Parents say children’s winter camp fees are prohibitive
Working parents have criticised the high cost of winter camps that offer activities for children over the school holidays.
Hard-pressed families said finding companies with affordable prices was tough and the operating hours of the cheaper ones were often unsuitable.
Some programmes cost about Dh250 a week but take youngsters for only a couple of hours a day.
Others are priced much higher at between Dh700 and Dh900 a week, leaving many parents who are unable to take time off from work struggling to meet the extra burden.
“Camps with affordable prices are rare and those that do exist won’t keep children for more than three hours,” said Ahlam Eid, 37, a mother of two from Jordan who lives in Sharjah. “Leaving my five-year-old boy and seven-year-old girl at home alone is not an option.
“We needed to find a camp that will accommodate them for about seven hours a day until one of us finishes work and picks them up.”
Many parents started searching for suitable winter camps for their children early last month.
Coursetakers, an online education platform in the UAE, said about 83 companies were registered on their site.
Of these, 64 per cent are in Dubai and 24 per cent in Abu Dhabi. Seven per cent are in Sharjah, 4 per cent in Ajman and only 1 per cent in Ras al Khaimah.
Ms Eid said she and her husband decided on a winter camp that charged Dh3,000 for both of their children for three weeks, but the fee was still over the family budget.
“School breaks and vacations always drain our budget and we need to save in advance to keep things under control,” she said.
Another parent from Abu Dhabi said she no longer sent her children to winter camps because of the high charges.
“It’s becoming way too expensive and my kids are not enjoying them,” said Rima Dandan, 48, a Lebanese national with two children aged 11 and seven. “We decided to keep them at home during the winter break.”
Maitha Salem, 31, from RAK, said options for her three children were limited because of a lack of camp numbers in the emirate.
“They should plan more camps as many children stay at home in front of the television without doing any physical activity during the three-week break,” she said.
Mohammad Urfi, chief technology officer of Coursetakers, said winter camps tend to offer a mix of activities, including music, art, sport and cooking.
Mr Urfi said the cost of organising classes, hiring staff and providing adequate supervision invariably led to significant costs.
“Winter camps are not just about children playing games any more,” he said.