EDITOR'SNOTE  nancy macdonald The number of day camps in the United States has grown by almost 90% in the past 20 years, according to the American Camp Association, a national organization that tracks camp trends and accredits summer camps. That organization also determined that: • More than 12,000 camps exist in America. • More than 11 million children attend camp • Non-profit groups, including youth agencies (YMCA, Girl Scouts, etc) and religious organizations, operate approximately 8,000 camps • Of the more than 12,000 American camps, approximately 7,000 are resident (overnight) camps. Furthermore, the Association's 2006 Camper Enrollment Survey showed: • Over 40% of camps reported an enrollment increase of 4 to 10 percent or greater. • Female campers account for 55 percent of total enrollment • The most popular session length is one week or less, although the majority of independent camp operators offer four, six, and eight-week sessions. • Over 70% of camps report that over half of their camper population was comprised of returning campers. If you have a child age 4 or older you did not need me to tell you these statistics to prove to you how popular summer camp is. And if you are a working parent, summer camp has almost become a necessity. While many parents cite that their children learn new things, gain confidence, and improve self-esteem at summer camp as a reason for sending them, working parents site the safe environment as one of the top draws. The popularity and necessity of summer camp for parents (and children) is why Bay State Parent provides a camp advertising directory six months of the year (January-June) and this month presents its 12th Annual Camp Guide. Freelance writer Marguerite Paolino uncovers what ever parent needs to know to find the perfect camp for their child. She writes, "While it can be tempting to go with whatever camp the neighbor's child goes to, there may be a program that better fits your child's interests and personality. Finding it may mean starting the research process a full year before your child will go to camp." Don't fret if you are just starting the process now. Her report, beginning on page 60, will help you uncover all the information and resources you need to secure a camp by June. And with gas prices yet again over $3 a gallon, is it best to send all your kids to the same camp or drive each one to the camp of their dreams? Can you even fit all those drop-offs and pick-ups in your schedule? Will they fight the entire camp season? Will one child feel she is in the shadow of her older sibling? Or should you just ignore these thoughts and take the sibling discount for multiple children in one camp, as economists, depending on whom you listen to, say we are either in a recession or heading into one. If you want some advice from camp directors and parents on siblings attending the same camp, read freelance writer Donna Morin Miller's report on page 62. March 20th is, at least according to the calendar, the start of spring. (Whether, Mother Nature adheres to it is another matter.) Spring Cleaning is a popular activity for many parents. In fact, 66% of Americans, in a 2006 survey, said spring is the best time to rid their homes of dirt and clutter. For that reason, this magazine's 5th Annual Spring Décor Guide is focusing on organization and spring cleaning. According to the National Association of Professional Organizers: • 40 percent of housework can be eliminated by getting rid of clutter • 80 percent of the clutter in most homes is a result of disorganization, not a lack of space. Joyce Dorney, a mother of six children, told freelance writer Jennifer Lefferts she realized she had no choice but to become organized or her life would be in constant chaos. As she gathered the tools to eliminate clutter and chaos from her home and organize her life, she realized other mothers were in need of this advice and ideas too. So last year, she launched Organize magazine. Read about her "new child" and try out her 10 Things Every Mom Can Do in a Weekend To Get Organized on pages 46 and 47. After you have gone through your home, room-by-room, what should you do with those boxes of toys, bags of too small clothing, no-longerneeded baby and maternity items, and boxes of unwanted stuff? Donate? Sell on eBay? Make some cash via consignment store? Put out with the trash? Well, don't make a decision until you read freelance writer Jennifer Lucarelli's report on whether its best to purge clutter as fast as your can on make some cash off of it. Her findings start on page 48. Finally, March 3 is the 11th Annual National Education Association's Read Across America Day. Originally, started as a one-day event to celebrate the joy of reading on Dr. Seuss' birthday (born March 2, 1905 in Springfield, Massachusetts); the event is expected to draw more than 45 million participants this year. Make time that day, if you don't already, to read to your child(ren). A study showed that children who were read to at least three times a week by a family member were almost twice as likely to score in the top 25 percent of their class than children who were read to less. If you are looking for some recommendations on what to read - one of my favorites is Green Eggs & Ham by Dr. Seuss - or visit the National Education Association's Web site (http://www.nea.org/readacross/resources/catalist.html) for Educators' List of Top 100 Children's Books. Happy Spring & Happy Reading! Susan Scully Petroni editor@baystateparent.com