It’s about this time every year when parents start researching into youth summer sports camps and ask, “What should I look for in a good sports camp?”

My focus on this topic is on the younger, average athlete who plays sports strictly for fun and recreation at this point. Given that criteria, here are three things to remember.

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1. Kids like to attend camps with friends. The camp should be one that your child really wants to attend, and usually that means going with friends. So before making any final decisions, be sure to talk to other parents about their plans for their kids.
2. Day camp or overnight? There’s no sense paying to send your child to an overnight camp if they’re scared to sleep away from home – that’s a middle-of-the-night pickup waiting to happen. There are plenty of quality camps that have schedules similar to school and even many that are offered in the morning or evening only.
3. Look for the optimal learning experience. You want your child to learn and improve in all aspects of the sport, and the best way for that to happen is to have them participate with kids of similar ability. I stopped paying for my son to go to the local baseball camp with all his friends when it got to a point where it was strictly social for him, not a learning experience.

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Don’t get me wrong – the social part is important, but they can get that for free on the playground or at the community pool. So, make sure to pay attention to the camp’s daily schedule and make sure it’s a mix of drills, activities and games.

4. Coaches make a difference. Just like during the regular season, a qualified coaching staff with a focus on giving kids the best experience is what every parent wants from a camp. I always look for camps directed by high school or college coaches – probably with their players as counselors – with approximately a 10:1 camper to coach ratio.

5. Is there a cancelation policy? Ask about the cancellation/absentee policy in case your child gets injured or sick before or during camp. This is especially important for first-time campers who might decide after the first day that they don’t want to return for any of a number of reasons.

Sports camps aren’t for everyone but if you are going to invest the money to send your child, it pays to do some research to make sure they get a quality experience and you feel good about the financial investment.

Jon Buzby has been involved in and writing about youth sports for the past 30 years with perspectives as a parent, coach and board member. Jon is an award-winning writer and his latest book, “Coaching Kids Made Easier,” is available on Amazon. Send comments or future blog topics you'd like to see to JonBuzby@hotmail.com and follow him @YouthSportsBuzz on Twitter.