Time for summer camp - 5 Tips: Get a head start finding a camp for your kid now. Here’s how.

New York City, New York, USA  (2006-03-13)

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Snow may still be on the ground in some places, but summer camps are already beginning to fill up.

If you’re looking to get your kids into camp this year, 5 Tips is here to tell you what you should know before packing their bags.

1. Get in now

It’s estimated there will be 11 million kids going to summer camp this year. To get into the camp your kid wants, you should act quickly. Many camps are reaching their occupation limit by March, says Jeff Solomon, executive director of the National Camp Association.

Parents shouldn’t wait past mid-April if they want to send their kids to camp, according to Ann Sheets of the American Camp Association. You should also start making your camp decisions now if you’re considering a traditional camp. They tend to fill up first, according to Chris Thurber, the author of "The Secret Ingredients of Summer Camp Success."

There’s another benefit to being the early worm. You may get a registration discount, says Sheets. Keep in mind that schools in some states let out earlier than most and that means summer camp starts even earlier. In Texas, for example, schools get out in the middle of May.

2. Whittle down your options

Too much choice isn’t always a good thing. Today there are over 5,000 day camps and 7,000 sleep away camps. There are camps for every kind of hobby, from sports and fine arts camps to education and test prep camp and travel and adventure camps.

To narrow your options, get a sense of what you can afford and what interests your child. Then you can begin trolling the Web. The American Camp Association runs a database of 2,400 accredited camps that you can search by your activity and cost preference, at www.CampParents.org.

Camps that are accredited by the ACA must comply with a number of health and safety standards. Keep in mind only a small portion of summer camps are accredited and there are plenty of great summer camps that may not be accredited.

If you want to see all kinds of camp choices, go to MySummerCamps.com . You’ll be able to search traditional, specialty or special needs camps.

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