Pros & Cons of Backyard Daycamp vs Regular Daycamp

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amother

OP ↓

Tue, Jan 09 2024, 3:57 pm

I have a preschooler who is going to Daycamp this year. I have the option to send her to a Backyard Daycamp near my house. Can anyone tell me the Pros & Cons of Backyard Daycamp vs Regular Daycamps. Thanks

amother

Poinsettia

Tue, Jan 09 2024, 4:01 pm

I like to send to a backyard day camp for as long as possible.

Firstly, it’s usually cheaper.

The kids at that age don’t need all the latest and greatest, and they are usually so happy with good old fashioned fun.

It’s usually run by a married woman with teenage counselors or a few high schoolers. You can talk to the top directly vs dealing with counselors who are not in charge if anything comes up..

I also find that at that age, kids can get overwhelmed by the size of the camp..

mha3484

Tue, Jan 09 2024, 4:02 pm

amother Poinsettia wrote:

Second all of this.

Chayalle

Tue, Jan 09 2024, 4:04 pm

Pros of backyard daycamp - usually a smaller "matzav", less overwhelming for a younger camper. Often others from neighborhood going, great for summer socializing. However there is less oversight, so you want to make sure the space is safe, the staff responsible, and the program is structured enough for your child's needs. Make sure a responsible adult is in charge, not just some young counselors.
Pros of regular daycamp might be - longer hours, more structured program, more staff, larger camp space.

when sending to a regular daycamp for younger child, I always prefer a younger program (Shemesh, Shevach, etc..) to sending to the youngest grade of a full-school program. I say this having had daughters who worked as counselors. Much more is put into the program when the program is geared to that age. In the larger full-scale daycamps, the youngest grade is sometimes more of an afterthought with less benefits.

amother

Lightpink

Tue, Jan 09 2024, 4:48 pm

I prefer regular camp. They are more professional and deal with all issues. Backyard camps are often burnt out morahs who hire teenagers and dump the work load on them. The teens are overwhelmed and have no real guidance.

amother

↑ OP

Tue, Jan 09 2024, 7:20 pm

Thanks all, new to all this we didn’t have backyard daycamps where I’m coming from and my daughter was actually in a large Daycamp previously. The backyard Daycamp is being run by a responsible married woman. I guess I’ll have to decide.

cupcake123

Tue, Jan 09 2024, 7:54 pm

For sure backyard. But I agree with chayalla if you send to big camp make sure they're from the older ones...

gootlfriends

Tue, Jan 09 2024, 7:59 pm

For younger children (7 and under) I prefer backyard style. They don't need much. They can do sports and swim. Projects and story time. Much cheaper and the kids are happy. I am sending my 3 almost 4 year old to a backyard this summer. It's 1300. No real day camp is under 1700. Most are over 2k. I prefer the day camps that aren't too busy and have positive attitudes over the ones with trips all the time. Sleep away camps don't do daily trips, why should day camps. But I would ask around before signing up for any camp to make sure they have a good ratio. My son for 5 years old was 20 kids with 3 assistants. Anything less than that doesn't work. Kids need to be escorted to the bathroom when they are young and kids get hurt.

amother

Bone

Tue, Jan 09 2024, 8:03 pm

im with the ‘keep them in backyards as long as possible so you don’t set the bar too high when they’re too young’ camp… but anyway for preschool I usually send them to their morah from the previous year if they continue through the summer. So seamless and no need for more adjustments for little kids.

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