and with our intimate circle of friends and family. But there is nothing like kids being able to go out on their own and gain some independence," says Danielle Stern, a parent in Syossett on Long Island.
Danielle Dolgin, a parent in Melville, NY says, "My kids are different people when they go to camp. They come home they are excited. They tell me what they did. They swam with new friends and old friends."
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Mark Transport an owner and director at Crestwood Country Day Camp Island says they’ve already seen a surge in enrollment.
"Some camps are sold out especially sleep away camps and day camps which are very much ahead of their normal amount of sign-ups," says Transport.
Unlike last year, children 5 and up are also eligible to receive the covid-19 vaccine. This gives peace of mind to some parents.
Also new this year, a law signed by former Governor Andrew Cuomo will allow summer camps to hire mental health professionals. A resource that Transport says is key.
"I think it is especially useful for resident camps when children are away for months or weeks at a time and don’t have the ability to go home or work out those problems," says Transport.