LOS ANGELES SUMMER CAMPS BLOG

Spring is here and the school  year will be over before you know it.  That means it's time for parents to start checking out summer camp options for their kids. 

Most popular programs sell out quickly here in L.A., so we want to help you stay in "in the know."  That's why we'll be featuring some of L.A.'s best day camps and overnight camps this spring to help you avoid overlooking any programs your child might enjoy.

Today's featured program is Aloha Beach Camp, widely considered among parents to be among the top summer beach camps for kids and teens in Los Angeles.

Aloha Beach Camp is L.A.’s most comprehensive aquatic sports day camp program with over 200 safe and fun beach, lake, and ocean activities for kids and teens ages 4 to 14. 

This is a unique program.  The camp's main location is Zuma Beach in Malibu where campers enjoy instructional surfing, boogie boarding, ocean swimming and beach safety lessons.  But that's just the beginning.

In addition to its primary day camp program at Zuma Beach,  Aloha Beach Camp kids also take frequent day trips to many of L.A.’s best beaches, lakes, and water parks such as Paradise Cove in Malibu, Castaic Lake, and Hurricane Harbor Water Park where they go jet skiing, inner tubing, boating, ocean kayaking, and enjoy hundreds of additional aquatic camp activities from sandcastle building to wakeboarding and everything in between.

Considering Aloha Beach Camp's itinerant beach program format, you might be wondering how your child will get to camp each day.  If you're like most parents, you don't have the time or inclination to drive your kids all over town to meet up with the camp group at a different location every day.

Guess what? Aloha Beach Camp provides free bus service for your child. They do the driving so you don't have to.  (More on this convenient service in a moment.)

There's so many fun and convenient aspects of this summer program, we can't imagine any child not absolutely loving the Aloha Beach Camp experience. 

After all, what's not to love? We always suggest doing your own own due diligence, but Aloha Beach Camp appears to offer a unique combination of features and benefits unmatched by other day camps. 

Just in case you need more convincing, though, here' s a few more aspects of the program that really make it stand out, not just in Los Angeles, but among the entire southern California summer day camp landscape.

"Our counselors are dedicated to teaching campers how to do all the camp activities from the ground up," Naftulin said.  "All of our staff are  lifeguards and CPR and First Aid certified and have your child’s safety in mind, irrespective of their previous ocean experience or swimming level. Every child is welcome at Aloha Beach Camp no matter what. "

If you're choosing a day camp with transportation, Naftulin said, double check with the camp director in advance to see if there's an additional fee for the bus.

"This kind of program format -- with a variety of activities and program locations -- keeps campers engaged and looking forward to camp each day all summer. Here at Aloha, kids never get bored!,"  Naftulin said.

Recognizing every child is different and various activities may be more suitable for different age groups, Aloha Beach Camp is actually comprised of three different age-appropriate summer programs for 4 to 7 years olds, 8 to 11 year olds, and 12 to 15 year-olds, respectively.

"All the activities are available to every camper," said Naftulin, "but all the activities are presented to each age group in age-appropriate ways. For example, every child loves jet skiing, and every child gets to do it. But it would not be appropriate for their counselor to drive a jet ski 20 MPH with a 5 year old on board because that speed is reserved for our 12-year old campers and older.  But 8 MPH or so is perfect for a safe and fun jet ski ride around the lake for our younger kids," Naftulin said.

According to Naftulin, camps become accredited by undergoing an intensive on-site audit by a panel of 3rd party industry officials from the American Camp Association while camp's in session.

During the audit, the camp must prove compliance with over 300 safety and quality standards relating to best-practice methods of camp operation. "The standards relate to camper health and safety, transportation safety and execution,  program and activity quality, counselor and staff hiring and training practices, camper-to-staff supervision ratios, and hundreds more ," Naftulin said.

"It's not that unaccredited camps are necessarily 'bad' camps" Naftulin said. "It's that the camps that choose to undergo the stringent camp accreditation process are choosing a system that forces their  commitment to 300 quality and safety standards relative to running an above-board camp. That means parents have extra peace of mind regarding their child's safety when they choose an accredited program."

