S/o The price of camp

Teacher_EW ↓

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 9:07 am

S/o from the camp showers question... someone said that for $3200 for 4 weeks she expects better amenities...

Can I ask an honest question? I don't have kids in camp yet, because my oldest is only 10. I send her a local daycamp and I pay $1510 for the summer (so 755/half). That does not include transportation ($250/summer) or any food, and daycamp only runs from 9:30-3:00.

If you're running a 24/7 program, feeding kids 3 meals a day, taking them on trips that require transportation, giving out stuff, and so much more... how are they supposed to charge less?? I know the price is crazy expensive, but are there camps who charge less? And how do they do it?

tweety1 ↓

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 9:25 am

Lady, trips cost separately. Canteen costs separately, laundry costs separately. Let them give out less souvenirs. The girls will be perfectly fine. Those souvenirs mishigas became out of hand. Every day multiple trinkets. In yiddish we מוחל טובות. They have a grand time without all those trinkets.

amother

Cerulean ↓

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 9:28 am

tweety1 wrote:

Which camp charges separately for trips?? Canteen is as much as you’ll give and they get plenty of free treats too and my kids hardly use canteen money. You pay for laundry? They send out for free. Trinkets come from aliexpress and barely cost them. I don’t think it’s breaking anything.

↑ Teacher_EW ↓

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 9:33 am

tweety1 wrote:

Seriously?!? Trips and laundry cost money on top of the $3200ish for camp?? That's ridiculous! I agree that the amount of STUFF kids get in camp is excessive. And when I was in camp my parents gave me $40 for canteen for the summer and I had to make it work...

Last edited by Teacher_EW on Wed, Jul 17 2024, 9:34 am; edited 1 time in total

keym ↓

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 9:33 am

amother Cerulean wrote:

All my boys mesivta camps charge $15-20 additional for laundry send-out and they don't have onsite washing machines.

amother

Hydrangea

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 9:36 am

Dds camp, grounds don’t cost much they have it for 50 years and never updated. Very many kids there’s about 3 directors and cook and non jews that they need to pay. Counselors and head counselor hardly get anything. Buses they share with the boys camp. (Trips are extra anyway) They became popular so went up 1k just because they could. Someone is pocketing $$$ and many families form higher ups get free summers there. It bothers me because it’s an old mosad camp and they are charging like new private camps.

↑ tweety1 ↓

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 2:18 pm

amother Cerulean wrote:

I won't tell you which camp charges additional $ for trips but yea. I had aprox $150 of extra fees per kid I had to pay within the first 2 weeks of camp. One is maybe a little less because one is only for one half. But it amounted to about $295.

HonesttoGod ↓

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 2:37 pm

keym wrote:

All my boys mesivta camps charge $15-20 additional for laundry send-out and they don't have onsite washing machines.

Not all.
My boys are in a camp that does not charge for trips or laundry.
They do charge for canteen, camp shirts (which you don't HAVE to buy), transportation to get there and back, and tips.
All in all camp costs me approx $5750 per boy plus then there is all the clothing and food they buy to take with them.

Yes it is a fortune
Yes I consider it a luxury
and Yes we both work extremely hard to be able to do this for our kids.

↑ keym

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 3:00 pm

HonesttoGod wrote:

How many weeks?

Also I said all MY boys camps not all camps.

I just learned the hard way the first summer I sent.
I arranged my totals and arranged my payments in January. Then June, I get bombarded with $150 transportation, $20 laundry, canteen, $15 tshirt, tips, etc

↑ HonesttoGod

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 3:02 pm

keym wrote:

Oh sorry I misread that.
My boys are between 6-8 weeks (depending on the program they are in in the camp) so yes definitely longer than yours.

Hashem_Yaazor

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 4:01 pm

Camps used to give money back to families who qualified for free/reduced lunch
Then covid happened and they got free for everyone one summer and didn't refund anyone and since then they still make families fill out the form so they they can get reimbursed by the government but they don't pay the families back.

