More parents ask, ‘What do we want out of summer camp?’

Is summer camp a rite of passage, a stand-in for child care, or an enrichment opportunity?

That’s the question parents are increasingly asking themselves as they navigate logistics, affordability, and what’s best for their children when schools go on summer break. The answer is individual to each family but often includes more than one consideration.

The American Camp Association (ACA) estimates that nearly 26 million children in the United States attend some form of camp each year, including during seasons other than summer. They range from the Hollywoodized version of overnight camps in the woods to day camps at community centers or nonprofits.

In an era defined by technological attachment, summer camps typically provide fertile ground for human connection and social development. That’s an experience more parents want for their children, says Tom Rosenberg, president and CEO of the ACA.

“At camp, kids have the opportunity to try hard things, try fun things, [and] be supported by peers,” he says. “There’s no social media. There’s just people talking and being with people.”

For parents, the question is more complicated than simply deciding whether their children will be summer campers. There are cost factors and scheduling hurdles. (Scholarships and financial aid exist, but limited space can make snagging spots difficult for even those who don’t need help.) Other considerations include a child’s camp readiness and interests: Day camp closer to home or an overnight experience? Learning to code, creating art projects, or playing sports?

Summer camps have been a tradition in Dan Weir’s family, given the sense of belonging they provide.

“When you think about the virtual world that we have these days, kids are often experiencing things individualistically,” says the father and camp consultant. “So when they could experience it together with folks, that often leads to really deep relationships with other people.”

This year, Mr. Weir’s younger daughter, age 8, anticipated returning to a day camp near where they live on Long Island in New York. The camp has become a second home for her, Mr. Weir says, filled with friends and fond memories such as learning to swim. And for the first time, his older daughter, who is 11, planned to spend two weeks at a YMCA camp in the Catskill Mountains. It’s the same camp where Mr. Weir and his wife met when they worked as counselors.

In California, Bay Area parent Alistair Savides says camp helps with work schedules and gives his children a chance to try new things. After his two daughters attended a weeklong camp in Missouri last summer, they came back eager to share about their water skiing and horseback riding adventures.

To quell their daughters’ nerves – and perhaps a bit of parental unease – his wife worked remotely near the overnight camp. “It turned out that was completely unnecessary,” he says. “They loved it.”

His 13-year-old daughter, Elise, planned to return to that same camp, which is affiliated with their religion, this summer. Meanwhile, his 11-year-old daughter, Alexis, and 6-year-old son, Elliot, are attending a day camp connected to their school.  

Other parents have decided to take a break from summer camps. Ericka Weathers says she and her two children’s father went into the decision this year with a central question: “What do we want out of summer camp?” 

They have a 9-year-old daughter and a 7-year-old son.

“For the last couple of years, they went to a summer camp,” she says, clarifying that it was a nearby day camp. “It was great in a sense. ... It gave the kids something to do. But sometimes it just felt like glorified babysitting for a lot of money.”

Their search for other options ended in dismay. Dr. Weathers says their past 10-week day camp cost roughly $9,000 combined for both children. Other camps that appeared to have more enrichment opportunities were in the $12,000 to $16,000 range for that same time frame.

Ultimately, they chose to skip any form of camp this year. Dr. Weathers, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education in Philadelphia, says she will adjust her work schedule around the days she has her children to the extent possible. She is also planning outings and trips with money saved from day camp.

But as a working parent, she knows she can’t replicate a camp experience every day. “There will be some boredom because trying to work and manage the kids’ schedule is going to be hard,” she says.

Mr. Rosenberg, of the ACA, envisions more public-private partnerships and philanthropy initiatives to bolster camp access. He says about 93% of organized camps offer financial aid.

The ACA has also been developing camp-school partnerships with the National Summer Learning Association. The project focuses on social-emotional growth and mitigating pandemic learning gaps among middle school students.

“We think of school as the learning hub,” Mr. Rosenberg says. “Surrounding that learning hub is an ecosystem of programs like camps and other youth programs that provide important experiential and kinetic learning for them.”

Mr. Savides saw that in the stories his children told of their experiences at camp in Missouri. “To see their independence unfolding that way was pretty cool,” he says.