LOS ANGELES SUMMER CAMPS BLOG

Fitness by the Sea Beach Camp, and Malibu Makos surf camp, decided to open their respective day camps this summer amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  Unfortunately Fitness by the Sea closed after just one day, and Malibu Makos completely changed course, deciding against even reopening in the first place, due to rising coronavirus cases in Los Angeles. This is an unfortunate situation, especially because kids need camp now more than ever.  Let's all hope for better days ahead!

For kids who live in L.A., going to the beach each summer is a natural part of growing up.  It's just something kids around here do! There's nothing better than spending time at the beach on those hot summer days.  Kids can boogie board, swim in the ocean, play games on the sand with their families and friends and so much more.

1. Aloha Beach Camp, located at Zuma Beach in Malibu, is widely regarding as one of L.A.'s top surf camps  for beginning campers ages 4 to 15 who are new to surfing and want to learn the sport at their own pace. This program is also accredited by the American Camp Association and offers free transportation on buses with seat belts so you don't have to drive your child to camp yourself. If your child is a "hard core surfer," this may not be the ideal program for you. But if your son or daughter wants to learn the basics of surfing while enjoying any number of other fun camp activities every day they're at the beach, consider Aloha Beach Camp this summer.

2. CampSurf,  located in Manhattan Beach, offers not just summer surf camps for kids but surf parties, lessons and corporate surf events, too.  In fact CampSurf is the official surf school of the Manhattan Beach and other nearby L.A. cities. CampSurf teaches kids how to navigate the ocean and study the waves from the point of view enabling surf campers to enjoy the ins and outs of surfing safely all their lives. The camp even provides wetsuits so campers stay warm in the water.

3. Malibu Makos,  located at the northern most part of Zuma Beach, is another Malibu based surf camp for kids offering special events and private surfing lessons, too. Campers ages 5 to 17 can enjoy weekday and even Saturday surf camps and classes. Surfboards, wetsuits and all equipment is provided for all participants.  Even campers living further away from Malibu can enjoy the Malibu Makos surf camp program as the camp offers transportation service for an additional fee.

4. Perfect Day Camp Surf offers surf camps for kids at several locations including Santa Monica and Redondo Beach. Campers are  encouraged to surf but can also enjoy boogie boarding, beach camps, and a more typical beach camp activities. Kids as young as 5 years old up to 17 are eligible to participate in the program. Sibling discounts and early bird discounts are available. This is a popular L.A. surf camp, so sign up for the program soon.

5. Summer of Surf is a beach and surf camp serving campers in the Pasadena area. In fact it's the only surf camp for kids in the area. If your child can tolerate what might be a longer-than-usual bus ride to the beach, this is definitely a camp to consider if you live in the Sierra Madre, Pasadena, or La Canada Flintridge areas and surrounding communities. Summer of Surf is offering early bird discount specials going on now, so if you sign up for camp today your child can learn to surf this summer and you'll save a few bucks at the same time. Summer of Surf is in partnership with Perfect Surf Day Camp, another surf camp program on our list.

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!"

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.

L.A's filled with an amazing variety of summer camp opportunities for kids. The types and programs and activities are endless.  While many kids are perfectly happy attending a traditional camp experience where they get to enjoy a diverse set of camp activities such as horseback riding and archery, other kids may have more focused interests.  We've highlighted three popular beach-themed summer day camp options in the L.A. area for kids. Click through to their websites for more information, or meet them in person at the  upcoming L.A. Summer Camp Fair and Expo in March and April.

Established in 1999, Aloha Beach Camp Summer Day Camp is a veritable aquatic playground for kids and teens. This camp bills itself as L.A's most comprehensive aquatic summer camp, and we can see why. The camp takes place at a wide variety of Malibu beaches like Zuma and Paradise Cove, plus day trips to Castaic Lake. Hurricane Harbor and other fun aquatic venues on a rotating basis where campers enjoy surfing lessons, boogie boarding instruction, jet skiing activities and more. Free transportation on buses and vans is provided. The camp also offers a 100% money-back guarantee if you are not completely satisfied. www.alohabeachcamp.com