By Associate Director Ali Rothenberg
Summer Camp is a place where children can congregate together to create memories, share laughs and make everlasting friendships. But for those families who are attending camp for the first time, they may not realize that the camp experience actually starts months before the official first day.
Signing up early for camp (sometimes even a year in advance!) can have major advantages for both parents and kids. At Rolling River, more than half of our campers are enrolled for next season’s camp program before the summer ends! As the Associate Director, my job is to speak with prospective families and communicate the benefits of enrolling for camp in the fall. Below I listed some of the top reasons why it’s time to join a camp family now. I also highly encourage all new families to attend our next “Camp 2021 Prospective Family Day” on Saturday, November 14 at 12pm to learn more, meet the Directors and visit our campus. We can’t wait to “sea” you soon!
- Save Money through Early Bird Discounts: Most camps encourage fall sign ups through a special early bird discount. Basically, the earlier you sign up for camp, the more money you save! Specifically, Rolling River offers several discounts off tuition and many are only applicable in the fall (i.e. pay in full discount, early bird and alumni discounts). Additionally, the earlier you enroll, the more flexible the Camp Office can be with customized payment plans and monthly payment options. It’s much easier to pay for camp when you can spread out payments over 8 months vs. 2 months.
- Apply for Scholarship Funds: In addition to discounts and payment plans, many camps offer a limited amount of scholarship awards to families in financial or situational need. Rolling River offers two scholarship options- the Ben Appelbaum Partial Tuition Scholarship Program and the tuition-free Campmates Memorial Scholarship Program. Since there is only a designated amount allotted to scholarships each summer, the earlier you apply for camp and subsequently apply for a scholarship, the better your chance at receiving financial aid.
- Become Acclimated with a New Environment: Most day camps cater to geographically local families and therefore can host activities and events year round. Rolling River makes it a priority to host monthly events for our enrolled Long Island families in order to bring the camp community together and help acclimate new campers. By enrolling early in the year, your child has ample opportunities to get comfortable in their new environment as well as meet other campers and staff who will be with them during the summer. By the time camp starts, new campers feel that they are back at their summer home, even if it is their first summer!
- Accommodate Group Requests: Many children attend camp with friends and therefore want to be in the same group. While we do accommodate group requests, group size limitations often make it difficult to place specific campers together if they enroll later in the year. The earlier a camper enrolls, the more opportunity we have to maneuver campers to their requested groups.
- Time to Complete Paperwork and Ask Questions: For new families, enrolling at a summer camp for the first time can be overwhelming. Due to Board of Health regulations and American Camp Association standards, parents must complete a great deal of paperwork before camp starts. We post our camp forms in January so enrolling early will help give you time to slowly review paperwork and ask questions as needed. This calming experience will help you feel confident in your decision to choose Rolling River as your child’s summer home!
Interested in enrolling early? Contact Ali Rothenberg at alison@rollingriver.com or complete a camp inquiry form here.