WESTCHESTER CAMP & SUMMER ACTIVITY FAIR CELEBRATES 30 YEARS

More than 40 camps will gather for you to do your summer camp research all in one place-and getting your questions answered in person, well, there's nothing better than that.

Day camp? Specialty camp? Sleepaway? With all of the options, finding the right summer camp for your child can be overwhelming. It's important to do your homework.

"Camp is such a wonderful, life-changing experience," says Catherine Pearlman, Ph.D., LMSW, a Westchester mom of two also known as The Family Coach. "It's a child's first step to independence, and it allows kids to shine in different ways than they do in school. Parents should take the time to find the right fit and research camps like they would preschools."

Explore Camps for All Ages

Pearlman will be one of the speakers at this year's Westchester Camp and Summer Activity Fair, scheduled for February 5 (12-3pm) at the Crowne Plaza in White Plains. Now in its 30th year and bigger than ever, the fair will bring together more than 40 camps, including day, specialty, and sleepaway camps, and give parents the opportunity to do their camp "research" all in one afternoon.

Walking around the camp fair provides much more than an opportunity to pick up helpful brochures. Mingling with camp directors and staff will help families get a feel for what each camp has to offer and get questions answered personally-and because both local day camps as well as sleepaway camps from the Poconos, Maine, and New Jersey, for example, will all be represented, it's a time to find the right fit for younger first-time campers as well as the more seasoned older sibling ready for a different camp experience.

Bonus Seminars Offer Advice

At 2pm, Pearlman will give a seminar on "How to Choose the First Camp for Your Child," drawing on first-hand experience both as a camp director and a parent who's seen many friends and neighbors choose camps that weren't appropriate for their kids. Pearlman's presentation will be targeted to parents sending their young children to day camp for the first time as well as those who have been to camp but didn't have a good first experience. She'll provide tools to find the best camp, plus questions to ask camp directors and tips on how to prepare the parents and the children for the camp experience.

Prior to Pearlman's seminar, at 1pm, Jill Tipograph, founder and director of the New Jersey-based Everything Summer, the only independent summer consultancy dedicated to families in the area, will lead a panel discussion on "Selecting a Sleepaway Camp." Tipograph will moderate a discussion between several camp directors from Maine Camp Experience, an organization of overnight camps in Maine, who will offer parents tips on how to know when their child is ready for sleepaway camp and how to find the right fit for children with special needs or interests. Tipograph will also cover common questions she's gotten from parents over the nearly two decades she's spent helping families.

"To me, there's no greater gift in the world than camp," says the mom of two. "Kids are accepted unconditionally. It helps them transition from one phase of life to another. Every child has different needs and families have different budgets, but you can get that experience based on whatever your needs are."

The event is sponsored by the Maine Camp Experience and Webster Bank, Cablevision News 12, and radio station 103.9 WFAS, and is hosted by NYMetroParents and Westchester Parent. Admission to the fair is free for attendees, who can also participate in raffles and win prizes.

For more information on the Westchester Camp & Summer Activity Fair, visit www.westchestercampfair.com.

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