Tag
20 articles tagged “camp planning”
We spent the last few months cataloguing every summer camp program in the Denver metro area for 2026. The final count: 652 distinct programs, representing over 11,000 individual weekly sessions.
We spent the last few months cataloguing every summer camp program in the Houston metro area for 2026. The final count: 825 distinct programs, representing over 6,000 individual weekly sessions.
The single biggest mistake Denver parents make with summer camps is waiting too long to register.
Portland summer camp registration is not complicated. But it is unforgiving. The families who get their kids into the camps they want make the same moves, in the same order, every year. The families who end up on waitlists or scrambling in June make the same mistakes.
You registered for OMSI summer camp at 10:01am on February 10th. You're on the waitlist.
Every national summer camp packing list assumes the same thing: it's hot, it's sunny, and the biggest risk is sunburn.
Not every Portland kid goes to camp. Not every Portland family can afford it. Not every kid thrives in a structured group environment. And not every summer needs to be organized around a weekly camp schedule.
The first time you send your kid to summer camp, you will spend the first two days wondering if you made a terrible mistake.
Age matters more in summer camp selection than most parents realize.
Portland Public Schools spring break for 2025-26 runs from approximately late March to early April. The exact dates vary by school — check your specific school's calendar, not the district overview, because there are variations.
Not every kid is ready for a full 8-hour camp day.
The Portland Public Schools 2025-26 calendar has 13 no-school and in-service days outside of the major breaks. Thirteen days when school is closed, most workplaces are open, and the question of what to do with your kid lands entirely on you.
Portland is a city of neighborhoods, and summer camp availability is not evenly distributed across them. A family in Sellwood has different options than a family in St. Johns. A family in the Pearl District has different options than a family in Lents.
Oregon center-based infant care costs $19,500 per year on average in 2026. That's the number Tootris published in February. It's more than in-state tuition at the University of Oregon. It's more than rent in most American cities ten years ago.
The first time you drop your kid off at an overnight camp and drive away, you will feel one of two things: relief or guilt. Usually both, in rapid succession.
Summer camp costs in Denver in 2026 range from completely free to $8,000 for a full residential session. The median weekly cost for a day camp is around $300.
Portland has real financial aid for summer camp. Not a lot of it, and not enough to cover every family that needs it — but it exists, it's underused, and most families who qualify don't know about it because nobody has put it all in one place.
With 652 programs in the Denver metro for 2026, the problem is not finding a camp — it is knowing which one fits your kid.
Let's start with the number that makes Portland parents put down their coffee: $19,500.
It's January. You're still recovering from the holidays. And somewhere across Portland, another parent just set a calendar reminder for February 10th at 9:58am.