Full Steam Ahead for Northern Michigan Summer Camps

Summer programs are filling up…or are already sold out

By Brighid Driscoll | Feb. 25, 2023

A rite of passage. A family tradition. An opportunity to learn new things and meet new people. (Or, sometimes, simply a way to keep the kids busy while school is out.) Summertime and camp go together like peanut butter and jelly, but amid staffing and childcare crises, demand has never been higher…nor has the need for camp options been greater.

Northern Express talked to a few local spots offering summer camps and programming to get insight into kid-focused fun, the ups and downs of the industry, and the best ways to get your kiddos signed up.

Northwestern Michigan College’s College for Kids

According to Director of Extended Educational Services Laura Matchett, Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) is expecting their College for Kids programs to be 90 percent full this summer. Last year, Matchett says College for Kids ran 111 classes and sold 1,317 seats, or about 70 percent of capacity.

In 2023, the program offers more than 130 weeklong courses for kids ages 4-17, ranging from chess to ukulele to tree climbing to the culinary arts. There is a “Great Lakes Charter Fishing Experience,” a “Take Flight with Women in Aviation” course, and a chance to get scuba diving experience and certification. Kids can build skills in core school subjects or explore a brand-new hobby.

“Our programming is different from many summer camps because we offer content specific instructor-led classes, not ‘summer camp,’” Matchett explains. “Because we do not run like a day camp, we hire instructors with teaching experience and expertise. Our own team manages the rest of the program.”

Although it’s not a day camp, kids can spend much of the day there, as NMC offers a supervised lunch break for kids who are signed up for morning and afternoon classes on the same campus.

One of the most popular age ranges for the program is kids ages four to six. “Many parents love this ‘first school’ type of experience where the classes are short—just four to five days long—the content is very fun and experiential, and the teachers are enthusiastic and compassionate about teaching,” Matchett says.

Speaking of teachers, Matchett tells us only a few of College for Kids’ regular instructors bowed out this year. Most folks come back time and time again, though NMC is always looking for additional instructors.

NMC’s College for Kids registration will open on April 4, 2023, at 7am at nmc.augusoft.net/info/landing/youth-programs. Matchett recommends creating a household login profile before registration opens so you’re first in line for class sign-ups.

Arts For All

Arts For All is a Traverse City-based nonprofit focused on creating inclusive events for kids of all abilities. This year, they are hosting two summer programs which will soon be open for registration (more on that below!).

First, the organization is partnering with NMC’s College for Kids to offer a weeklong summer program. “We’re offering a diverse range of activities,” Executive Director Val McCarthy says. “Kids will do clay hand-building, yoga, sound meditation, mono printing, juggling, and singing. Our goal is to provide a welcoming environment for the kids to explore their creativity, have fun and learn new skills.”

Their second summer program offering will get kids outside with the Happy Camper Days in July—a hands-on gardening experience at the Children’s Garden next to the Traverse Area District Library on Woodmere for people ages six through adulthood.

“Our goal is to teach children the importance of caring for our environment, our soil, and how to plant seeds and start a garden,” McCarthy says. At the end of the three-week program, the students will enjoy the fruits (and veggies) of their labor with a big, celebratory salad.

McCarthy isn’t surprised to hear that many camps in the area are already full for 2023. “I’ve learned that daycare and childcare is the number two need in our area,” she says.

Enrollment for Happy Camper Days opens March 1 at artsforallnmi.org. To sign up for the weeklong program in partnership with NMC, head to nmc.augusoft.net/info/landing/youth-programs when registration opens April 4.

Camp Daggett

This 98-year-old summer camp is located on idyllic Walloon Lake in Petoskey and has persevered through the Great Depression, the Second World War, the pandemic, and countless other hurdles over the last century.

They’re doing something right; this year’s camp is already full. The overnight camp runs in eight one-week increments and is open to kids ages seven through 14 for a quintessential camp experience.

“We consider ourselves a traditional overnight camp,” Operations Manager Liz McKenney says. “We have opportunities for activities like sailing, canoeing, and fishing. We also have an archery range, and we’ll do art and crafts and large group activities.”

The camp also offers the Camp Daggett Adventure Center (CDAC), which includes an outdoor adventure and ropes course, and the 5,820-square-foot Indoor Adventure Center that makes rainy-day boredom a thing of the past.

While other childcare venues struggle to keep fully staffed, Camp Daggett has been lucky in 2023. “Staffing has been a struggle the past couple of years, but we have a new director this year, Doug [De Ceuninck], and he has been a rockstar getting us almost fully staffed.”

Although 2023 is full, McKenney says the best way to secure a spot for next year is to be prepared to register as soon as it opens. “Registration is incredibly competitive. We do offer a waitlist, but even that is almost full too. For next year, people will want to check out campdaggett.org for instructions on when to register. You want to be on our website the second registration opens,” she advises.

Registration opens early in the year, so keep a reminder for late December to stay on the lookout for 2024 enrollment at campdaggett.org.

Grand Traverse Bay YMCA

Youths ages four to 16 have plenty of options to look forward to at the Y’s Summer Day Camp…so long as they’re already signed up. Like Camp Daggett, this summer’s camps are full for 2023.

“[Our] biggest issue for enrollment is capacity,” says Senior Director of Programming Thomas Graber. “We are licensed for 200 campers daily, and we filled 10 weeks at that capacity in a matter of hours. We have expanded capacity in several of our specialty camps, including Science and Nature and Art Camp. We are also excited about some new field trip opportunities and integrating more educational opportunities for our campers.”

Campers can look forward to different themed day camp experiences, including Traditional, Leaders Club, Sports Camp, Science and Nature, and Art Camp. The Traditional camp is offered for grades K-6 and includes tried and true activities like spending time outdoors, playing games, and singing songs, all while making new friends. Older kids grades 7-9 can attend Leaders Club, where they’ll learn leadership abilities like working within a team and helping their community and younger campers, all while having fun. For kids grades 3-6, Sports Camp, Science and Nature, and Art Camp are all options.

Graber and the rest of the Y team are working to make next year even more accessible to parents searching for a good way to keep their kids active. “We are evaluating options to expand capacity and licensed sites in the future to accommodate [more campers],” Graber says.

“We serve campers from all around,” he continues. “Summer camp is often the only time some of these friends get to see each other. From my perspective, it is so much fun to see these kids and families get together year after year, and camp is their commonplace. Many campers are with us for 10 weeks out of the summer. I love seeing campers come in timid, shy, and uncertain of the situation only to see them make new friends, gain confidence, and completely change by the end of summer.”

Next year’s registration opens in early February. Stay tuned at gtbayymca.org.