Why are most, if not all, day camps ending August 25, yet school doesn’t start until September 8th?
How are we supposed to make a parnassa and have our kids home form school for almost two weeks?
Not everyone has bein hazmanim and they expect us to work, pay full tuition and then have to find babysitters or take vacation days to watch our kids until the 8th. Either shcool should start earlier or camp should go longer.
Thank you.
C.N.
Lakewood.
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That’s life … Figure it out and spend some time with ur kids and I do work full time and I’m happy for rabbeim and teachers that they don’t have to start before the 8th And its usually the ones not paying the full tuition that complain
Your difficult predicament is not the schools responsibility! While I feel for you, I can’t understand your attitude of expecting someone else to fix your problems. All schools should start in middle of August so your life can be easier? Grow up
Several comments. Camps are businesses. If there was a big enough demand they would do it.Nobody owes you anything. If there is a need for a service that is not being filled ,then you have to fill it.
As far as schools ,while you say that you pay full tuition ,the majority of parents in most Lakewood schools ,do not pay full. So you can’t ask schools to undertake what would be an expensive proposition in paying their entire staff more to come in earlier. If every parent would pay whatever is needed to cover the schools expenses ,then you could request some changes.
This happened twice in the last few yrs when Roch Chodeshh elul was in beginning of August so all the day camps closed buy Yeshiva didn’t start till end of August. What I did was , make a 2-week day camp. Just for grades 1-4. I rented a space, hired Rebbes, who were also off and looking for work, rented a pool and we had a great time. If I can do it, you can, too. It’s not too late to plan that now.
It’s a total disaster. There are kids roaming my block all day,absolutely bored…..and boredom is the most unhealthy thing for a kid! It’s a disaster
What about the two weeks in between school and camp? Finish the yeshiva year at the end of June. The rebbeim are done and so are the kids. Time to adapt to the rest of the world. Let our rebbeim get the well deserved position in camp. There are no kosher places we can take boys.
While sleep away camps were a nine week session years ago, such a dilemma of what to do with the children between camp and yeshiva wasn’t such a problem. The fact that many schools schedules don’t allow for the nine week sleep away camp session any longer and even the current eight week session doesn’t work for many schools, the schools are at fault. Rebbeim and teachers need their vacation as well. Many rebbeim have summer jobs to keep their families occupied in the right seviva. A camping experience does more good than the ten or so months of the school year for many children. A camping experience is healthy for the children and the parents as well. Children learn many good things while being amongst their chaveirim etc during their stay away from home and school.
What about kids that can’t afford to go to camp. They are home a whole summer!!!!
wow, how insensitive people can be with their responses. I actually disagree very much with one and two. We do pay more than full tuition and contribute to all school campaigns etc but my husband and I both work extremely hard to do so. No where in the world do kids have 10 weeks of vacation. They are bored and wants structure! Its fun to sleep late and relax a couple of days but not for that long. Secondly, this is a community (don’t we call ourselves that?). Everywhere else the community tries to resolve hardships together and this is one of them. Its not a PROBLEM or a CRISIS, but a challenge. yes we all figure it but its an unnecessary stress factor. Lets get aligned with school and camp schedules, boys and girls so parents can take targeted vacation days and truly enjoy them with the family rather than having to scramble for the girls and boys schedules separately.
Kids need a few days with no pressure, no schedule etc. Spend time with them as they are our most precious assets.
We must realize that this is a problem in every city, not just in Lakewood. It is in Baltimore, Detroit, Chicago, Monsey, Cleveland, St. Louis, LA, and every other city including Brooklyn New York. Yes it is hard but this is how the schedule works out sometimes. What I do is I have my son discuss withsix or seven of his friends to make what’s called a round Robin. each day one of the parents are responsible to keep them busy. Take them on a trip find a pool or do something that’ll keep them busy. This way the boys are happy and only parents have to give up one or two days in 2weeks
This question is a sad outlook on what parents’ job is and what roll the school should play in your child upbringing.
I highly recommend some parenting classes. Yes, you have to put bread on the table, but you have to be your child’s parent first.
Plan some fun time for your kids for the evening, when you come home from work. They will have something to look forward to and plan for, during the day.
Gear up to a fresh start of the school year , with your kids having had a fun summer with YOU
Grandma said, “I shed blood bringing them into this world; I raise them.”
My son and I actually really enjoyed our time off together but that because he only had a week and I spent money to make sure he enjoyed it. Camp is so amazing for the kids I wish it would be longer. To tell parents enjoy the two and half weeks off is ridiculous! How are we supposed to be able to afford to pay tuition and for camp of we take that much time off? No boss would stand for that!!
