Day camps provide children with activities during the summer, including sports and arts and crafts. They are held in various locations and offer childcare for working parents or social opportunities for stay-at-home families. Some cater to preschoolers with shorter hours.
A day camp is a type of recreational program for children. Despite its name, a day camp doesn’t have to be a camp at all; it’s simply a program that provides children with somewhere to go and activities to do, usually during the summer when they’re not in school. For example, a day camp may operate within a youth recreation facility, providing activities such as sports, arts and crafts, and swimming. Day camps are held in churches, parks, or anywhere that has space available. There are a few day camps found at campgrounds, however, that allow for kids to enjoy the outdoors and a full range of other activities.
During the typical school year, children are busy with learning in school settings. When summer comes, they often have hours of free time each day. To fill this free time, the day camps provide for very varied activities, some educational and others simply playful; physical activities, such as swimming, running and playing outside, are usually included. These programs are designed to keep children busy, entertained, and out of the trouble that can arise when they have nothing to do for long periods of time.
Usually, the camps are run during normal business hours, making them useful for parents who work outside the home. For example, a day camp may run from 8am to 5pm, giving the kids something to do while their parents are busy working. Some camps also offer extended hours to help parents who have to get to work early and leave work late. However, there is much variation in the hours of operation of day camps. Most operate Monday to Friday.
While day camps provide childcare for working parents during the summer, families who have a stay-at-home parent also use them. Typically, such families use them because they provide social opportunities, as well as recreational or educational options, that children may miss out on when school is out. Day camp programs can help minimize the loneliness and boredom some children experience during the summer.
While most day camps cater to school-aged children, there are a few that focus on the preschool set; however, they are less common. A day camp that welcomes preschoolers may have a shorter camp day than others. This is often because preschoolers may feel less comfortable away from home for an extended period of time. Similarly, preschoolers often require more attention than school-age campers.
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