• Think about what type of camp best fits your child, but consider that, while it may be a natural impulse to gravitate towards your child's current favorite sport, hobby or talent, camp should also be a time to expand horizons and expose children to new activities.
• When looking at camps, make sure you have access to the directors of the camp.  Ask if they are available to personally tour the camp with you.
• Get an understanding about camp staff.  Ask about staff to camper ratios. Get a feel for ages and experience of staff-- are there many adults comprising the camp staff or are groups run by high school students?  
• Understand how accessible the directors are if there are issues in the summer no matter how "small" those might be.
• Does the camp group campers by grade level (or age)?  Having campers of different grade levels together creates natural disparities in sports and artistic abilities that can cause frustration for both the younger camper as well as the older ones.
• Do they separate groups of girls and boys?  After Nursery School, separately grouping girls and boys is a way that campers can better bond together and make new friends.  Camp should be about creating a great sense of community.
• Ensure that the camp you are evaluating is properly licensed by the State it is located in. 
• Does the camp have special traditions built over many years that provide a nice wholesome experience for campers in today's tumultuous times? 
• What are their health policies.  Do they have a Nurse on staff?  Who administers medication and how do they handle allergies or illnesses if there is no nurse.  
• Find out details about how the camp works around parent's busy schedules.  This includes potentially allowing parents to choose flexible weeks, take off for family vacations, providing transportation and having an early drop-off or late afternoon pick-up program.

All of these details help add up to a great summer of fun for you and your children.  Choose a camp with care and then enjoy all of the benefits of a great camping experience!

-- Submitted by Geoff Alswanger, Long Ridge Camp, 478 Erskine Road, Stamford, CT (203) 322-0253, www.longridgecamp.com