When considering a summer camp, Naftulin advises parents to use the American Camp Association's accreditation verification tool. "Parents should always verify whether the camp they're considering is accredited prior to signing up" says Naftulin. "If it isn't, you should ask the camp director why it's not."

Among the 12,000 day and sleepaway camps across the country, fewer than 2,400 have earned accredited camp status. "From a quality and credibility standpoint, accredited camps are like accredited colleges and universities. Most parents wouldn't want their kids attending an unaccredited school because the lack of accreditation raises question about the its legitimacy," Naftulin said.

According to Naftulin, camps become accredited by undergoing an intensive on-site audit by a panel of 3rd party industry officials from the American Camp Association while camp's in session.

During the audit, the camp must prove compliance with over 300 safety and quality standards relating to best-practice methods of camp operation. "The standards relate to camper health and safety, transportation safety and execution,  program and activity quality, counselor and staff hiring and training practices, camper-to-staff supervision ratios, and hundreds more ," Naftulin said.

"It's not that unaccredited camps are necessarily 'bad' camps" Naftulin said. "It's that the camps that choose to undergo the stringent camp accreditation process are choosing a system that forces their  commitment to 300 quality and safety standards relative to running an above-board camp. That means parents have extra peace of mind regarding their child's safety when they choose an accredited program."

When considering a summer camp, Naftulin advises parents to use the American Camp Association's accreditation verification tool. "Parents should always verify whether the camp they're considering is accredited prior to signing up" says Naftulin. "If it isn't, you should ask the camp director why it's not."

If you've sent your child to camp before, you're probably familiar with "enrollment sessions -- a fixed period of time, with specific starting and ending dates, the camp requires you to adhere to when sending your child to camp.

Session enrollment is common registration format among camps, but Naftulin says it's a rigid, antiquated cookie-cutter enrollment system that strips parents of what they want the most -- convenience and flexibility -- when signing up for camp.

"What if your family's summer schedule doesn't match up with the camp sessions? What if you want to take a family vacation or have other important activities on your family's summer calendar? Unless ​your family's schedule fits neatly into the camp's predetermined session dates, the session enrollment concept can be awfully inconvenient, not to mention expensive, because your kids might up being forced to miss or skip part of the camp session you already paid for in advance.

"Requiring families to adhere to fixed enrollment sessions doesn't reflect real life," Naftulin said. "It's completely inconsistent with the lifestyle of today's busy families who demand convenience, flexibility and speed.  So here at Aloha, you can create your own camp sessions instead."

To make camp enrollment easier for parents, Aloha Beach Camp pioneered the "day-by-day enrollment" concept where, essentially, every day is a new camp session.  

"When you sign up for Aloha Beach Camp, you can completely customize your child's camp schedule rather than adhering to any prearranged enrollment sessions set by the camp," Naftulin said. "You get complete control in designing your child's camp schedule. You can pick a day here, a day there, on an as-needed or as-wanted basis.  Choose your own starting and ending dates. Come and go to camp whenever you please on a day-by-day schedule you create by yourself."

In addition to free transportation, Naftulin said his day-by-day enrollment format is the camp's most popular feature among families. 

"You don't have to plan your summers around camp sessions anymore," Naftulin said.

"You can easily manage several kids' schedules at once, take a summer vacation, send your kids to summer school, or even to multiple camps at the same time because every day starts over again with new activities, new friends and a new, welcoming environment for every camper,  rather than every few weeks or months when a new session would typically begin. 

"Come to camp any day you want," Naftulin said. "We're here when you need us."

"We want you to be completely satisfied when you choose Aloha Beach Camp," Naftuln said. "Your child gets two full days to try our program risk-free. If they don't love it,  you don't pay. Just say the word and we'll give you all your money back, no questions asked.  We understand camp's not cheap and the summer's too short for kids to spend time doing anything they don't love, so we gladly make this guarantee to you."

