| name | Plan Summer Camps |
| description | This skill should be used when the user asks to "plan summer camps", "plan summer coverage", "fill the summer schedule", "summer camp schedule", "cover the summer", "what camps for summer", "summer childcare plan", "plan from end of school to Labour Day", or needs help building a complete summer camp schedule covering the period from the last day of school through to the start of the next school year. Provides a structured workflow for gap-free summer camp coverage in Ontario. |
Plan Summer Camps
Overview
Locate research directory: Read .claude/kids-camp-planner.local.md to get the research_dir path (default: camp-research). All user data paths below are relative to this directory. The family profile is at <research_dir>/family-profile.md.
Build a complete summer camp schedule covering every weekday from the last day of school through to the day before the new school year begins (typically the day after Labour Day in Ontario). Identify coverage gaps, match camps to children's ages and interests, respect budget and logistics constraints, and produce a visual schedule.
Planning Workflow
Step 1: Determine the Summer Window
Read the family profile from <research_dir>/family-profile.md for school dates. If school dates are not specified in the profile, use the 3-Tier School Calendar Lookup:
Tier 1 - Check internal library first:
- Search
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/camp-planning/references/school-calendars/ for the family's school board/school
- If found and the school year matches, extract last day/first fall day directly
Tier 2 - Ask the user:
If no internal data exists, ask: "I don't have [school] calendar data saved. Do you have the school calendar URL or PDF handy?"
- If provided, extract dates and save to internal library using the add-school-calendar skill workflow
Tier 3 - Web search:
If the user doesn't have it, search for "[school board] school year calendar [year]"
- Download and save the PDF if one is found to
${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/camp-planning/references/school-calendars/pdfs/
- Extract dates and save structured data to the internal library
Check calendar staleness: After loading calendar data, extract the school year from the ## YYYY-YYYY School Year header. Parse the end year (e.g., 2026 from "2025-2026"). If the current date is after September 1 of that end year, warn: "Calendar data for [board] is from [year]. The current year may have different PA days and breaks. Would you like to search for updated calendar data?" If the user says yes, run the 3-Tier School Calendar Lookup to find updated data.
Multi-school families: If children attend different schools, determine the summer window per child. The coverage window starts on the earliest last-school-day and ends on the latest first-fall-day across all schools. On days when one child's school is still in session (or has already started), that child does not need camp coverage.
From the calendar data, determine:
- Last day of school: For most Ontario public boards, the last day is typically the last Thursday or Friday of June.
- First day of fall: Usually the day after Labour Day for public schools. For private schools, the fall start date may differ significantly - some start before Labour Day (e.g., German International School Toronto starts in late August). Always verify from the school's actual calendar rather than assuming Labour Day + 1.
- Coverage window: First weekday after last school day through last weekday before first school day.
Private school note: Private schools may have a shorter or longer summer than public schools depending on their start/end dates. Always use the actual school calendar dates, not the public board defaults. Pass the exact dates to the summer_dates.py script via --last-school-day and --first-fall-day.
Run the date calculator to determine the exact window:
python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/plan-summer/scripts/summer_dates.py \
--year 2025 \
--last-school-day 2025-06-26 \
--first-fall-day 2025-09-02
The script outputs: total weekdays, total weeks, and a week-by-week date range listing.
For day-by-day output, add the --output-days flag:
python3 ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/skills/plan-summer/scripts/summer_dates.py \
--year 2025 \
--last-school-day 2025-06-26 \
--first-fall-day 2025-09-02 \
--output-days
This adds a day-by-day listing showing each weekday with its week number and coverage status.
Step 2: Map Exclusion Dates
From the family profile, identify vacation and exclusion dates. Subtract these from the coverage window to determine weeks/days that need camp coverage.
Present to user:
Summer 2025 Coverage Needs:
- Total window: June 30 - August 29 (9 weeks)
- Vacation: July 14-18 (cottage), Aug 11-15 (camping)
- Weeks needing coverage: 7 weeks
- Days needing coverage: 35 weekdays
Step 3: Gather Camp Options
Check if provider files already exist in <research_dir>/providers/. If not, suggest using the research-camps skill or camp-researcher agent to find options.
For each child, filter providers by:
- Age eligibility
- Location / commute constraint
- Budget range
- Availability during needed weeks
- Program interest alignment
Step 4: Build the Schedule
Create a week-by-week assignment considering:
Hard constraints (must satisfy):
- Every coverage day has a camp assigned for every child
- Camp accepts child's age group during that week
- Pickup/dropoff timing works with parent schedules
- Budget is within limits
Soft constraints (optimize for):
- Children's interest alignment
- Minimize provider switching (reduces transition stress)
- Sibling discounts (same provider same week)
- Proximity to home during non-work days
- Variety across the summer (mix of activities)
Day-by-day schedule format (primary):
# Summer 2025 Daily Schedule
| Date | Day | Emma's Camp | Emma Cost | Liam's Camp | Liam Cost | Daily Total | Notes |
|------|-----|-------------|-----------|-------------|-----------|-------------|-------|
| 2025-06-30 | Mon | YMCA Cedar Glen | $87 | YMCA Cedar Glen | $87 | $174 | Week 1 |
| 2025-07-01 | Tue | YMCA Cedar Glen | $87 | YMCA Cedar Glen | $87 | $174 | |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
Weekly summary format (derived from daily):
# Summer 2025 Weekly Summary
| Week | Dates | Child 1 | Child 2 | Notes |
|------|-------|---------|---------|-------|
| 1 | Jun 30 - Jul 4 | YMCA Day Camp | YMCA Day Camp | Sibling discount |
| 2 | Jul 7 - Jul 11 | City Swim Camp | City Art Camp | Different interests |
| 3 | Jul 14 - Jul 18 | VACATION | VACATION | Cottage trip |
| ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
The day-by-day schedule is the primary format and source of truth. Weekly summaries are derived from it. See ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/examples/sample-annual-schedule.md for a full-year example.
Step 5: Identify Gaps and Issues
After building the initial schedule, check for:
Flag issues clearly and suggest alternatives.
Step 6: Generate Output Files
Create or update:
<research_dir>/summer-YYYY/schedule.md - The week-by-week schedule table<research_dir>/summer-YYYY/budget.md - Budget summary (use budget-optimization skill)- Provider files in
<research_dir>/providers/ for any new providers identified
Step 7: Present for Review
Summarize the plan for the user:
- Total weeks covered vs. vacation
- Number of providers used
- Total estimated cost vs. budget
- Key decisions that need user input (waitlists, alternatives)
- Next steps (register, draft inquiry emails, etc.)
Handling Common Scenarios
Popular camps are full
- Check waitlist policies and suggest adding to waitlist
- Identify alternative providers with similar programming
- Consider municipal programs as backup (usually have more capacity)
Budget is too tight
- Trigger budget-optimization skill for cost reduction strategies
- Suggest mixing expensive specialty weeks with cheaper general camps
- Identify subsidy eligibility
Different needs per child
- Allow different providers per child per week
- Consider camps that accept both age groups for sibling discount
- Balance individual interests with logistics simplicity
Partial weeks
- First/last week of summer may be partial
- Some providers offer daily rates for partial weeks
- Municipal drop-in programs work well for odd days
Additional Resources
Scripts
scripts/summer_dates.py - Calculate summer coverage window, weekday counts, and week-by-week date ranges given school year boundaries. Use --output-days for day-by-day listing with week numbers.
Related Skills
- Generate Annual Schedule - After building the summer schedule, use the generate-annual-schedule skill to create a full-year view combining summer, PA days, winter break, and March break into one consolidated schedule.
