Choosing a camp

View Peter Stavinoha, PhD's video on Choosing a camp...
Choosing a camp | Kids in the House
KidsInTheHouse the Ultimate Parenting Resource
Kids in the House Tour

Choosing a camp

Comment
57
Like
57
Transcription: 
In choosing a camp for your child, you want to first think about what your and your child´s goals are for that camp. So you want to make sure that you are matching your child´s interests and aptitudes with the activities that are going to be provided at that camp. Then, you want to just start exploring opportunities. Start really talking to other parents, searching the web, finding places that look like candidate kind of places. Then, you need to start examining staff so you want to think about questions, even contact in the camp finding out what is the educational level of staff, where do they get their staff, do they do background checks on their staff, what is the certification if any that the staff may have to have, what is the ratio of counselors to children at that particular camp, what is the approach to discipline that counselors are going to take if a child should become disruptive or difficult. Knowing the answers to all of those kinds of questions can help parents start to feel comfortable. Then, parents really need to think about contacting parent references, so asking the camp for a list of people that would be willing to speak with that parent about their and their child´s experience at the camp. So again, so that the family can start to feel really comfortable. Finally, parents may even wish to visit the camp whether it´s during camp session or just seeing the physical layout of the camp may help them feel comfortable in sending their child there.

View Peter Stavinoha, PhD's video on Choosing a camp...

Transcript

Expert Bio

More from Expert

Peter Stavinoha, PhD

Neuropsychologist

Peter L. Stavinoha, PhD, ABPP, is a board certified clinical neuropsychologist in Dallas, Texas.  He directs the Neuropsychology Service at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas and he is Professor in Psychology/Psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. He was named Distinguished Psychologist for 2005 by the Dallas Psychological Association. Dr. Stavinoha specializes in the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional aspects of developmental disabilities and acquired brain injury in children. As a general parenting expert, he is regularly interviewed in the media, Dallas morning television, Parents and Parenting Magazines, and numerous parenting blogs. Together with Sara Bridget Au, he is co-author of Stress-Free Potty Training. He has also authored several chapters in scholarly texts on subjects ranging from pediatric concussion to brain tumors in children. Dr. Stavinoha received a BA in Psychology from the University of Notre Dame and a PhD in Educational Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Stavinoha completed a residency in Clinical Neuropsychology at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and is a member of the American Psychological Association, the International Neuropsychological Society, and the National Academy of Neuropsychology. Dr. Stavinoha has a 16-year old son named Joe.

More Parenting Videos from Peter Stavinoha, PhD >
Enter your email to
download & subscribe
to our newsletter