Parents: The New Virtual Campers

Summer Sleepaway Camps use the Internet for Daily Parental Updates

When Liz Kaufman put her oldest son on the bus to sleepaway camp last summer, she was more nervous than 9-year-old Ben. “There was such a big build-up leading up to camp,” said Kaufman of Westchester County, “I wanted so much for this to be a good experience for him.” She spent the rest of the day worrying about how he was doing, what he was doing…and if he was making friends. Then at around 9:00 PM, an e-mail newsletter from summer camp popped up on her computer with a few words about how the kids were settling in. It also contained a link to a web site for photo viewing. “My heart just sprang when I saw his face smiling back at me,” Kaufman said. “Just to see him there amongst his new bunk mates and looking so happy and grown-up. I was thrilled.” By signing the camp’s “guest book,” she continued to receive the daily updates for the entire summer. What’s more, her husband, Marc, received his updates at the office, and even Ben’s out-of-state grandparents signed up to receive these daily reports.

While each summer campers take a step back in time to enjoy good, old-fashioned fun, modern technology has drastically changed the sleepaway camp experience for their parents. “Parents can now become part of the camp experience in way that wasn’t possible several years ago,” says the director of one traditional eight-week summer camp. “We tell them everything, almost in real time: what activities we did, to what we ate for lunch, what kind of evening program we had.”

Parents can go on-line and view photos daily, and can even order prints directly from some web sites. You can have a whole album ready in time for visiting day! Said Kaufman, “The photos helped familiarize me with the names and faces around the camp. In a way, they have re-ignited many of my own camp memories.”