Children learn life skills that become habits of the heart.
It's tough to be a kid these days. It's tough to
be a parent. In a society where the nature of the family, the
work place, and the community have changed dramatically, we can
no longer assume that the natural process of growing up will
provide children the experiences and the resources they need
to become successful, contributing adults. In sharp contrast
to the traditions of growing up in the 50s and 60s, today we
live in the first moment when humans receive more of their information
second-hand than first! We are in a climate where it is harder
to know what we need to survive, so drawing on experiences that
give children healthy alternatives and opportunities to instill
capabilities, the hallmarks of thriving, is the greatest gift
you can give a young child.
Does it really matter if my child doesn't go to day camp,
especially since she will go to overnight camp in a few years?
She is only four years old—why
does she need day camp?
Camp provides one of the very few links with a world larger
than the consumer culture we inhabit—and day camp is one
important choice in a quiver of options. The camp experience
helps children and youth develop an appreciation of their place
and their responsibility in a much larger universe. A preschooler—or
even an older child who might be reluctant to go to overnight
camp—can
join a community that is created especially for her to practice
growing up. Why wait until age ten when the benefits of feeling
connected and being able to contribute and navigate at an earlier
age can be reaped? Under the supervision of inspiring guides
and passionate coaches, children can feel successful and make
new friends while having the time of their lives; they can experience
belonging and contribution; they can have a sense of consistency
and predictability in times of turbulence and change.
Day camp can begin as early as age three and is geared to children
who get to experience camp and still return home each evening!
They have the best of both worlds—the camp community which
is built exclusively for kids and their own home which provides
the security they need at a tender age.
One day camp parent said, “While my children and I are
constantly bombarded by the news which is focused on what is
wrong with the world, camp is a living example of what is right.”
Day camp is a terrific first experience. Reminiscent of less
complicated days, when people connected with nature, thrived
on inter-generational relationships, and made new discoveries,
everything is designed and scaled to ensure that children feel
included, cared about, and capable. Beginning camp at an early
age provides important advantages.
Camp is the best demonstration of moral and spiritual order—democracy
is the core purpose. Children learn life skills and behaviors
that become habits of the heart. While many then move on to overnight
camp, others will be content to continue the day camp experience:
after all, there is a camp for everyone—and
that might well be day camp!
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