Are Summer Camps Recession Proof?

You've heard it before: Summer camps have limited space availabilty which fills up fast, so you better sign up soon or you might not get in. Sometimes this sounds like a sales pitch more than anything else.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But the truth is, the more popular summer camps fill up much faster than the others, and your chances of getting in is indeed limited by the camp's enrollment capacity.

It's kind of like an airplane: When the last seat is gone, it's gone for good. They can't just add another seat on the plane to accommodate you, and the camp doesn't have room "for just one more kid."

Here's something about camp enrollment that's more relevant now than ever: Camps generally fill up even faster than usual when the economy is weak like it is now.

Maybe it sounds like an oxymoron, but summer camp enrollment often thrives in a weak economy. Here's why.

In poor economic conditions, parents will generally cut back on everything they view as non-essential, but history shows that the absolute last items they'll slash from the family budget are products and services for their kids.

In a weak economy, moms and dads might decide against spending $10,000 for a family vacation. But they'll still shell out $2,500 or so to send their kids to camp.

During the recession of the early 1990's, camp enrollment was impacted across the board. This phenomenon -- higher enrollment in a weaker economy -- can largely be attributed to the many families who would have otherwise taken a family vacation, but with less discretionary income stayed home, thereby increasing their childcare and summer camp needs and filling camps to the brim.

Sending your children to summer camp in any economy is often viewed by parents as an American pastime. What does this mean for consumers? Simply this: you might want to start looking for summer camps earlier than usual if you want to get in to the camp of your choice next summer, otherwise somebody else might beat you to the punch.

Most popular camps often fill up by April or May, but if you wait that long to sign up for camp next summer, by then it could be too late.

One of the best places to find a camp is at http://www.findacamp.com, the American Camp Association's camp search web site.

You can search for camps by various criteria such as type of camp, location, price and more. Just start looking soon as possible to make sure your child gets his or her first choice!

Copyright Eric D. Naftulin and Aloha Beach Camp. All rights reserved.