Summer is a long way off, but now's the time to register for camp

Apr. 4—Ken Robbins, director of Camp Kabeyun in Alton Bay, knows the importance of summer camp to growth and independence. He's now in charge of the one he first attended when he was 11 years old.

Today he stresses the importance of applying in March and April, before all available spaces are claimed by May or June. And he urges parents to research and visit camps to see which one is right for their child.

"Picking a camp isn't a matter of filling gaps in a calendar," Robbins said. "It's picking a home."

For children across the U.S. and here in northern New England, which is a mecca for outdoor camps, summer camp is a rite of passage, a venue for making new friends outside of class or sports or cliques at school. It's an opportunity for kids to fly with their own wings while counselors wait on the runway to make sure they land safely and wisely.

In the four years since COVID, summer camp has expanded to include more mental health support, whether offered by professionals on staff or by trained camp counselors in the camps' tents and cabins.

"Camps are so differently organized and run, with different resources. I do think that mental health is an issue that camps have had to address in a variety of ways, more so than ever," said Robbins, who was president of the New Hampshire Camp Directors Association from 2019 to 2023.

He said camp's greatest value lies in what it has specialized in all along: a first time away from home, a time to try new things without getting graded or socially rated, a time to branch out and take chances, and an opportunity to bond with peers based on common interests — and not because you sit next to each other in a classroom or share the same school bus or zip code.

"It's an intensity of experience that sits with them longer," said Robbins. They think, "'This is a very grown-up thing I'm doing compared with just going to school. Friendships formed around shared interests and experiences are more profound rather than 'we just happen to go to the same school.'"

In the wake of COVID, "Camps are well suited to helping kids emerge from being stuck at home." It's an environment that specializes in face to face interaction, and camps are by and large tech free, Robbins said. "We have tools and an environment and a culture that encourages socialization and developing those skills."

There are roughly 150 licensed day and sleep-away camps across New Hampshire, many tuned to immersion in the outdoors, offering hiking, canoeing, kayaking and swimming. Others cater to particular interests and skills, such as sailing, music, sports or theater. Some are educational in low-pressure, non-judgmental ways, helping kids close learning gaps that emerged and lingered post-COVID.

Whatever the camp, it's often the first experience a child has that's uniquely theirs, outside of parents, siblings or local friends, Robbins said.

Counselors feel more like big brothers and big sisters than parents,

"There's an opportunity to make choices. Children feel a greater sense of ownership. It's a big thing to go to camp and strike out on your own. That itself is a building block to independence" as well as confidence to take on something new or larger, said Robbins, who's been a camp director for 14 years.

Kids think, 'I'm capable of more than I thought,' he said.

The potential cost varies — but it doesn't need to get in the way.

So far this year, the New Hampshire Education Department has awarded at least $820,000 for more than 1,300 students to attend summer camp through the department's ReKINDling Curiosity summer camp program. By June of last year, $1 million had been distributed.

"Our ReKINDling Curiosity program is a tremendous opportunity for children to make memories this summer, experience new adventures and connect with friends. The growth of this program is a testament to the fun and engaging recreational camps that are stationed throughout the state, allowing children to unplug, play outside and gain independence," Education Commissioner Frank Edelblut stated by email. "I think we all know that allowing children to get out and play does wonders for their growth."

Robbins said the choice of a camp "really comes down to what the child is looking for and the parent is looking for." Talk to the camp director. See the camp in action. Talk to other families, he said. "These are good ways to narrow it down. Find the right fit where the child will feel at home. We want to be partners in child development."

Summer can be a good time to visit a summer camp for the following year.

For a list of summer camps in New Hampshire, go to nhcamps.org.