South Florida Parenting - March 1996
Ready for Camp? - Search for camps goes high-tech

Mention summer camp, and the image most people get is decidedly low-tech. Cabins in the woods. Canoes and campfires. Leaves for toilet paper.

But remember, these are the 90s.

Even finding a summer camp these days has a high-tech twist.

The newest (and 90s) way to start your search for the perfect program is now just a few computer clicks away.

It's called Kids' Camps, a free on-line service started by two business-savvy moms from Boca Raton. The service has been a hit, they say, drawing some 7,000 information-hungry people a day to their computer site.

"We are very excited and thrilled with the response," says Nancy LaPook Diamond, one of the founders. Diamond and Kim Bregman started the company in July and went on-line in October.

The company, a business affiliate of the American Camping Association, not only provides information about summer camps and other unique summer experiences, it offers one stop shopping for a slew of supplies, gifts and goodies for your happy camper. There's even a classified section posting an array of job openings (from cooks to counselors, nurses to administrators) at camps across the country.

The company fills a niche familiar to both women.

Diamond was a television writer/producer, Bregman was an IBM manager. Both left their successful positions in the corporate world and became consultants so they would have more time to raise their children.

"We think we are very typical of women today," Diamond says "Crazed, busy, running. Between carpooling and everything else, no one has time to research anything."

Diamond, a long time camper herself, had been through the process of searching for camps for her children Michael, 11 and Laura, 7. Bregman also has spent time looking for a camp for her son, Adam, 10. Other parents kept asking them about camps. That's when the idea hit.

Kids' Camps offers information about day camps, sleepaway camps, family camps, tours and adventures. Name the sport, and there's a camp specializing in it. There are also endless choices of academic (business, computers, languages, liberal arts, math, science and international studies) or art (film/T.V., music, photography, and theater) camps.

"We are particularly proud of our special needs camps," Diamond says. Parents can call up the main menu to find camp specializing in weight loss, diabetes, epilepsy, cancer, physical disabilities, hearing impairment, or other special needs.

Searches can be done by state, gender, session length, camp name, region or country.

What you get is nitty gritty information such as dates and rates, addresses, accreditation and basic programs offered. Parents can click on a photo album, hear an audio clip, fill out request forms and even watch camp videos. It's an ideal way for families to get to know a camp's programs and philosophy.

"Think of it as the Yellow Pages," says Diamond. "A camp can market itself by having us design a unique Web site for them, complete with color photos, comprehensive information and graphics."

And, the marketing potential of the Internet can be incredible. An estimated 50 million people can be reached on the Web, and the number continues to climb. Camps are joining other industries eager to become a part of the boom.

Although there are other companies that provide camp information on-line, Diamond is not concerned about the competition. "If it wasn't a good idea, no one else would be doing it," she says. "There are an estimated 5 million boys and girls heading to camp this summer. There's room for everyone."