- Parents face a double whammy this summer rising camp costs and dwindling availability.
- Camps in Tallahassee are trying to balance affordability for parents and the quality of programs.
- Watch the video to see what scholarships may be available for your family
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Parents face a double whammy this summer rising camp costs and dwindling availability.
I spoke to a few camps in our neighborhoods about how they’re trying to keep their prices affordable and how the race to get a spot is happening earlier each year.
When you step into Brush & Palettethere’s a lot to ingest.
From the well-worn smocks to these art projects sitting to dry.
It’s exactly how Tyler Cintron want it.
"It's a place of creativity," Tyler Cintron, the owner of Brush & Palette said. "And that's what we do. That's what I sell all of our camps and classes as. Just fun safe creativity."
Right now—kids are on a waiting list for summer camp spots.
"We're offering this to kids who want a full art experience," Cintron said. "Maybe they don't want to focus on just drawing or just painting, but they want exposure to all the different arts."
The race to fill summer camp spots is happening earlier and earlier.
"I have parents starting to call me in December," Cintron said.
Over at the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee, spots for their full-day camps are also starting to dwindle.
"Challenger Learning Center members get a couple of weeks advance registration on camps," Alan Hanstein the executive director for the Challenger Learning Center of Tallahassee said. "And so when that opens up, that filled up. Roughly about a third of all of our camps within one day.
Eager families are booking spots early, leaving fewer options for those on a budget or waiting for last-minute decisions.
Specialty programs like those at the Challenger Center and Brush and Pallet many times see the most competition for spots.
"We have the IMAX theater, and almost every single camp will have an IMAX component," Hanstein said. "We have the planetarium which was just recently upgraded."
But these camps—which offer full days—aren’t always affordable to everyone.
"We understand that you know, our camp is probably not the most affordable camp out there, there are other options," Hanstein said. "What we try to do is, is support that with scholarships."
Fundraising and an anonymous donor are allowing them to support more than 40 scholarships for this summer."
An analysis of summer camp prices in our area shows camps can cost anywhere between $35 to $350 a week.
Summer Camp Hub said after analyzing the costs of 40 summer camps in all four regions of the U.S. from the northeast, midwest, south, and west — day camps cost anywhere between $70-$120 per day. That's anywhere between $350 to $600 a week. A full summer of classes could cost families thousands.
At Brush and Pallet— Cintron is trying to balance out affordability for parents and the quality of her programs.
"I wish it could be free," Cintron said. "I've got to weigh out the staff, I've got to weigh out the supplies, and then just make it as affordable as I can."
The bottom line—-Now is the time to start finalizing summer camp plans.
You’ll find the cheapest camps are typically those run by your local government.
But a camp your child may be interested in could have scholarships available to ease the financial burden.
