Budget-friendly, fun day camps available

HOUSTON

Overnight camps can cost anywhere from $400 to more than $1,000 so a day camp is a much more affordable option. But before you sign up, be sure you check out what is included in the price.

Annette Brown's son is a student at First Baptist School and is thinking of enrolling him at summer day camp at the church called "Daycation."

"The environment is wonderful and they learn a lot," she said.

The school enrolls elementary school students who have completed kindergarten to fifth grade and middle school students who have completed sixth through the eighth grade.

The weekly rate is a $150.

"So we start May 31st, the day after Memorial Day, and go for 12 weeks. We are Monday through Friday and 7 in the morning until 6 at night," said David Bundrick with First Baptist Chruch.

Houston First Baptist also has specialty camps run in the afternoons and there is no additional fee. Over at the YMCA, the countdown to summer camp has begun! The summer-day camps begin June 6th! The organization has specialty camps, teen camps and regular day camps.

"We really work on values, building their self esteem and just keeping them active, so we don't want to be an extension of the school day, we want them to come here, have fun and enjoy themselves," YMCA's Lorrie Janish said.

Most camps run their summer camps from 7am until 6pm. But since every YMCA is different so you will have check for times.

Also the weekly fee varies from location to location.

Take for example the "Aldine- Greenspoint" YMCA, the weekly fee is a $100 for program members but at the Trotter Family YMCA near Tanglewood, the weekly fee is $200. For those who need financial help, some aid is available.

"They just need to go to their local YMCA and turn in financial assistance paperwork and that way we will get with them and let them know what they qualify for," Janish said.

At Kidventure, the organization has been running 17 years of running day camps in Texas in Houston, Austin and Dallas. They take kids all summer ages 3-13, plus a specialty teen camp.

"We are themed-related so you can register essentially by choosing one week or as many weeks as you would like with us," said Michael Valka with Kidventure Camps.

The tuition for each camp varies from about $180 to $245 each week. And the hours at the camp are 9am to 3:30pm. If you need to drop your off at camp earlier or pick them up later, there is a fee of $25 for pre- or post-camp care, so be prepared to pay a up to $200 a week.

Check your local church for options that may be cheaper. Another thing to keep in mind is that food is usually not included in the fee.