Signing up for camp shouldn’t be as complicated as picking a school, but with all of the different options and locations, it can be mind boggling. Years ago when my oldest child was old enough to start summer camp, I didn’t know which camps were good, which should be avoided, and really, what made one camp special and another not worth our time or money. Now, with a few summers of camp behind us, sizing up a good camp is easy. For those struggling to select a summer camp, here are my top five qualities to consider when making a decision:

5. The price tag. As a notorious bargain hunter, I’ve found that instead of looking for the lowest price, it’s better to look at the overall value. The adage, “you get what you pay for” is true when it comes to summer camp. A friend once sent her children to a local, inexpensive camp at a city park and when I asked her about it afterward, she said they’d never do it again because the staff wasn’t engaged at all. For the remainder of the camp, she and a neighbor hired a babysitter to sit at the park, watching their kids at camp because the staff did not provide adequate supervision. What started out as a bargain became expensive and her children didn’t get the rich experience that comes with a better organized camp. Don’t be discouraged by the price tag,  and don’t forget, our camps only cost $9-$11 per hour when you factor in Extended Care. All that quality for less than the cost of a babysitter!

4. Focus and philosophy. Will your child enjoy the weekly themes? Does the camp round out your child’s school year experience? Will your child spend time doing activities and learning about subjects that interest him or her, either by delving deeper into subjects covered in school or exploring fields missing from their academic life? Summer offers a great opportunity fill the gaps missing from the school year.

3. Fun! Having fun is what the summer is all about! My daughter runs into Camp Galileo each morning with barely a wave goodbye. I have no doubt that she is fired up and excited about a new day at camp. Play is fun and learning should be too!

2. Safety is crucial. These are your babies, after all, even if they are in fifth grade and can dress and feed themselves. You want your kids at a camp that takes their safety as seriously as you do. Camp Galileo and Summer Quest both have small camper to staffer ratios (8:1 – 6:1 for Kindergartners – throughout the camp day, and 10:1 during Extended Care) allowing close supervision, not to mention the sign out process is tougher than those for any other kid activity I’ve seen. It may be annoying to grab your photo ID from your car as you dash in for pick up, but I love the certainty that the careful sign out provides.

1. The camp leaders must be awesome. A camp can have the greatest director with the most thoughtful curriculum, but if the people interacting with the campers and parents are deficient, the whole camp is deficient. Camp leaders must be enthusiastic, knowledgeable and have endless patience. Galileo Learning has an unbeatable screening and training program for staff. Fewer than 8% of the applicants receive job offers from Galileo Learning. Those hired are educated, smart and think of their position as more than a summer job, but a chance to inspire and motivate the next generation of innovators to think creatively. Last summer my daughter attended a speciality camp in late August. I was impressed with the curriculum and the projects the kids completed, but I was absolutely turned off from the camp by the staff interaction with parents and campers. A rope line barrier was put up, keeping the parents away from the camp site, staff members did not make eye contact or talk with parents beyond telling us to sign our kids out on a clip board (no one checked if the adult signing the child out had permission to due so) and one leader yelled at the kids every day. That’s just what I saw during the five minutes I was there for pick up each afternoon. It’s clear a lot of thought went into the camp’s daily activities, but it was all undone by poor staffing.