There are 5,500 overnight camps in the United States, with fees from $100 (for Y and church camps) to $900 a week. Choose one now, before all the bunks get taken. Here's our three-step strategy.

1. GET FREE PROFESSIONAL ADVICE
You've done the obvious — asked your kids' friends where they go. Now, if you can, visit a local camp fair. Go to the website of the American Camping Association (ACA) for a schedule of weekend events where you and your child can meet camp directors www.acacamps.org. The ACA website also has a list of camp consultants (search for "camper recruitment vendors"); make use of them, but remember that they are usually paid by the camps.

2. ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS
Return to the ACA website and print out "Questions to Ask a Camp Director" from the "camp resources for parent or camper" section (they're basic ones, like counselor-to-camper ratio). Add specific issues that concern you or your child and call the directors of the camps you're interested in. They should be happy to spend time answering your queries. If not, you have the wrong camp.

3. CHECK REFERENCES
When you've got the director on the phone, ask for a list of recent campers. Talk to the parents — and make sure your child has a chance to talk to the camper. Kid-to-kid exchange (which will be mostly about food and bathrooms) is a terrific way to evaluate a camp.