Anyone heard of "camperships"? Scholarships for kids to go to camp?

[gurumama]

My older kids are asking to go to camp but some of the places around here are $300 per week, per kid for DAY camp! This article talks about camperships for summer camps for kids - like a scholarship for camp.

Anyone have ideas for keeping camp costs low? My kids are 11 and 8 and really want to do specific camps with skills I don't have (like boating, robotics, etc.). I plan to use some of the ideas in the article, but has anyone here ever heard of getting financial aid from a camp, or have other tips not in the article?

[fairydoula]

the YMCA has camps here in Michigan and they have a sliding scale based on income. You have to present your last year's 1040, but the discounts can be quite worth the extra hassle. For a camp that normally costs $400 for a week (residence camp) will cost us about $175.

This link should help you figure out if there's a camp near you.
Good luck! - Jen

[GuildJenn]

Yup, lots of camps offer them (I have contributed to one at my old summer camp). I would call the camps directly and ask - it can't hurt!

[philomom]

My kids do a Campfire USA. There's always a spot on the form to pay less if you need to.

[mamadelbosque]

I went to and worked for YMCA camps for years growing up (and actually ran the horse program at one right before/as I got pregnant with ds1...), and they definetly have scholarships, though I'm not the least bit sure how they work.

If your interested, I'd call the camp(s) your kids are interested in and see what they say. Good luck! Camp is a great thing for kids - DH & I were hoping to make it our carreers, but it just didn't work out for us

[AAK]

All the camps in our area have some form of financial assistance for the fees. With some you get a discount and some you may qualify for free camp. Each camp is different in our area, so you will need to call each individual camp. Also, many of them only have limited number of scholarships, so call early!

Amy