I just got home after dropping off my son at sleepaway camp for the first time. Like so many other parents this time of year, we’re excited for the incredible memories, friendships, and growth that lie ahead for him. But as I unpack my own emotional and logistical exhaustion, I have a proposal that I believe could save every parent hours of stress and hundreds of dollars, while making camp life easier for everyone involved.
Here it is: every camp should add a mandatory $750 fee to the tuition. Yes, mandatory. What would that cover? Everything. I mean everything beyond basic clothing. Transportation, luggage handling, tips, shampoo, linens, towels, cereal, drinks—the whole chaotic checklist that currently sends parents into a pre-camp frenzy.
Camps would not only simplify life for parents—they’d also come out ahead financially. Linens and towels can be reused each year. The waste of unopened toiletries, barely touched cereals, and forgotten drawer sets would finally end. Instead of stuffing buses with second and third duffels, each camper could show up with one suitcase and be done with it.
This would level the playing field for out-of-town families who spend massive amounts just trying to match what local kids bring. Baggage fees, delivery logistics, Amazon boxes arriving by the dozen—gone. Tips would be standardized and fair, eliminating the awkward guesswork and inequity that plagues end-of-summer envelopes. And most importantly, it would end the “labeling Olympics” that so many parents dread.
Now, while we’re at it, let’s talk about Visiting Day—and let me be clear: it needs to go.
Visiting Day may sound warm and nostalgic, but for many families it’s a painful reminder of what they can’t provide. For children who’ve lost a parent, whose parents are divorced, or whose families simply live far away, Visiting Day is isolating and heartbreaking. It also disrupts the emotional rhythm of camp, often reintroducing homesickness just when kids are finally settling in.
Let the kids enjoy the magic of camp uninterrupted. No care packages. No parental appearances. Just letters, maybe a scheduled phone call, and the freedom to be fully present in a summer that’s supposed to be theirs.
To the camps: this change is not only doable—it’s a win-win. You’ll make more money. Parents will thank you. Counselors will benefit. And most importantly, every camper will start on equal footing, free to focus on friends, growth, and fun—not gear, gifts, or goodie bags.
Signed,
Y.F.
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18 Responses
What a thoughtful and refreshingly bold proposal—you’ve captured what so many parents feel but rarely articulate so clearly.
The logistical and emotional toll of preparing a child for sleepaway camp is real. From shopping for duplicates of everything (“just in case!”) to navigating the complexities of tips, care packages, and Visiting Day etiquette—it often feels like an endurance test before camp even begins. Your idea to streamline the process through a single, comprehensive fee is not only practical but visionary. It addresses waste, economic inequity, and parent burnout in one smart move. And the point about reused linens and standardized supplies? That’s sustainable thinking in action.
Your take on Visiting Day is especially poignant. While it may be cherished by some, you’re absolutely right that it can be a source of deep discomfort for others—whether due to family dynamics, financial limitations, or distance. Eliminating it might seem radical, but reframing it as a gift to the children—an uninterrupted summer of independence and growth—is both compassionate and forward-thinking.
Ultimately, your message is a call for empathy, equity, and efficiency. You’re asking camps to center the camper experience and ease the burden on families, and that’s something worth listening to. Here’s hoping your post finds its way to directors’ desks everywhere.
Glad you are rich but you are selfish and not thinking of parents like me who do not have an extra $750 for 3 campers, we can barley send kids to camp.
What did one ai chatbot say to another?
Bobbys,
It’s not saying you have to pay full tuition if you can’t afford it, it’s saying everyone has to pay at least $750 (not including registration)
@ccyehoshua hows your copy of ChatGPT?
Anyway this is a nice idea but different kids like different things. An *optional* package option would be nice
Dumbest letter ever to be on Yeshiva World.! Period and Exclamation point
Maybe the fee and the extras should just be included in the price that already paying for camp
As in they don’t charge extra they should just do the above anyways since your already paying for camp
How about stopping camps all together?
Why can’t we do like Europe and Israel that after Tisha Bav every one packs up for 10 days and take trips to enjoy with the family.
Mr. YF,
While I will not comment on your first idea of the $750, However, your second idea of abolishing Visiting Day has already happened in every Heimish/Chassidish Camp. The Visiting Sunday nightmare is history and camper and parents are much happier. I don’t understand why all camps don’t follow suit and just nix this waist of time, effort & money for all.
Mr. YF,
While I will not comment on your first idea of the $750, However, your second idea of abolishing Visiting Day has already happened in every Heimish/Chassidish Camp. The Visiting Sunday nightmare is history and camper and parents are much happier. I don’t understand why all camps don’t follow suit and just nix this waist of time, effort & money for all.
There are 9 comments before me and each one drips with their personal and family dynamics. The letter writer wants an extra 750 fee to cover all the extras. The camps will buy quilts, pillows, blankets and linen, use them until they are threadbare but still charge the fee yearly. They will buy the no name brand of toiletries which most kids won’t want to touch so in middle of the summer the parents will have to run around buying soap, shampoo, toothpaste. Then to RebYossel I’m glad yolove having quality time with your family but the fact is many families dread chol Hamoed and the end of summer because they don’t have a car, can’t afford to go overnight family trips or going to the Grand Canyon or Cancun isnt their standards. As far as visiting as a parent I too hate the traveling from the city but I was a staff member once and if their is no visiting day there is no tips as they sat out of sight out of mind,
$750???? Not sure what type of cereals and linens you buy for your child that drives you into such a “frenzy” that costs $750. The only thing that drives me into a frenzy is the huge burden of paying camp tuition for several children. The cost of camp is totally out of control with each camp trying to outdo the next with wackier activities, concerts, trips etc
This is genius and accurate. Bus and luggage is $150. Tips for counselor, JC, Waiter, Rebbi is $250+, shampoo, soap, plastic drawers $50, towels and linen is a good $75+, snacks drinks and cereal is a good $100+. Factor in the time, the shlepping and the non stop more and more cash on so many occasions it makes for alot less stress. Your paying it anyway and probably more now your paying it as part of the cost.
All for it
I can’t either afford the camp fees but I also work for a living and dont have the time to keep buying these items. If the camp sends a list of what it’s providing and your ok with it I’m happy doing less
MAKE IT HAPPEN
Such a thoughtful idea . Like the cost of camp is not enough . Oh I forgot , ” if you can’t afford it ,step aside there are 150 applicants behind you who can .Oh you have a car that doesn’t have to be by the mechanic ,a house , pay full tuition for 5 children , don’t get pre-yomtov help ???? Then you can afford the extra $750. With all due respect please don’t give the camp ,& yeshiva administrators a heter to charge some more !!!! Please forgive me for being so blunt . Try and see how the “middle class ” struggle .
Two simple ways we need to change:
1. Schools should extend the year by one month. Many schools have made the switch. Regular Limudei Kodesh in the AM and fun and games in the PM.
2. With a shorter summer, get rid of visiting day. Its unnecessary and stressful.
There are 9 comments before me and each one drips with their personal and family dynamics
As far as visiting as a parent I too hate the traveling from the city but I was a staff member once and if their is no visiting day there is no tips as they sat out of sight out of mind,
Ah yid,
Pot calling the kettle black?
@64bitsomething – exactly