I agree with this writer except on one point: kids are not bored because of vacation. Actually the school year makes them bored. Sounds ridiculous but I’ll prove it. When I lived in Israel my kids rarely complained that they’re bored. So why here are they suddenly always bored? Because this culture is to overload. We do it to ourselves and to our kids with schoolwork to the point they barely have free time during the week. They don’t have daily free time to LEARN how to use it as my children did in Israel. So they are so over stimulated that they continually need to be entertained. It would be very healthy indeed to end school an hour earlier and have an extra month school to compensate for the shorter day.
Another point: Camp for elementary age kids is great and terrible at the same time. Some streamlined kids will come out unscathed and rejuvenated. However, many many will be mishandled. How do you expect a 15 year old counselor to break up a fight in a professional manner?? Or deal with sore losers? It takes more professionalism to mentor kids socially than to teach! Then the kids go to school and the school complains about social skills. Meanwhile, camp has structured play and recess in school is unstructured. Wouldn’t you think camp should be the one more responsible for social issues? But camp is a business. School is too busy. It’s a bad system.
ITS CALLED SPENDING TIME WITH YOUR KIDS. IF YOU ARE MATURE ENOUGH TO HAVE A KID- THEN YOU SHOULD BE MATURE ENOUGH TO WATCH AND ENTERTAIN THEM. MAYBE 2-3 FAMILIES SHOULD GET TOGETHER EACH DAY AND DO AN ACTIVITY. Boating, chuck e cheese, walk a mall, golf, etc…
Some must be reading this and thinking about graditude and the opportunity to actually do something with your kids. Yes it can be apocalyptic at times. BTW the word “bored” is not permitted in our house.
Why is it that in many states, public school has started already? A lot of school districts no longer follow the 10 week summer schedule. Yes, Rebbeim and Moros need some time off, and they get it. Most jobs only allow two or three weeks a year, not ten! And most of that is eaten up by Yomim Tovim. Rebbeim and Moros are not the only hard-working people out there. There is no reason why school cannot start the last week of August. Every year.
Do you realize the consequences if all mothers would be able to stay home the two weeks in between camp and school? It would close down most of the businesses and stores in town. Take your kids for ice cream or clothes shopping? Sorry, no workers since they are all taking care of your children. Need something from your lawyer or accountant? Sorry, they are working on minimal staff since mothers have to take off to take care of their children. Having a problem with your apartment? It will have to wait until school starts since all mothers are at home taking care of their children.
This is not a realistic scenario, so stop with the “holier than thou” attitude that mothers have to take care of their precious children, and that the “children come first.” Mothers have to work, even when the children are home from school/day camp. Not working for those two weeks is a luxury that many mothers don’t have. You cannot have it both ways!
I would also like to add something if I take off from work for 2 weeks I’ll get fired! Yes my kids need me and bh they have me. But for all the people saying take off and be a “mother to your children” don’t know what it’s like in the real world.
Also if like to add that I understand the camp and schools so I found an alternative to these weeks. It wasn’t easy but I found one. So let’s all stop complaining try to find a different answer instead of blaming the camps and schools and have a great shabbos!
Writer never said anything about couple days with kids not being geshmak for him , and I’m sure he spends time with his kids during those couple of days . Two weeks is out of hand though when someone has a real job , couple days yea , two weeks is nuts . The 500 teachers and rebbeim may have to be inconvenienced for the other 25000 parents in this town . The schools and camps should coordinate that max week in between which leaves plenty of time for nice family vacation but also allows parents to keep their jobs and their vacation days for YOm Tov
Ask neighbors to make a back yard day camp. Pay teenage girls $100 or so a day. Get 2-3 girls and 12- 15 kids. Each kid is about $20 a day. I know people in New York who do it. What have people done in the past? I enjoy spending time with my kids and love it. I wish school started later. And I am far from rich.
I would suggest that the children learn more T_rah commensurate with their background. Certainly, some who more able can help others with such studies.
It will go well for them, their families and Olam !!
Shalom, a goy, Gerry Mullen
Why is this big deal. Your choice to have all these kids take care of them. I have 3 children. Never used camps or daycare. My husband I worked opposite shifts to make sure one parent was home with them at all the time 3 bright wonderful respectful children with college degrees. We come from a small family but where help was needed family would help . We both work full time to this day and so do our children . Lakewood family’s are large and tight family’s if it a big deal why don’t all there huge family’s help if they don’t want there kids home. It relly makes me sad not wanting to spend time with your children. My one child’s in military serving our county at 19 and you worried about camp. Sick.
