Just registered my 9yr old son for his second summer at Camp Birch Hill and I thought I'd leave a review! I can't say enough great things about this camp. Parents have a lot of options when it comes to camp; there are a lot of things that we consider when looking at summer camps for our children. Cost is a big factor for many and Chrissy and Rich here at Camp Birch Hill don't think that should even be a factor so based on that they say on their website they work with you to do their best to help ensure that your child can have the Summer Camp experience, no matter your income. So ask about that if you need to. The other major factor is safety; "Will my child be safe away from home for 2 weeks?!" This was huge for me since my son's first camp experience was just last summer. We had never been away from each other for that long. I was a wreck for the first few days! He, on the other hand didn't want to leave! He was 8 at the time, and that is young to be away from home but these guys at CBH are the experts and they know how to make the little guys feel safe and the camp really is like home away from home based on what my son tells me. They even have two resident Labs! One might be a Golden Retriever, I'm not sure but they tag along on activities and if your child is used to having a family dog, they will be a great comfort. The staff seem to return year after year, so this will also be a comfort to your children, I assume. My son reported that that food is great! I saw for myself that the cabins are clean and cozy and they have two staff that sleep in the cabin with them and that made me feel good, knowing that adults were there with them all night. I think some parents worry about something happening to their children at the hands of adults when they are away from home, I don't worry about this at all at CBH because there are always multiple staff around and all the staff I have met seem to be responsible and bright young adults with a positive attitude and a natural and nurturing way with children. Some of the staff and kids are from other countries which is great exposure to different cultures for kids! I called Chrissy about halfway through the 2-week session and she said it's normal to worry and want to make sure my son was ok and that he was doing great! That made me feel so much better. My son truly had a BLAST, he loved the water activities (sailing, etc) and horseback riding and mountain biking and he came home with a new edge on life! Being away from home and independent, developed him in a way that was obvious to me as his mother. When we started talking about camp for this summer, we looked at a lot of camps and without hesitation, he selected Camp Birch Hill. I was happy to make that work because I want him to have that experience again and again and with the same people and at the same camp, so he feels comfortable and it will all be familiar and somewhat predictable for him. He also really loved some of the staff and I hope he'll get to see some of the friends he made last year again! That's what Summer Camp is all about. You really can't go wrong with Camp Birch Hill for a worldly, yet family-oriented and wholesome Summer Camp experience for your child. read more