If you're like us, you're intrigued to learn a lot more about this Los Angeles summer camp.

Naftulin welcomes parents to call and email him for more information any time, but says attending an Open House is the best way to learn more about the program. 

"You can meet our staff in person and get a true up close and personal feel for how the camp works every day. Our next Open House is Sunday, April 29 at Zuma Beach. It's totally free and your whole family is invited to come down to Malibu. We'll show you exactly how everything works at camp all summer long.  We'll have lots of free food for everyone, too!"

Parents and kids looking for a summer camp in Los Angeles will be thrilled with the selection of so many amazing program opportunities at the upcoming camp fair in Calabasas on Sunday, April 22.

But something that might surprise you is that even though the camp fair will be loaded with L.A. camps, there will be several other programs exhibiting from out of town.

In fact two camps from the east coast are even attending the L.A. Calabasas camp fair. So if you're considering sending your child to an overnight camp this summer, one of these cross-country programs might interest you.

When someone offers tips for how to make summer camp more affordable, we're all ears.  If there's one common complaint many parents have about camp, it's the price.

No doubt about it, summer camp's not cheap, especially for the most sought-after programs. But there's always ways to save a dollar here or there...and everything little penny helps, that's for sure!

We took a look around the internet to see what we could find in the way of money-saving summer camp offers.

We found five pretty good ones and listed them below.

Even if the camp you're considering isn't on this list, you should ask the camp director what they offer in the way of discounts. 

You can usually save at least a little money, just by asking.

It's no secret the rain is falling hard in L.A. right now. Usually by this time of year -- the end of March -- we're enjoying warm sunny days even though the rest of the country is still dealing with cold weather.

But the past couple days have been a little different -- certainly less than perfect "summer camp weather."

With weather like this, you might be asking yourself, "How do camps handle rainy weather?"

Well, the first thing is, we're pretty lucky because L.A. usually doesn't get much rain in the summer. 

From what we recall, there's only been a handful of days --  maybe two or three tops -- it's rained during the summer in the past 20 years.

However, rest assured if rain's in the forecast, camps are more than equipped to handle it.

Even though most camp programs take place outside, most camp directors are excellent advance planners with contingency plans in place for everything, even rain.

In the case of light rain, most camps will run their programs as usual with only minor (if any) modifications . That's because the most common summer rain L.A. gets is just a little drizzle here and there before the sun comes out by 11 AM and things return to normal.

Should the rain be heavier causing normal camp activities to completely change course, though, the camp will generally have back-up plans in place such as moving to an indoor facility for the time being or even employing alternate activities and program locations. 

For example, one camp in L.A. which takes place at Zuma Beach in Malibu faced a rainy summer day a few years ago.  For this day only, the camp switched its usual program location and activity schedule from surfing at the beach to indoor bowling, ice skating, and a movie. The kids loved it!

So, the lesson learned here is, don't worry about a little rain at camp. Your L.A. camp directors have your back!

Many of us have the same visual impression when we think of summer camp.  It's almost a common stereotype:  Horseback riding, archery, drama, dance, arts and crafts, sports and games, swimming lessons, skits and stunts, s'mores around the camp fire, singing songs, and sleeping in tents and cabins are the general impression most of us have when we think of camp.  All of these fun activities generally comprise what many of us view as the "traditional" or "classic" camp experience.

L.A. has its fair share of traditional camp programs. Tumbleweed Day Camp, Cali Camp, Camp Kinneret are three day camps that come immediately to mind, while Canyon Creek Summer Camp and Camp Osito Rancho for Girls are two Los Angeles sleepaway camp programs with traditional slants.

If your child has a particular interest in some specific activity, or enjoying participating in certain games or other endeavors more than others, a specialty summer camp program could be for you.

The other day we sponsored a Camp Fair at UCLA where some 60 unique specialty summer camps programs were on display. We saw a fencing camps, cooking camps, robotics camps, beach and surf camps, technology camps, science camps and so many others almost too numerous to name.

