8 Tips for Finding Summer Camp Funding

Though a more relaxed pace is often welcome when school is out for the summer, it’s also a time that can be stressful for families, as parents work to figure out camp options and how to pay for them. A key way Undivided supports families is by helping them learn about and unlock benefits and support—on average, our platform helps families unlock $63,000 annually! Below are 8 tips for finding summer camp funding.

1. Write summer programming goals into your child’s IPP

In order to seek funding—commonly from Regional Center or the Self-Determination Program—for your child’s summer camp or social-recreational program, you need to have goals written into the Individualized Program Plan (IPP) that support the need for the camp or program and establish that no appropriate generic resource is available. If these goals are not yet in place, request an IPP meeting to update the goals before you request funding for a summer program.

For tips on how to write goals specifically for social-recreational programs, read our article on Regional Center’s social-recreational funding.

2. Start the process with Regional Center as soon as possible

Regional Center is a popular route for funding camps, as well as potentially funding 1:1 aide support at camp (see tip #8 below). Undivided Public Benefits Specialist Lisa Concoff Kronbeck’s top piece of advice is to connect with Regional Center as soon as possible, given that it can take a month or more to work with your service coordinator and get everything in place.

3. Check vendor status at your local Regional Center

To receive summer camp funding through Regional Center, the camp needs to be vendored with Regional Center. If you know a summer program provider is vendored with Regional Center, you can request funding. If you don’t have a specific program in mind, you can look at the list of vendors on your Regional Center’s website to see what providers are already vendored.

Note that even though the state has restored Regional Center funding for social-recreational programs, some individual Regional Centers still need to update their standards of service, so they may not yet have published their funding guidelines for these programs. If this is the case at your local Regional Center, submit your request and talk to your service coordinator.

4. Check other Regional Centers

If you don’t see your preferred program in the list of approved vendors on your local Regional Center website, keep looking. Concoff Kronbeck advises, “If you live in an area that has multiple local Regional Centers, check other Regional Centers too. If [the camp is] vendored with another Regional Center, you may still be able to use their vendor number at your own Regional Center.”

5. Connect directly with your preferred camp

If the camp you want your child to attend does not appear on the vendor lists at any of your local Regional Centers, reach out to the camp directly and ask if they are willing to go through the vendoring process.

6. Try private insurance

Undivided’s Director of Health Plan Advocacy, Leslie Lobel, says that there’s a chance your insurance could pay for a portion of therapeutic camps and classes. “If your child is attending a therapeutic camp where a licensed OT, PT, or SLP is delivering direct services either one-to-one or in a small group, you can ask about the possibility of obtaining a superbill (with billing code and diagnosis) for time spent accessing those services. You could then submit that time as therapy to your health plan to process as a claim.”

7. Check the service standards at your Regional Center

All Regional Centers handle hours a bit differently so be sure to check the service standards on your local Regional Center’s website. Many Regional Centers will have a set number of hours or days per week/month for camp or social-recreational programming, and this programming cannot overlap with generic resources. For example, a child cannot attend summer camp at the same time that they’re attending Extended School Year services (ESY), because this would be a duplication of services. However, funding is allocated separately between camp, social-recreational, educational services, and nonmedical therapies, so parents should not be told they need to choose one over the others. ​​​​​​​

8. Look into 1:1 aide funding at your camp and through Regional Center

Regional Center can provide funding for a 1:1 aide at camp in some circumstances, but you will have to check with the camp first to see if the camp will provide an aide. Concoff Kronbeck notes that many Regional Centers have some kind of community inclusion aide in their service standards, so you may be able to request 1:1 aide services in order for your child to fully participate in the camp or program. If you are requesting a 1:1 behavioral aide, this request will need to be supported by the behavior plan.

For more on camps and funding, check out the related resources below. And if you want further support from Undivided—for example, help applying for public benefits or preparing for an IEP meeting and access to members-only office hours with specialists in insurance, public benefits, and special education—sign up for a free trial for our Platform membership.