All excuses are just plain excuses, i pay tuition for 12 months & every opportunity to not have school they grab it, will just have to wait a little until we have more chasidim here, they will change it & the current schools will be forced to copy
Get to know your kids!! It’s the best thing in the world, maybe next year they should make it longer.
So nice to spend time with children!! Maybe they should get rid of school and camp and the parents just stop working and then very simple we’ll be home 24 hours a day 365 days a year with my child.
How dare you. Many mothers in this town are NOT stay at home moms who complain about having to entertain their children or spend time with them. Given the opportunity, I’m sure that these hard working women would love the luxury of spending time with their children without having to worry about losing parnasa. Taking off for two weeks is not an option. Many of us working class get paid by the hour with NO Paid Vacation. Ever. Not Even Yom Tov. Finding affordable child care for the additional time off from school this summer is a real challenge.please think before you pass judgement.
Get 10 kids together and make round robin each family has one day …
To comment writer number 16.
I am a counselor in a day camp for many many years. It’s true not every camp is for every child. Some camps can be a hit or miss. Just like a school. I have to stick up for a lot of these “15 year olds”. First of all MOST 15 year olds in a boys day camp are JCs NOT COUNSELORS. There is usually an older counselor with him and an even older head staff member to go to when things get difficult. It is disgusting to blame a camp with dedicated and devoted staff EVEN A 15 YEAR OLD who are working very hard in the heat to make sure your son has an amazing summer, to blame them for social issues. Maybe the social issues come from somewhere else. And if you’re so concerned about social issues, then petition to have a bunch of therapists be counselors if you’re not interested in dealing with your sons “growing pains”.
Again just because one camp might not be for your son, doesn’t mean another camp is also terrible. To say and blame a camp that its a “terrible system” is nasty.
Let’s try to appreciate our staff a little more. EVEN THE 15 YEAR OLDS. Who a lot of them are capable.
what about us bus drivers don’t you think we need a break for those two weeks. we are in a hot bus all day taking your child on trips for the camps then we have to take them home. when it is 90 degrees to 100 degrees out side it is 120 degrees in the bus maybe more . we have no air condition in our buses while you are in a air condition place. when public schools have off we are driving your child to school. i would like to see you drive a bus for one day . you wouldn’t make it. Spend time with your child for those two weeks i’m sure your job gives you vacation time that’s if you even work.
Camps should go another week and charge for that.
If you chose to be a bus driver then that’s your business and your business only. We are quite frankly not interested that you have no a/c
Take it up with your boss or leave for a a coach bus which has AC. Ups and mail man also don’t have AC. Should we help them out too?
Fyi… school in many Out of town communities begins about August 15…
Many of you are missing the boat. Spend quality time with your kids EVERY day throughout the school year. End school earlier, give less homework. No need for 2 entire weeks. Any outsider to this lifestyle will surely agree. You’re just too deep into it to realize the absurdity of a too-long school day+homework and too-long summer. Both should be shorter.
To “Disgusted”: I agree I shouldn’t have used the term “terrible”. However, there is a problem and I’m sure some camps are exceptions. Ideally we should approach camp with professionalism and give a quick training to counselors. I can’t tell you how often parents complained to me that their child was bullied and told the counselor who did… nothing.
I agree and disagree with the original poster. I enjoyed my time with my sons so much that they requested that next yr they have the same amount of time off. I barely spent money but we did spend lots of quality time together. The one thing that is bothering me and if I was working would be very difficult is that after spending 2 weeks with my boys, now my daughter has off for 2 more weeks. If the schools/camps could coordinate the girls and boys schedules that would me it easier for parents. Since I’m not working I’m looking forward to the quality time with my daughter!!!
alot of these comments are saying how you should be happy to spend time with your kids.
That is not the issue at all.
Parents have to actually go to work in order to keep their jobs so they cannot spend two weeks with their kids, happy or not!
I work for myself and it is extremely stressful when I try to be there for my kids and also run my business. and when you do it for two weeks you can pull your hair out from frustration. If only there was 1 week off at the beginning of the summer, so they can chill out from school and look forward to camp, there would be only one week off at the end of the summer. One week off would be much easier to manage. But what they do is end school on a thursday, and start camp the very next Monday! This is the answer, and I talk about this every year, but nobody listens.
To YT.
I agree the more we train our counselors what to look out for the better. Every case is different and depending on the age of the boy is also. I’ve had cases where I’ve seen for instance a boy get bullied but instead of the boy telling his counselor, he fought back. either verbally, physically, with sticks etc. As an experienced counselor, once this boy fights back, the bully got his punishment already and now the counselor has to deal with this boy that fought back. Sometimes the boy will come home and say my counselor did nothing without saying this part of the story.
