DMV FUN
HOW TO WORK WITH A
CAMP CONSULTANT
BY ADRANISHA STEPHENS
Finding the right camp for your child can seem
daunting. After all, there are so many choices! Luckily,
there are experts who can help.

Think of camp consultants as expert advisors
who makes it their mission to match each child
with the camp that is the best fit, all while
offering free information to families.

Tips on Trips and Camps in Baltimore shares
summer options from a group of screened and
selected residential summer lineups — more
than 600 — based on a child's interests and a
family’s needs. It is, in essence, a matchmaker
for summer programs.

And for director Eve Eifler, the consultant
process is simple. Based on a call, her advisors
research programs they think are right for that
individual child.

“There are thousands of programs on the web,
and the process can become very confusing.

Our goal is to do the research and vetting
for a family,” she says. “A Tips advisor
will email websites of about four
to six options that we think will
match what the family wants. Then
we discuss the options to make
sure we are on the right track
and if not will suggest more.

It is a partnership, and often,
we will introduce a kind of
experience that the family did
not even know existed.”
14 Washington FAMILY JANUARY 2020
But if parents want some face-to-face
planning, they have that covered, too.

“We have advisors in 12 cities and offer camp
fairs as well as personal consultations. We are
always happy to meet in person,” she says.

Laurel Barrie, co-owner of Camp Connection,
a consulting business that serves families
throughout Delaware, Maryland, Washington,
D.C. and Virginia, also shares her tips for first-
time campers looking for help.

“I think it’s important that parents do their
due diligence and research when looking into
where they should send their kids to camp,”
she says. “What are their interests? Are they
competitive or noncompetitive? Do they have
special activities they would like to
pursue? What kind of distance
are you looking for?”
Once you know that,
you can begin the camp-
planning process,
she says.

Another thing
to keep in mind
is what you want
your child to get
out of the experience.

Is your child extremely
active and athletic? Then perhaps a sports
camp is the right fit. If you want your child
to gain more hands-on learning, then an
overnight camp or other specialty camp might
be the best choice.

From campfires to water skiing, there are
all sorts of diverse activities that have some
instructional and recreational component to it,
Barrie says. But it’s bunking in a cabin 24/7 with
others that builds self-control and empathy. It’s
helping carry someone else’s equipment on a
hike, making a fire and cooking together, trying
new foods and overcoming homesickness that
builds independence, she adds.

Eifler agrees, adding that summer camp
can help kids become more liberated, learn
resiliency, build self-esteem and self-reliance
and absorb social skills. “Camps offer the
opportunity to learn new skills, but perhaps
more importantly, [they] teach kids to
advocate for themselves, problem solve and
learn to get along with other kids who may be
quite different from them,” she says. “It also
encourages kids to try new things and teaches
them that it is OK to fail the first time and
persevere. It teaches kids to be good losers and
also good winners — all without parents who
often jump in to fix things.”



GRAPHICS: GETTY IMAGES; ALL OTHERS PROVIDED
Another bonus? Camps are now generally
“media-free” zones. While many parents
cannot get their children to turn off electronics,
especially during the summer, most camps today
provide a space that is electronics free. This
leads to campers learning better communication
skills, Barrie says.

“At traditional camps, they can’t bring their
cellphones or iPads. They actually have to
string words together and talk to one another,”
she says. “As difficult as it might seem for
kids in today’s digital world, they also seem to
appreciate the way camp used to be. You’re not
only learning activities, you’re also learning
social skills and appropriateness. You’re
remembering to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and
to show consideration.”
What also usually happens is the feeling of
creating a new family, says Meridith Jacobs,
a Montgomery County mom. She has two
elementary school-aged kids and has been
using Summer365, a camp consultant service,
for years.

Jacobs says that camp has become a
“community” for her kids.

“It’s their home away from home,” she says.

“We wanted our daughter to have another
life and other friends outside of her world
here. Now, when she’s having a bad day, she
FaceTimes one of her friends from camp.

That’s what she lives for. Camp has become
very much a part of our entire family.”
As for how the camp consultant process
benefited her family? Jacobs says that using a
consultant has produced some happy campers
each summer.

“When we first started looking for camps,
we went in open-minded,” she says. “We
knew we wanted either a four-week camp or
a seven-week camp. We didn’t know which
would be a better fit.”
That’s where Andrea Grinspoon of
Summer365 came in.

Jacobs set up a time to speak with
Grinspoon by phone, at which
time she shared her child’s
background, likes and dislikes
and what they were looking for
in terms of location, duration,
activities and general ambiance.

Grinspoon then talked all things
summer camp and how to find
the best sleep-away spot for her
two children.

From there, Grinspoon emailed
Jacobs a list of eight camps.

“She was completely neutral. She would not
tell me where her kids went camping; she would
not give opinions,” Jacobs says. “It was more
just factual information because she wanted to
make sure we made the right decision for us.”
“I think it’s a really helpful resource for
parents, and using a camp consultant was a
phenomenal experience, honestly,” she adds. T
When Adranisha Stephens isn’t chasing
down a story, she is traveling, blogging,
photographing or spending time with
family and friends. She has a bachelor’s
degree in mass communication from
Frostburg State University and a master’s
degree in journalism/digital storytelling
from American University.

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