I think one year since covid one of my kids' camps gave us $100 back but that was it. I know their reimbursement rate and it added up to more than that. Never again or for any other kids.

amother

Raspberry

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 4:49 pm

tweety1 wrote:

That is crazy.
Brc charges around $1600 a half. No laundry fee. $50 canteen. $80 tips. Around $100 transportation.
An amazing program the girls love.
The girls are happy with fewer souveniours and one trip.
Years ago when my son went a kid from another camp was teasing him how few trips they go on. My son was confused. he said camp is the trip.
I wish more camps would get on board.

On another note teen day camp in lkwd is easily $1200 for less than 4 weeks. With one meal from govt. no room and board. So the expensive price makes sense against that.

↑ tweety1

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 8:26 pm

amother Raspberry wrote:

Oh yes I forgot transportation too. That has to be paid at the time of registration.

↑ Teacher_EW

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 8:35 pm

amother Raspberry wrote:

That is crazy.
BRC charges around $1600 a half. No laundry fee. $50 canteen. $80 tips. Around $100 transportation.
An amazing program the girls love.
The girls are happy with fewer souveniours and one trip.
Years ago when my son went a kid from another camp was teasing him how few trips they go on. My son was confused. he said camp is the trip.
I wish more camps would get on board.

On another note teen day camp in lkwd is easily $1200 for less than 4 weeks. With one meal from govt. no room and board. So the expensive price makes sense against that.

This sounds very normal! Why aren't all camps like this?!

amother

Chestnut

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 8:38 pm

Hashem_Yaazor wrote:

Then covid happened and they got free for everyone one summer and didn't refund anyone and since then they still make families fill out the form so they they can get reimbursed by the government but they don't pay the families back.

.

isn't that stealing from you and why would you fill out that form if you don't gain anything from it?

notshanarishona ↓

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 8:40 pm

Teacher_EW wrote:

Most camp grounds are ancient and hardly renovated, the bare bones done just to keep the city from shutting down, some don’t even have a/c or proper hot water; the properties were bought many years ago for dirt cheap; staff costs are minimal- slave labor/ oops I meant sorry teenagers who can’t afford camp so have to work for a few pennies and pay for the privilege to get half a day of fun ;
The food is bulk cooking , many inedible (at least from what I remember)
Entertainment for 10 hours isn’t that costly. Even if it costs $400 a week $3000 x $1000 campers is an insane profit level

Ema of 5

Wed, Jul 17 2024, 8:43 pm

tweety1 wrote:

I don’t know what camps you sent to, but the only thing on your list that is separate for my kids is canteen. Oh, and camp sweatshirts/shirts, which they don’t NEED. I don’t know what trinkets and souvenirs you’re talking about.

melbee

Thu, Jul 18 2024, 7:18 am

Our son's camp fees include trips and laundry. Never considered paying extra for those!! There's a fee if your child is taking the camp bus to camp from a different city, but no fee if they're flying and taking the airport bus or bring dropped off/picked up personally (which is what we do). We have the option of a camp sweatshirt but we just skip that, and we do need to put money in canteen accounts but can add it in over the summer so I tell my sons how often I'll be making deposits and if they run out before that day, then they can wait and not use canteen until I put more in. Tips are of course extra cost at the end. The finances were spelled out pretty clearly when we signed up, so that helped a lot with budgeting.

The base fee is expensive (probably about $3200/4 weeks) but I don't think it's crazy when I consider the boarding, food, counselors, etc. Camps aren't not for profit/chesed organizations, if they didn't make money they'd all close. We made the choice that the cost was worth it in our son's case for various reasons.

imasinger

Thu, Jul 18 2024, 8:03 am

There are plenty of costs you might not have considered. Does the camp hire anyone to run an infirmary, distribute meds, take kids for care in case of injury or illness? Is it near a large food distributor, or do they need to pay to have food delivered for the kitchen to make? Who makes, maintains, checks the eruv? When repairs are needed, or area wildlife intrudes, there are costs. Are there scholarships for those who really need but can't afford? And all this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I don't know of any camp directors on the Fortune 500 list. The camps you are describing are run by ehrliche people, who are doing their best to provide a safe and wholesome environment. It's reasonable for them to receive an income for that.

While not everyone has the funds to send their kids, or chooses to spend, I think it's wrong to accuse the owners/directors of highway robbery.