Camp Best Friends

Sigh. I wanted so much to like you, Camp Best Friends. With a name like that, and a price that can’t be beat, I was thrilled after poring over 300 possible Summer Camps for our son to find you. Camp Best Friends has been around for over THIRTY years and is put forth by the City of Atlanta Department of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Affairs. At only $ 35 for the entire week including both breakfast and lunch, with camp starting at 7:30 am and pickup until 6pm, it appears to be far and away the most affordable option for parents seeking a weekday camp throughout the summer. I had such high hopes– with a tremendous multitude of activities offered, including dance, martial arts, field trips, swimming, and more– it seemed too good to be true. I’m afraid, for the most part, that it was.
We attended both the Bessie Branham location and the Morningside location. At both, I will say right off that, for the most part, staff were friendly, welcoming, and accommodating. But there were moments that seemed full of chaos and disorder at both camps. In fact, on our first day at each camp, I found myself unexpectedly alone in a room with dozens of children. I acknowledge that it was only for a moment (a few seconds at one, a minute or two at the other) — still, as any parent knows, a lot can happen with children (ranging in age from 5-​teen) in a matter of seconds. At both, located on the grounds of two of Atlanta’s most beautiful parks, when I asked my son (on some of the rare days of sun this summer) if they had been outside to play, he told me they had not. One of the camps expressly informed me that the children were not allowed to go outside when some had had bad behavior. One parent informed me that though she had been asked to pack her child a lunch for a field trip, he ended up not being offered his lunch until the children returned on the bus from the field trip– at 4pm. The same child informed his mom a day earlier that he had watched FOUR movies, as most of the kids had gone swimming, and the remaining staff were understaffed. When I come in each morning, and pick up each afternoon, I don’t get a sense of order– a sense that there is a calm direction to things, or that my son will have much of an enriching day. There are things we’ve enjoyed about the program– staff are friendly, my son has made some new friends, and has learned some songs/​dances/​chants that are fun and interesting. However, as far as the rest of the activities, my experience has been that the camp offers FAR too much video watching, and computer game playing, with far too little organized activity, time outside, and attention to the individual.
As a side note– we also spent a week at Safari Day Camp (Zoo Atlanta’s camp) and Little Linguists International Preschool’s Spanish Immersion Camp– both seemed fantastic, focused, and positive– but at a cost. I had high hopes for you, Camp Best Friend. I truly hope Atlanta will have an affordable option that still feels productive, safe, and enriching soon!