With Atlantans amid the brrr of cold weather, it’s easy to wish summer would come quickly. But for those families wanting to send their kids to metro summer day camps, the season could be coming too quickly. Registration for children’s summer camps is open, and parents would be well advised to sign their children up now rather than later. Believe it or not, camp spaces are already filling up.
“We’re opening registration up earlier and earlier each year,” said Laura Viator, camp co-director for Camp Kingfisher, part of the Chattahoochee Nature Center. “We’ve already sold out at least eight sessions. The earlier you sign up, the better.”
Credit: Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet
Credit: Courtesy of Atlanta Ballet
Many camps offer early registration and a discount for members or for kids who had previously attended camp as well as early-bird specials for all.
“We opened registration in October for previous customers as a thank you and we also give them a discount,” said Bob Hagan, CEO and owner of Club SciKidz, a science-orientated camp with nine metro locations. “We’re about 25 percent full right now. Some of the most popular camps, like Pokémon, Mini Medical School and Emergency Vet, are selling out like crazy.”
At the British Academy of Performing Arts, where registration opened this month, director Marsha Newton says parents ask about camp dates as early as October. “We release a certain number of spots and they’re sold out the first morning,” she said. “People plan further and further ahead because parents want to organize and get their ducks in a row.”
Another incentive for early enrollment is that it might be easier to secure financial assistance.
In addition to the early — and earlier — registration and not insignificant financial considerations, parents must choose the right camp. For some, location is a factor, as parents want camps close to their work for easy pick-up and drop-offs. Location notwithstanding, there is a wide range of camps across metro Atlanta for every child’s interest and talents, including those focusing on STEM (science, technology, engineering and math), sports, languages, history, academics, nature and general activities.
Here’s a handy guide:
Credit: Photo by Alphonso Whitefield
Credit: Photo by Alphonso Whitefield
Artful camps
Check your local museums, many of which have summer programs. The High Museum of Art offers a youth program where students create, learn and grow their interest in art. Students balance learning about art with creating their own.
“I’d say 90 percent love the arts, want to learn more and love going to museums,” said Yadira Padilla, coordinator of public programs. “A small percentage [of parents] are just looking for daycare.” Last year, 630 students enrolled over the eight weeks of camps. “It’s a stimulating artistic environment as well as a social one,” she said.
Credit: Photo by Casey Gardner Ford
Credit: Photo by Casey Gardner Ford
The Alliance Theatre offers camps for rising kindergarteners to 12th grade students in 10 metro locations. The camp offerings include musical theater, stage acting, design, camera acting, improv and technical theater and end with a showcase for family and friends.
Of course, some camps, such as the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education, require auditions. The ballet also hosts a variety of summer day programs where no audition is needed, such as creative movement (ages 2-6), dance for joy (5-7), young dancer (8-10) and junior summer intensive (10-17 for those with two to three years of dance training).
The British Academy of Performing Arts holds camps for children from 2 years and up interested in acting and musical theater. “We have a lot of students who do sports during the school year and then come to us for performing arts,” Newton said. “It’s a way to balance the experiences.”
Credit: Courtesy of Future Stars Soccer Academy
Credit: Courtesy of Future Stars Soccer Academy
Sporty for summer
There are a variety of sports camps that specialize in gymnastics, tennis, soccer, volleyball and swimming as well as some that are multi-sport camps. In addition, many county and city programs offer outdoor camps.
Future Stars Soccer Academy accepts players of all skills and experiences. “We teach individual technical and foot skills,” said Jon Akin, founder and owner, who is also the men’s soccer coach at Oglethorpe University. “We aim to improve each individual’s skills as well as increase their love for the game.”
Credit: Courtesy of Club SciKidz
Credit: Courtesy of Club SciKidz
Academic camps make a smart choice
Whether your student wants to perfect language skills, explore astrophysics, learn to code, sew, play chess or cook, there is a academics-oriented camp available.
