Why is summer camp a must for frum families?

↑ Chayalle ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 10:58 am

OOT wrote:

Why is sleep away camp a “must?”
Because it gives kids valuable experiences and relationships that often last a lifetime.
Some kids can only survive the other ten months of the year because they have camp in the summer.
Maybe the question should be why school is a must lol.

THIS

I think frum life is very communal, and camp is part of that. My DD came home from camp and made such tremendous strides, I tell them it's worth every penny. She gets up on Shabbos morning and Sunday and davens without reminder. Her room is clean and neat, she learned to fold up and clean up after herself in ways I could never get her to do. She started doing the laundry for me, you would think she went to boot camp. And I love that she spends her time on the phone talking to girls from other communities that she befriended in camp (Cleveland, Passaic, NY, etc...) these are invaluable eye-openers to other communities, they form relationships and connections.

We have a count-down to camp going on in our house for the past 3 months at least. My DD is definitely of the "camp should be 10 months and school 2 months" proponents (I disagree though. I could never afford that!)

↑ keym ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 11:01 am

I just want to point out that daycamp is not that cheap either.
My 8th grade son. I compared. Daycamp is $1100 for 4 weeks. Until 4:30 so he needs to be entertained the rest of the day (especially since most of his friends are in camp) not on Sunday.
The cheapest sleep away camp is $1850 for 3 1/2 weeks. It includes a full schedule, meals, Shabbos and Sunday programs and food.
Throwing in the amount I spend to feed him and entertain him, the costs come very close.

Now obviously this is the cheapest camp. Lakewood style. Ruach Hakayitz and Ruach Chaim.

↑ Chayalle ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 11:07 am

Ruchi wrote:

Why don't they shorten the summer vacation and instead give a 2 week winter vacation?

They used to give a THREE DAY winter vacation, and shortened it to two days due to the parental pressure the school got.

The American culture is just different than the UK. People here work - both parents - and can't afford a two week winter break. Who would watch the kids?

My English cousin told me she has to be off to be with her kids during Holiday - no one is taking your kids. Here, no one is doing the Holiday. Parents don't take off, and kids are in school.

It's a cultural difference, and it's how the whole country is structured. You'd have to go all the way to the President to change things here, LOL.

I grew up hearing how my cousins went to Spain, or France, Switzerland, or they holidayed at the sea, etc....(sometimes some of us were lucky enough to join them!) and they would send these gorgeous pictures. I always knew it was just a different lifestyle - how my father grew up vs. my mother. (My father would tell us about his vacations in Yugoslavia, or Venice, or Arosa, or Budapest....) I mean, yeah, people go to Florida or California or wherever, but it's for a few days at most, not like in Europe. It's unheard of here. Unless both parents are teachers and maybe they go to the Bungalow colony.

↑ shabbatiscoming ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 11:21 am

Ruchi wrote:

Why don't they shorten the summer vacation and instead give a 2 week winter vacation?

Its not just in america where summer break is very long. This is just the way things are. They have been this way for a looooooong time. They are not going to change.

↑ shabbatiscoming ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 11:26 am

Ruchi wrote:

If school vacation is cut down to 5 weeks there will be less $$'s being spent on sleep away camp and day camp and for parents who rent a place in the mountains.

It doesnt matter the length of vacation really. If BOTH parents work, as so many do these days, and not only in america, then it wont matter if vacation is for 4 weeks or 12 weeks. Children need a structure for that amount of time. And that equates to day camp and for some sleep away camp.
Not everyone can be home during the summer with their kids. Many have to work so the kids can eat and be clothed, to say nothing of other expenses.

↑ shabbatiscoming ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 11:30 am

Bnei Berak 10 wrote:

I don't get it, why is daycamp linked to age and it a certain age you must send to sleep away camp?
What makes it impossible to arrange day camps regardless of age?