That’s why its important for parents and staff to be in sync and on the same page. I tell all my campers if there’s a problem don’t fight back. Go to a counselor.
Again every situation is different and needs to be dealt with accordingly.
Be happy that you can afford to send your kids to camp. I’m a BA grad licensed professional with 20+ yrs working experience from a top university earning six figures and cannot afford camp. BTW, when we cannot afford something, we don’t buy it.
You mention the problem is in other cities as well as Lakewood. That may be true for the end of the summer, but Lakewood is the only city I know that has school/camp for the boys in July. My son had nearly 2 weeks off in between when school ended and camp started. I enjoyed the time with him as I don’t work in the summer. If he will have another 2 weeks off after camp it will be very challenging as I need to start working again and my work is deadline oriented. I think the system in Lakewood should be changed that boys should end school the end of June and have 2 months of camp (like the rest of the Jewish communities.) This way Rabbeim can get jobs in sleep away camp and parents don’t have gaps of no structure twice in the summer. Additionally, I think the boys can use more camp fun they work so hard in school the whole year (Sundays too) I feel like they are getting shortchanged when it comes to camp.
for many years, the boys’ schools in baltimore have had school-
AM/day camp-PM during july and it has worked very well. i agree that it’s a problem finding things for your kids to do during the summer, but it is unfair, and not productive, to insist that the school have to be responsible for everyone all year long
Camp Ma-Na-Im! Wonderful program, excellent rebbeim, great staff, well-priced – and camp ends Sept 1 (a 5 week program). That leaves us with a long (holiday) weekend, and then it’s back to school. My son couldn’t be happier – and as a working mom,so am I! Thank you, camp ma na im!!!
Most of the people running day camps are Rebbes themesleves, they work hard all yearlong, then run a camp, they need some sort of break to get themselves ready for the new school year no?
be creative , figure it out instead of kvetching,
maybe invite your mother-in law to move in (is’nt that what mother in laws are for?)
Over the years I worked things out, where I took off maybe 2 days from work, got one grandmother to come for a few days or similar. Other years I hired a girl who drove or young mother to make a one week camp or similar. You can also join with a neighbor who will take off 2 days from work and then you do also.
The way the world used to be.
Now a days the schools can never give off because all the parents do is complain a snow day what do I do. I have work. School wants to start late anything even isru chag. All parents do is complain because after all the teachers are babysitters now a days. The school can never give off because one rich person complains and they ruin it for everyone. Even 10 years ago it was normal the kids have off between camp and school and not everyone went to camp a whole summer because its to expensive. People do trips with there family ect and the few people who worked in the open world hired a babysitter for those days and they went to day camp all summer. They worked it out without complaining. But in today’s day in age all we do is complain. We have work what should we do. We should instead know there is a gap between school and work and you have a few months to figure it out whether you decide to use it for your off days or choice not to get paid for those days or send them to some camp after camp some ages it works or you have older kids to babysit. or work it out with your husband he goes a little late that day and you take off only a little. figure it out your a big girl. figure out what works best for you.And sometimes if it means sacfising for your husbands schedule be happy and say my husband can learn full time most of the year and he needs to help me a few days still nicer than him having to go out to work to support the family if you can still bring in the income. Also a big problem is the offices in lakewood are nasty they never want to give off no legal holidays no chol hamoed or erev yom tov and they give a hard time here get a babysitter even if you wont be saving anything. the ladies suffer. they work you to the bone and are cruel. never let you be a normal family never off maybe this has to do with the divorce rate because there job makes them miserable and they take if out on there husbands. Maybe we should get rabbnim involve that frum people should not force frum people to work on chol hamoed ect… in the goysih world you take off fine for those things. Also some people are still waiting to get kids in to school think about them crying every night its not normal that this only happens in lakewood and no out of town community.
Anyways just figure it out on your own and stop complaining let the rabbim have a break and your kids need it to its healhy to stay home with them.
Either your kids are young can go to a day care
or your in the middle cap you take off and use off days or get a babysitter.
or you have older kids to babysit.
When i was a kid i babysat for these poor mothers who have work as a chesed. now a days people dont know how to do that all they want is to get paid what we make in offices.
So everyone work it out and stop trying to have something to write in the coffee room. and i hope you enjoy spending time with your kids.
tell your boss its to bad you are a mother after all not a stave to him we are not in the civil war anymore.