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Inflation has caused summer camp costs to soar. Here are tips for parents on how to save
As the countdown to summer begins, some are feeling the burn in their wallets as inflation continues to affect everything from gas prices to food. The latest casualty: parents experiencing the sticker shock of summer camp.
Jamie Aderski, a New Jersey mom of two, made a popular video on TikTok that highlighted concerns for parents trying to get their children enrolled in camps and fund them. Aderski said costs have even become too pricey at her neighborhood recreational centers, jumping at least 10% each summer over the past few years. Spots are sometimes taken as early as January.
“It’s something that’s kept me up at night thinking about, ‘Well, what am I gonna do with my kids for the summer?’ And I’ve kind of cobbled together a plan, but it’s still not enough.”
Some experts say the summer camp price hike stems from the pandemic.
“Families that were not engaged in camp before the pandemic are now interested in camp for their children. Every parent realizes now how important it is that kids have a summer learning program,” said Tom Rosenberg, who heads the American Camp Association, a nonprofit that represents about 15,000 camps in the United States.
The American Camp Association says the average day camp costs around $87 per day, a figure that can vary across the nation. Rosenberg said costs are set for camp a year ahead of time.
“Many industries are impacted by inflation, and camp is no exception,” he said. “Every cost of business that camps have across the board really have gone up substantially.
What can parents do to offset summer camp costs?
Rosenberg offered some tips for parents seeking to enroll their kids in camps.
Those included:
- Asking about financial aid, which many camps provide, along with payment plans
- Seeking a scholarship through a civic organization
- Looking into the child and dependent care tax credit, which could offset up to $3,000 of summer camp costs per child
Meanwhile, Aderski said she plans to enroll her son in a science camp, keeping it to half days spread throughout the summer.
“Seeing him come home and being excited about something and learning something new, that is of course the ultimate goal for any parent,” she said. “And camp can be a huge part of that experience. I just wish that there were more options available that were for everybody.”
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Dodgers legend Fernando Valenzuela, known affectionately to fans across the baseball world as “El Toro” has died at 63 years old.
The Etchohauquila, Sonora, Mexico native recently stepped away from his role in the Dodgers’ broadcast booth to focus on his health just ahead of the team’s run to the World Series. He had planned to return for the 2025 season.
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The man behind “Fernandomania,” which took Los Angeles by storm during the 1980s, spent 11 of his 17 seasons in Major League Baseball with the Boys in Blue, leading the team to two World Series titles in 1981 and 1988.
He was well-known for his signature windup and high leg kick before dazzling hitters with his virtually unhittable screwball. Upon retirement, he ranked amongst the franchises top 10 all-time in wins, strikeouts, innings pitched, games started, complete games and shutouts.
The Dodgers honored Valenzuela in 2023 by retiring his No. 34, making him only the 11th Dodger to achieve the spot above the left field bleachers.
Late Tuesday evening the team took to X to acknowledge Valenzuela’s death.
“Fernandomania por siempre,” said a photo. “Fernandomania forever.”
More to come.
DELPHI, Ind. (CBS) — Jurors in the Delphi, Indiana murders trial got a closer look Tuesday at some of the most concrete evidence in the case.
Richard Allen, 52, is facing four counts of murder in connection with the murders of Abigail Williams, 13, and Liberty “Libby” German, 14, in 2017.
Video taken from Libby’s phone right before the murder shows a man, believed to be the killer, walking on a bridge. For the first time Tuesday, jurors got to see a longer version of the video.
A digital forensic analyst also testified about how he got the data off the phone.
Also Tuesday, lead crime scene investigator Brian Olehy brought several key pieces of evidence from at or near the crime scene to court—though they were not shown to the jury, according to CBS affiliate WTTV in Indianapolis.
During cross-examination, defense attorney Brad Rozzi asked several times whether swabs from the crime scene contained any DNA linking Allen to it, WTTV reported, Olehy said he was not aware of any such connection.
Olehy also testified that he believed the branches found on the girls’ bodies were placed there to conceal them, and said it was a “logical assumption” that Libby was “disrobed”—as she was wearing some of Abby’s clothes, WTTV reported. He said investigators could not determine the sequence of events, and did not test the sticks that were found with the bodies, the station reported.
There was also testimony about a single unspent bullet at the scene that is at the center of the case against Allen, the station reported.
Testimony was also heard from Railly Voorhies, who was a 16-year-old high school student who happened to be walking near the Freedom Bridge in Delphi and saw an “unsettling” man who glared at her, WTTV reported. She said the image of the man on the bridge documented in Libby’s phone was the man she saw, the station reported.
Another witness, Betys Blair, also testified that she saw the man on the bridge, WTTV reported.