Parents say they get a tour of the facility before enrolling their children at the camps.
| Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM
As exams have come to an end, parents are now looking for a slew of activities to engage their children during the summer vacation.
From summer camps to cool camps and photo walks, children now have a hard time picking. However, parents’ top concern has been the rising temperatures in the city. The first criteria for most parents when choosing a summer camp has been the timings, with no outdoor activity scheduled during the hot afternoon.
A. Divyalakshmi, a parent of a nine-year-old, plans to admit her child in an upcoming summer camp. While basic hygiene is a concern for her, she is worried about the heat. “As a working parent, it is difficult to engage with the child full-time so I’m also looking at camps that can educate her on new skills,” she said.
She further pointed out that now she makes it a point to enquire about their afternoon activities as temperatures are rising. “The summer camp must make the children comfortable and still ensure that the children continue to be engaged in activities,” she added.
Parents also say that they enquire about basic facilities, including water, hygiene, and toilets. “We also ensure that we get a tour of the facility before enrolling our children at these camps,” said Nasreen S., a parent.
Parents are looking for summer camps that are reputed, and gathering reviews from fellow parents, said Dimple Surana, founder of the Chennai Mom Tribe. “Apart from timings and weather, affordability of the camps are also a concern. We don’t want to admit our child in a summer camp with a ₹5,000-fee for just five days. The activities must justify the fee, and hence, we have also been looking at trial classes before moving forward,” she added.
Safety of children
While the soaring temperature is a concern, experts also advise parents to keep in mind the safety of their children. “Many organisations that work with children still do not have policies or protocols to deal with situations when they arise,” said Vidya Reddy, of Tulir, Centre for Prevention and Healing of Child Sexual Abuse.
Most organisations offering summer camps that The Hindu spoke to did not have child protection policies. Aditi S., business development manager of Kanchana Paati, said that their staff are vetted and trained regarding safe touch.
“We are offering many activities as part of our summer including arts, crafts, kids kitchen among other things. We ensure that experts, who take classes during the summer camps, are also taught how to behave with children. Further, through our app we give live updates to the parents so that they are aware of the activities in the school,” she added.
Experts stressed that it is important for the parents to be aware of where they are sending their children, the volunteers or instructors at the camp, and what the camp has to offer. “It can be made mandatory for summer camps to register with the police, so that they are aware of the camps functioning under their jurisdiction. Camps for children cannot be started by just anybody, and if there is a registration mechanism, there will be some sort of accountability in place,” said Ms. Reddy.
She also further added that there must be a social media and texting policy in place. “Most resource persons at a summer camp click a photo with the children to post on social media so the organisation must have a policy in place regarding the uploading of children’s photos,” she said.
Published – April 21, 2025 12:54 am IST