Camp or yeshivas kayitz? Choosing the summer before mesivta
Two kinds of summer, what each gives, and how to decide by Purim.
The summer before mesivta is a real decision, and it comes early: most programs open registration between Chanukah and Purim and fill by Pesach.
Two kinds of summer
A camp is activity first: sports, swimming, trips, color war, with davening and a learning period built in. A yeshivas kayitz runs a morning seder with a rebbe, often preparing boys for the mesivta they are entering, and opens up to camp activities in the afternoon.
Neither is better. They are for different boys and different years.
When camp makes sense
- He has had a heavy year and needs to be a kid for seven weeks.
- He is going to a mesivta where he already knows boys and does not need the head start.
- He thrives on sports and groups, and that is where his confidence comes from.
When yeshivas kayitz makes sense
- He is going to a mesivta where the learning will be a jump, and a summer of seder would make Elul easier.
- He is nervous about the farher or the first zman and a rebbe's confidence would steady him.
- He has friends going, or the mesivta itself runs or recommends the program.
Questions to ask any program
- How many boys, and how many staff are over 20?
- Who is the head counselor and how long has he been there?
- What does a Shabbos look like?
- What is the policy on phones and on visiting day?
- What is the full cost, and is there a canteen or trip fund on top of it?
Decide by Purim
Pick two or three programs, call them, and decide. The ones that are right for your son are the ones that will fill first.
Written by the ChinuchPlace team
Educators and administrators who work in yeshivos and mesivtas, writing what we tell friends who ask. Nothing here is sponsored, and no school is named.
Questions parents ask
- When does camp registration open?
- Most programs open between Chanukah and Purim and fill by Pesach.
- What is a yeshivas kayitz?
- A summer program with a morning learning seder led by a rebbe, often preparing boys for the mesivta they are entering, with camp activities after.
- Should a boy entering mesivta go to a learning camp?
- If the mesivta's learning will be a jump, a summer of seder makes Elul easier. If he's had a heavy year, a regular camp may serve him better.
Ready to look?
Every program on the shelf, with the facts families ask about first.