728x90
my iParenting
From Our Sponsors
e-newsletters
Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters

new terms of use
new privacy policy
award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Home › Articles › Social Issues › A Camping We Will Go!

A Camping We Will Go!

Summer Camp for Children with Special Abilities

By Judith Lavin

Pages:  1  2  

According to the Indiana-based American Camping Association, more than two million of the 10 million American children attending camp each summer have some sort of special need. And, even more surprising, those numbers are growing.

During the last 10 years, there's been a 70 percent increase in the number of specialty camps catering to kids with extra issues, says Peg Smith, executive director of the association. "People used to assume that camps were just for those who could afford them," she says. "Today, there's a camp for each child out there, and parents should shop for a program [that suits their child's needs]."

Pick and Choose
When deciding on a summer program for your child, here are a few things to consider. First, interview the camp's director to get a feeling for how the camp will accommodate your child's needs. Make sure the director values flexibility for kids with special abilities and is willing to work with you and your child to help make the summer camp successful. "They have to be willing to try different things to get to 'yes,'" says Andy Fernandez, inclusion supervisor for the City of Reno Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services in Reno, Nev.

Next, make sure there are enough well trained counselors for each camper. "We staff our camps at about a one-to-three ratio," says John McGovern, executive director at the Northern Suburban Special Recreation Association in Northbrook, Ill.

You'll also want to determine the number of hours the child will be at camp. Not all kids do well if they are away for long periods of time. And, of course, you want to be sure that there is a nurse and a social worker on the site to help your son or daughter if necessary.

Planning for Camp
Once you've selected a program, you'll want to start planning. Contact the camp director either when you register your child or at least two weeks before camp begins to share information with him or her about your child.

"The hardest thing for us to do is to try to figure everything out the day the child arrives," Fernandez says. Share insights about your son or daughter with the director to help him or her better understand and accommodate your child. You want the summer experience to be positive.

Pages:  1  2  


Want to see more?