Camp Kingfisher emphasizes nature and science with animal demonstrations, hikes, swimming, arts based on materials found in nature and canoeing. A survival camp is offered for fourth graders and up where campers learn knot tying, fire building and basic skills “to survive in the woods if they have to, not if they want to,” Viator said.
Rising eighth and ninth graders go offsite for day trips to engage in a variety of activities including rock climbing and rafting.
Club SciKidz’s mission “is to get kids excited about science and technology,” Hagan said. “We also are really trying to get girls excited about a STEM career. We heavily infuse our camps with STEM components that the kids are already engaged in and spend their time on like Pokémon, Harry Potter, Minecraft and American Girl.”
Wealthy Habits teaches life skills especially as they relate to money. “We tell our kids that no matter what they do in life, they will need to take care of money,” said Tracy Tanner, executive director and CEO.
Games help them learn to invest, budget and save. “Do you want to spend your money on insurance or football games?” Tanner said. “They have to make those decisions.” Each year about 400 students enroll at the camp’s five locations.
Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta offer camps in two-week increments with various themes including STEM, the arts and sports. “We engage our girls in sports, physical and emotional wellness so we help develop well-rounded young ladies,” CEO Tiffany Collie-Bailey said.
Also important is closing the summer learning gap with educational programs focused on reading and math. “The girls don’t completely step out of the classroom, but we bring it in a fun way,” she said.
Credit: John Trice
Credit: John Trice
Mixing themes at YMCA
The YMCA of Metro Atlanta operates camps in more than 20 locations that serve 23,000 kids each summer. “We want to help them be the best versions of themselves,” said Drew Hullinger, vice president of residential and outdoor programs. “We have weekly themes such as water, circus, STEM and then we’ll do Stop, Drop and Read to help combat summer learning loss. We do the traditional Y things such as basketball, arts and crafts, kickball, swim.”
The Y’s average camp fee is $225 a week but financial assistance is available. “We raise more than $5 million a year to make sure all families can experience the Y,” Hullinger said. “We also are a CAP (Childcare and Parent Services) provider, which helps offset the cost of childcare to low- or no-income families, and that can be used to offset the day camp programs.”
“We want the kids to create lifetime memories,” Hullinger added, “and receive rich learning opportunities disguised as a day camp.”
Credit: Courtesy of Chattahoochee Nature Center
Credit: Courtesy of Chattahoochee Nature Center
DAY CAMP DETAILS
Alliance Theatre Drama Camps. May 28-Aug. 2. $285-$860. Several locations. 404-733-4600, alliancetheatre.org/content/drama-camps
High Museum of Art. 2. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. June 3-Aug. $450 non-members; $350 members. 1280 Peachtree St. 404-800-0547, HMAcamps@high.org
Atlanta Ballet. June 3-July 26. $300-$1,550. Several locations. 404-873-581, centre.atlantaballet.com/summer-programs/
Wealthy Habits. May 28-July 26. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Several locations. $450. 678-218-1299, wealthyhabits.org
Future Stars Soccer Academy. June 3-July 19. 9 a.m.-3 p.m. $365 full day; $245 half day. Oglethorpe University, 3000 Woodrow Way. 678-664-9604, fssoccercamps.com
Girls Inc. of Greater Atlanta. June 5-July 14. 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. $300. 461 Manget St., Marietta. 678-686-1740, girlsincatl.org/programs/camps/
YMCA of Greater Atlanta. May 27-Aug. 2. 7 a.m.-6 p.m. $225. Multiple locations. 404-267-5353, ymcaatlanta.org
Club SciKidz. June 10-July 22. 9 a.m.-4 p.m. $359. Nine metro locations. 678-294-9504, atlanta.clubscikidz.com
British Academy of Performing Arts. 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m. June 3-July 22. $395. 2550 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta. 770-578-8272, bapa.us/summer-camps
Camp Kingfisher. 9 a.m.-3:45 p.m. May 28-Aug. 1. Prices vary for non-members, members and returning campers. Chattahoochee Nature Center, 9135 Willeo Road, Roswell. 770-992-2055, chattnaturecenter.org/education/camp
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