Important note to Chinese Groups & Agencies
American Summer Camps is most capable to help 1) Individual families in China looking for the right camp for their children, and 2) Schools in China who are not looking to profit on top of the camp fee.
A lot of agencies and educational departments in China contact us about sending groups of children. While we are eager to help families find the right American camp for their kids, it rarely works out for large groups through an agency.
There are several obstacles that often come up when we have discussions with groups and agencies.
Groups
Most camps do not allow large groups from any one country, as the kids from within the group tend to stick together and not venture away from the people they know. There are a few rare cases where a big group may be possible, but those are mainly school programs rather the traditional camps.
Chaperones
Most camps do not allow a chaperone to accompany children while they are at at camp– there are some rare exceptions.
Pricing
The camps and programs we work with are some of the most established in the US. It’s rare they would be open to negotiate rates because 1) They do not need to negotiate because they will likely max out their enrollment, and 2) It puts them in a compromising position with their clientele who pay the regular price.
California
There are very few private camps in California and most of them have wait lists. It’s very unlikely camps in California will work out for groups or agencies from China. Families need to be willing to fly into New York or Boston, where most of the camps are located.
Customized Needs
When we have receive requests to work with a large group from China, it often comes along with customized requests for the group. Most camps would not be able to handle these customized requests, such as taking out-of-camp trips to malls, tourist spots, etc.
Visas
It tends to be difficult process for Chinese families to acquire a visa, and therefore is an even more challenging situation to acquire visas for an entire group of kids.
Language Barrier
We suggest that children have at least some English training prior to coming to camp. They do not need to be fluent, but there needs to be some basic ability to communicate essential needs. However, if their English Level is 0 (on a scale of 0-10), it’s not likely going to translate into a good camp experience.
Important note to Chinese agencies
It is extremely unlikely we will work with agencies in China. If you feel your agency can address the above obstacles, please send us a detailed email explaining how you propose to partner with us. We can not entertain exclusive agreements, nor can we allow you to charge a large fee to families on top of the camp fee.
Sincerely,
American Summer Camps
