Hard to imagine as frigid temperatures and snow continue to plague us on the East Coast and elsewhere around the nation, but now is the time to focus on Summer Camps. If you are interested in finding out about summer camp options, don’t wait any longer to start your research, as Summer Camp research and sign-up season is well underway. New to the world of camps, and wondering how to find the best one for your son or daughter? Here are some good places to start.

Tips on Trips and Camps (www.tipsontripsandcamps.com) is a free advisory service that provides advice on overnight camps, trips and summer programs for children from 8-18. They recommend “carefully screened, quality summer programs” in the USA and abroad. Once you register on the site you can choose to receive brochures and DVD’s directly from camps or work with an advisor to determine the camps in which your child might have an interest. Spend some time looking around the site to get a good idea of the many different types of camps available.

Time Out NY Kids offers “Summer camps for kids 2014: Day camps, sleepaway camps and more” found here. This is a comprehensive listing of all sorts of camps in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut area.

Wondering if your son can handle sleepaway camp? Here are some articles that can help you figure this out.

Take Parent magazine’s “Quiz: Is Your Child Ready for Sleep-Away Camp?” found here for some guidelines to use to determine if your child is ready for this experience .

“Is Your Child Ready for Sleepaway Camp”, found here, offers parents thoughtful advice on this topic.

The Washington Post’s “When is a Child Ready for Overnight Camp”, found here, discusses how parents can make this determination and how they can prepare their children for their first overnight camp experience.

Good luck with finding the best summer experience possible for your son!