Top camps provide lifelong memories and skills. Here's how to pick a winner -- and help your kid have an awesome summer.

It's a question many parents struggle with -- and one that camp professionals are eager to answer. Camp, they say, lets kids roam and play in a way they rarely do in their own neighborhoods these days. It takes them away from computers, TV, and other high-tech time-suckers, swapping them for conversation, fun, and games in a natural setting. And perhaps most important, camps are no-parent zones. "Kids have to learn how to separate from their families and become resilient and independent.
Day camps are a good starting point: "Kids learn about being part of a community and to cope with temporary separation," says Smith. "They're not only a good transitional step for kids but also for parents, who often need to learn these same separation skills."

Doing Your Homework on Day Camp

The best camps always have someone who can talk with you before, during, or after camp, or will find someone to return your call. They will always have parental references for you to speak with, and many larger ones hold open houses. What should you look for? While there are specific qualities that make some camps better for a certain child than others (a kid who loves art, for instance, might not be a good fit at a place that's all about horses), keep an eye out for these key things:

• A history. There are definitely great new camps out there. But some experts (and families) believe that operating a camp for decades, especially with the same staff, does mean something. In today's world, a camp simply couldn't stay in business for generations if it were unsafe or poorly run.

• A philosophy. Does it focus on sports? Arts? Leadership? How is this philosophy integrated into its programs?

• An emphasis on creating community. Good camps think about how they place kids together to create the most inclusive experience for all. Another hallmark of community: a scholarship program.

• A well-trained staff, in adequate numbers for a low campers-to-staffers ratio (about 10 to 1 for kids ages 8 to 14). The staff should be background-checked, too, with references, an interview, and a criminal-records search.

• An element of choice. Your child will feel more independent if he can choose some activities.

• A communications plan for letting parents know about upcoming events, and for notifying them if a child becomes sick or injured. They also have a consistent policy on camper phone use.

• A high standard of accreditation. See "Doing a Background Check" on page 4.

In particular, make sure you understand the program's values and mission, and see if its activities match both its goals and your child's interests. You're looking for something educational but not merely an extension of school or daycare: "A day camp should be different, with a wide range of activities your child wouldn't otherwise have access to, that get him up and moving and building new skills," says Smith.

Sleep away Smarts

Once your child has attended day camp for several years, you might want to consider sleep away camp. Many will accept campers as young as second grade for introductory programs that run a week or so. But while some 7-year-olds are ready, others aren't. A rule of thumb from my old camp director, Jane Sanborn of Sanborn Western Camps, in Florissant, CO: the younger your child, the more she, rather than you, should make the decision.

Finding a Way-Cool Camp

Today's options are far more varied than you might remember from your own childhood. There are camps that focus on music and theater, arts and science, language, sports, circus themes, and computers. There are even "van camps" that have no headquarters but instead take kids on daily road trips to parks and other areas of local interest.

Making Camp Affordable

How much do you have to pay for your kid to have a summer of fun? Camp costs vary dramatically around the country, from just a couple hundred dollars to more than five thousand (the latter mainly for super-fancy, all-summer sleep away programs). If tough times are making it hard for you to swing a summer program of any kind, don't give up: There are more solutions than you might imagine. Day camps fall under the same tax guidelines as daycare, so if you pay for daycare with a flex plan, or write off these expenses, you can do the same for day camp. Also, virtually all sleep-away camps (and a good number of day camps, too) have scholarship programs for families who need it.