Summer camp scramble: YMCA camp fills up in 45 mins, TCAPS registration starts

Feb. 7—TRAVERSE CITY — Grand Traverse YMCA's annual program "Summer Camp at the Y" continues to grow in popularity each year, despite the limited capacity.

This year parents started lining up at 10:30 p.m. Sunday night for the Monday morning registration.

Parents camped out overnight, holding out for an opportunity to get their kids signed up one of the various camp options available, from the traditional program, sports, art, leaders club, and science and nature.

Thomas Graber, senior director of programming, said overnight stays were not a part of the club's plan.

"It has never been our intention for parents to have to camp out on a February night for hours on end in order to get a spot," Graber said. "We've tried to evaluate dozens of registration processes, and really all of them have drawbacks."

Graber said that when the club staff realized folks were lining up early to grab a spot, they opened up early as well to get parents out of the cold.

"Last year we had people out there as early as 3 a.m., so this year we got to the club at 2:30 a.m. to let parents inside, though we didn't necessarily start registration early," he said, noting that there were at least 60 parents already in line at that point.

According to staff, registration closed in 45 minutes, as the 200-child capacity had been met.

For many parents, finding programs like the YMCA offers a solution for the summer vacation months, since they're unable to take time off of work to be with kids at home.

The competition to get their kids signed up has only increased.

Graber credits the club's steadiness and dependability as a reason for the surge in popularity.

"I think it's because we're a reputable organization, and we've provided quality programming and consistency in leadership, which is key," Graber said, "I think it's the kind of thing where a camper has a positive experience, and she tells her mom, and her friends, and just good word-of-mouth."

Traverse City Area Public Schools opens the district's "Summer Explorers Club" program on Feb. 8. for sessions that run from June 17 to Aug. 16, Monday — Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Each of the nine weeks, explorers will be introduced to different activities and themes, to include outdoor adventures, arts and crafts, and more.

Last Wednesday, Northwest Michigan College opened registration for its "College for Kids" program, another summer option that has been available for 45 years. The program services children from ages 3-17 years old, and offers courses centered around culinary, music, recreation, STEM, writing, and the arts.

Laura Stevens Matchett, who coordinates the program, said registration is still open and spots are available.

"We have over 90 classes, so we have capacity in many of our classes," Matchett said. "What makes us unique is we're not a day camp, we're providing college courses for kids that are very much based on curriculum and driven by what's best for kids."

Matchett said that instead of a traditional summer camp, where parents drop kids off in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon, parents will browse a course catalog and sign up for the class(es) that they/the child is interested in.

"Some kids just do a class in the morning or the afternoon. Some kids will do both, and if their parent has the flexibility they'll join their child between classes for lunch."

Matchett said there's been pressure to make it more like a summer camp, similar to other programs.

"We have tried in the past, and would certainly love to if we had the staff. But it's hard to find someone to come in to coordinate lunch every day, or to have people to come in and guide the kids from one class to the next," she said.

As area the end of the school year draws near, it'll be vital for parents to not wait to decide on a program.

"We encourage people to get their first choice by registering as soon as they can." Matchett said. More information can be found at nmc.edu/kids.

Graber said that the Grand Traverse YMCA has also considered expanding the Summer Day Camp programs, but the hurdles are more than just staffing challenges.

"It's absolutely a consideration, something we're exploring," he said, explaining that the club went from two summer camp sites to one during COVID for staffing efficiency purposes.

"It's not just about finding the right number of camp counselors, but it's also about duplicating levels of leadership," he said. "That's the difficult part — making sure there's strong leaders at both sites that understand how camp is supposed to run."