NAZARETH, Pa. — The children are out of school, and summer camps soon will be underway.
Local childcare directors offered tips from their summer camp survival guide.
- The Greater Valley YMCA is offering tips for summer camp survival
- Parents should pack lots of water and food that is sustainable throughout the day
- Children should wear sneakers and weather-appropriate clothing
"What parents can expect is that your child is going to come home hot, sweaty, and tired at the end of the day," Crystal Messer, vice president of child care for the Greater Valley YMCA, said.
"And if they did, then we did our job right."
The Greater Valley YMCA has eight camps around the Lehigh Valley from June through August.
"We are in Lehigh and Northampton counties, serving approximately 500 children this summer."Crystal Messer, vice president of child care for the Greater Valley YMCA,
"This year, six at all of the branches, and then there are two off-site locations," Messer said.
"One in Macungie, and then another one in Danielsville. So we are in Lehigh and Northampton counties, serving approximately 500 children this summer."
Lots of water, sustainable food
Skylar Lynn, childcare director at the Nazareth branch, said, "We hold a huge camp counselor training prior to camp to get our staff pumped and ready.
“Whether it's playing sports, doing chalk, or just running around playing games, arts and crafts, paint, you name it, they do it.
“I always tell parents, 'Bring a change of clothes because you never know. And if they don't come home dirty, then we're not doing our job, because, to me, if your child has something on their clothes, they had a great day.'”Skylar Lynn, child care director at the Nazareth branch of Greater Valley YMCA
“I always tell parents, 'Bring a change of clothes because you never know. And if they don't come home dirty, then we're not doing our job, because, to me, if your child has something on their clothes, they had a great day.'”
Lynn said caregivers should be packing children a sustainable lunch and lots of water.
“We suggest lots of water," she said. "We have kids that bring Gatorade and stuff that has electrolytes in it, which is great because the kids are constantly on the go. We have water always here ready for them.”
When it comes to lunches, Messer said the YMCA offers refrigerators, but the less that needs to be refrigerated, the better.
“Pack stuff that is sustainable," she said. "If you need to put an ice pack in there, great. Pack a ton of food because you never know how hungry they're going to be. "
The ladies both said campers also should wear sneakers and weather-appropriate clothing because they spend most of their time outdoors.
Some of the Greater Valley YMCA camps started at the beginning of June and will run through the end of August.
