When a child is "ready" for camp

A good friend asked me today when he and his wife would "know" that their daughter is ready for sleepaway camp. There is a certain level of surreality to the situation. I think back to us 20 years ago in college, as roommates. Certainly, the two decades-later prospect of me as a camp professional seriously advising him as a parent would have been a ludicrous one. Flash forward to today, with that being a critically important aspect of my job as camp director. With only a small trace of irony thinking back to the late 1980s...I advised him that:

Any camp decision should be driven by the child; the "best" age is when the child is "ready," which can be anytime between age 7 and 12 or 13 typically. Our camp program is tailored towards girls from ages seven to fifteen, and we have new campers within all of those ranges, eager to have a great camp experience.

A good progression for determining "readiness" is to start first with sleepovers at relative's houses, then sleepovers at non-relatives (i.e. school or neighborhood friends). When the child (and parents) are comfortable with that, then it's time for camp! There can and should still be some nervousness, since that's a normal part of growth. Also, the more the child can be involved in the decision-making process and reviewing information, the better. Checking out a camp DVD or videos, pictures, visiting the camp and seeing what the facilities are like--are all beneficial to a would-be-camper's readiness and confidence.

(I've come a long way from 22 year-old Kevin to me two decades later...!)