If you're a parent of elementary-age kids and you start thinking about summer camps in April, you're already behind.

Here's the actual timeline most competitive camps follow:

October-November: Specialty camps (robotics, elite sports, arts intensives) open early-bird registration. These fill in days, not weeks.

December-January: Popular day camps and the big-name sleepaway camps open registration. If you didn't bookmark them in the fall, you're scrambling now.

February-March: The "second wave" — regional day camps, church camps, park district programs. Still good options but the premium slots are gone.

April-May: You're in waitlist territory. You'll find availability but your options are limited and you're paying full price.

The real problem isn't that camps fill up — it's that the information is scattered across 47 different websites, each with their own registration dates, age requirements, and pricing. You end up with a messy spreadsheet, missed deadlines, and that sinking feeling when your kid's best friend got into the camp you forgot to register for.

That's exactly why we built Bunk Mates. One place to track every camp, every deadline, every schedule — and coordinate it all with the other families you actually want to be at camp with.

Camp planning shouldn't feel like a second job.