Bnei Berak, even here in Israel, day camps or backyard camps only go up to a certain age, and after that, they teens have to fend for themselves and find things to do. Day camps dont go on forever.

↑ shabbatiscoming ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 11:32 am

Chayalle wrote:

3days of winter break? Maybe its the different school systems, but all the MO day schools have a week for winter break. 3 days is such a short break. In Israel, winter break is all of chanukah.

↑ shabbatiscoming ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 11:33 am

mitzva wrote:

I think you should just leave her alone. If someone is discussing a country or neighborhood specific issue it is offensive to play superior country.

But the OP was NOT country or neighborhood specific at all.

Olive

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 11:40 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

3days of winter break? Maybe its the different school systems, but all the MO day schools have a week for winter break. 3 days is such a short break. In Israel, winter break is all of chanukah.

My kids in NY jewish schools get zero days mid winter break. It's just not a thing. Maybe an extended weekend on chanukah.

↑ Chayalle ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 11:43 am

shabbatiscoming wrote:

3days of winter break? Maybe its the different school systems, but all the MO day schools have a week for winter break. 3 days is such a short break. In Israel, winter break is all of chanukah.

I know, in NY my sisters' kids have a full week off. In Lakewood, my big girls used to get 3 days off - and that was Friday thru Tuesday, and by the time we got to my younger DD, it was shortened to Friday thru Monday - as it was too hard for the parents.

One sister in NY is a SE teacher in the non-Jewish school system, and I see how hard it is for her to juggle that week off for her boys, if it doesn't coincide (and it often doesn't!) with the winter break from her job. She ends up paying babysitters thru the roof.

↑ Ema of 5 ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 11:43 am

Olive wrote:

My kids in NY jewish schools get zero days mid winter break. It's just not a thing. Maybe an extended weekend on chanukah.

I don’t know where you are, but I’m pretty sure in my area (far rockaway/5 Towns) all schools give off something for winter. My daughters have a day or two off for chanuka, my son has a few days. Even if it’s a long weekend, it’s still something. I don’t think any of the local schools do nothing, for chanuka or for winter.oh, and of course the schools don’t really overlap for more than a day, so working parents could end up needing to figure out what to do with their kids for close to two weeks.

Miri1 ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 12:43 pm

[quote="Ruchi"]The public schools in the UK have a much longer summer vacation than the heimishe mosdos.
We pay tuition 52 weeks a year regardless. Same goes for the school / Cheder transportation

As I understand the standard British summer holiday in the public schools is from July 27th (ish) until Setember 5th.
Correct me if I'm wrong British mothers.

↑ Miri1 ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 12:46 pm

imaima wrote:

I don’t understand what your contributions on this thread have anything to do with the OP.
It is obvious that they talk about the US. In other countries summer camp is not always a must.

It certainly contributes because it helps explain why Americans feel the need for summer camp while the Brits don't feel the same need.

edited to add: I don't think the public schools have a longer vacation than the heimish schools (unless something has changed), but I DO think it makes sense to observe how other countries handle summer vacation (in this case it seems to be handles better and in a less costly manner), and try to learn from them!!

↑ Chayalle ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 12:53 pm

Miri1 wrote:

We can't "learn" from them when the culture in our country is so signficantly different, and it's not in our power to change it.

↑ Bnei Berak 10 ↓

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 1:01 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

3days of winter break? Maybe its the different school systems, but all the MO day schools have a week for winter break. 3 days is such a short break. In Israel, winter break is all of chanukah.

All of Chanukka? Didn't they shorten it during COVID by a day or two?
We shouldn't forget Tu Bishvat and Taanit ester. Not to mention Isruchag which NOBODY really understands why kids must be off on that day too!

↑ Bnei Berak 10

Thu, Jun 09 2022, 1:04 pm

shabbatiscoming wrote:

Bnei Berak, even here in Israel, day camps or backyard camps only go up to a certain age, and after that, they teens have to fend for themselves and find things to do. Day camps dont go on forever.

You are right Smile