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This summer, thousands of underserved New York City children have been boarding buses for summer camp. That shouldn't be remarkable, but it is. Those buses are departing with joyful kids and relieved parents waving them goodbye only because camping doesn't cost their families.
A new national study found that parents of nearly 25 million children want their kids to participate in structured summer experiences like camp. Yet more than half can’t afford it.
Low- and middle-income families can’t afford quality summer programs, if they’re even available where they live. According to American Camp Association statistics, the average cost of camping is more than $1,700 per month per child.
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Across the nation, families are already stretched by soaring housing, childcare and food costs. Summer has become yet another expense many can't afford.
Keeping kids busy in summer months isn't cheap
For too many families, the end of the school year brings anxiety about how they'll safely get their children through the next 10 weeks.
As the chief executive officer of The Fresh Air Fund, which has provided free summer experiences to New York City children for nearly 150 years, I see this reality every day.
The parents I speak with aren't asking for extravagant summers. They're asking for the same thing I want as a parent of two ‒ to know their children are safe, engaged and making memories instead of sitting inside all day on their iPads.
Summer can offer very different scenarios. In one, children leave home with duffel bags packed for horseback riding, robotics, archery and lake swims. In another, parents are piecing together childcare, asking grandparents for help, juggling work schedules, or hoping older siblings can watch the younger ones until school resumes.
When parents have the financial means to choose summer programs for their kids, safety and caring staff are their top priorities. They also place a premium on time outdoors, physical activity, less screen time, opportunities to build confidence and the chance to try new things.
Summer is a key time for youth development
Summer is a time when children can develop resilience, independence and confidence. It's when they can discover new interests, make lifelong friendships and figure out who they are. If they are given the chance.
I know this well. I am a former camp kid. My parents were both social workers. Sending my brother and I to sleepaway camp was an incredible financial burden, but they believed those experiences mattered. I arrived at camp nervous, shy and worried about the new activities I was facing. I left with leadership skills and newfound confidence in my ability to try new things and make friends I still have today.
Every child deserves that opportunity, not just the ones whose parents can afford it.
Summer has become yet another measure of inequality in our country. Families who can afford camp spend months comparing programs and paying deposits. Families who can't merely hope to patch together nearly three months of supervision while trying not to miss work.
Top-tier summer camp for all kids is an investment in our country’s future. When we invest in summer camp, we're investing in safer neighborhoods, stronger families, a more prepared workforce and a generation of young people with the confidence to discover who they can become.
Kids who build confidence, resilience and friendships become stronger students, employees and neighbors. Every dollar invested in quality summer opportunities pays dividends long after school starts again.
Most parents support public funding for summer camps
Nearly 9 in 10 parents support public funding for summer programs, regardless of political affiliation, race or income. In an era when consensus is hard to find, this is one issue that brings us together.
Now our actions need to catch up with our values.
City and state governments should continue expanding investments in high-quality summer programs while businesses, philanthropists and nonprofit organizations work together to create more free and affordable opportunities. Cities that have recognized the value of universal childcare should apply a similar mindset and commitment toward summer camp programs.
Throughout the summer, I’ll watch children see the skyline fade in their bus windows as they head toward a summer of their dreams. We already know camp changes children.
The question is why access to an experience that can shape a child's future still depends on what a family can afford.
Lisa Gitelson is the chief executive officer of The Fresh Air Fund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Every kid deserves summer camp, not just those who can afford it | Opinion