Seeing so many impressive kinds of unique camps at the Camp Fair inspired us to help you get started on your journey to seek out some of L.A.'s most unique camp programs.  We complied a few different options for you below, categorized by their program focus.  If any of these program interest your child, you can visit their websites for more information.

The following is only a sample of the many types of amazing and unique summer camps available in Los Angeles this summer.  But this list of camps, 16 in all, should be enough to get you started!

• Aloha Beach Camp
  
• Sandy Days Kids Camp
• Beach Sports
• Copa Cabana Beach Camp

• Los Angeles Language Camp
  
• Pasadena Language Center
• WorldSpeak School Summer Language Immersion Camp

• iD Tech Camp at UCLA
  
• Planet Bravo Tech Camp
• USC Computer Summer Camps

• Actors Space West (Valley Actors)
• Summer Acting Camp
• Young Actor's Studio

Remember, there so many more unique programs available for your child to enjoy this summer. If they enjoy skateboarding, for instance, you can Google "Skateboarding summer camps in L.A." (or some similar phrase) and see what comes up. Our guess is you'll discover a host of exciting skateboarding summer camps your child would absolutely love.  Skateboarding camp is a unique concept but there will be many available options, we're confident of that!

And there's just one more thing we wanted to pass along...

When you choose a camp with activities your child enjoys the most, you're practically ensuring they'll love their camp experience. You don't have to deal with any unknown factors, or hope against hope they'll enjoy camp because you'll already know ahead of time they're going to spend their summer immersed in a activities they're interested in the most. This only improves their camp experience and makes them love camp that much more.

The most gratifying part of our job is when we're able to provide information families can use to find amazing summer programs for their kids.

This past weekend we held a summer camp expo at UCLA where over 1,000 people showed up to meet camp representatives from over 60 day camps and sleepaway camps to find their right camp for their children. 

​By all accounts it was successful in every way.  Here's a quote from Ken F., a Los Angeles resident who attended last Sunday's UCLA Camp Fair with his family:

Please note, we're not showing you Ken's description of the UCLA camp fair to pat ourselves on the back. Far from it, and quite the opposite in fact. 

Instead we wanted you to see how valuable attending a Camp Fair can be as a resource to help you find a great camp, and more specifically, so you mark your calendars for our next two upcoming Camp Fair events in Thousand Oaks on April 14 and Calabasas April 22, respectively.

For those families searching for the perfect summer camp, we highly encourage you to come out to one of our next two Camp Fairs! Both events will be fun for the whole family with games, prizes and free food for everyone, not to mention the best part of all -- meeting and greeting staff from over 50 local and out-of-state summer day camp programs and overnight camps and so many other kinds of camps in between!

We had a GREAT time at last Sunday's L.A. Camp Fair at UCLA!

Despite the rainy weather -- and the last minute move to hold the Camp Fair inside Pauley Pavillion rather than outside the Sunset Canyon Recreation Center -- over 1,000 people attended the Camp Fair!  These families got to meet and interact with camp representatives from 62 amazing day camps, overnight camps, and every other kind of camp and summer program you can imagine.

We are so happy to be able to match up so many families with so many wonderful programs. We know you will find a fantastic summer camp experience for your kids this year, simply because you attended the Camp Fair!

But if you were among the hundreds (and hundreds and hundreds and HUNDREDS!) of families who attended Sunday's event, now your real work begins!

After collecting lots of brochures and meeting many people, you now have the task of sorting through all your materials to find a great camp for your child. 

Sometimes it can be overwhelming seeing so many camps and people together in one place, so we've compiled  a list for you below with links to all the camps who participated at Sunday's Los Angeles Summer Camp Fair.  Just click on the links below to visit each camp's website and learn more.

(By the way, the following list is also a great resource for families who may have missed Sunday's UCLA Camp Fair and want to find a super program for their kids this summer!) ​

Thank you again to all who attended and we hope you have an awesome experience at camp this summer!