Whether you’re sending your child to camp for a day, week, month or the entire summer, you’ll want to make sure you’ve found the right match for your child’s interests and temperament. We consulted with the American Camp Association (ACA) to come up with these questions to ask the camp director.

1. What is the camp’s philosophy and program emphasis?
2. What is the camp director’s background?
3. What training do counselors receive specific to this camp?
4. What is the counselor-to-camper ratio? (Recommended ratios for day camps range from one staff member for every eight campers ages six to eight, to one staff member for every 10 campers ages nine to 14.)
5. How old are the counselors? (ACA recommends that 80 percent or higher be at least 18 years old. Staff should be minimum two years older than the campers.)
6. What qualities do they look for in their camp staff?
7. What percentage of their counselors returned from last year? (Ideally, 40-60 percent should be returning. If it’s less than that, ask why.)
8. How do they handle behavioral and disciplinary issues and homesickness?
9. How does the camp handle illnesses and special needs?
10. Do they have references?