Plan Summer Camps

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:

1. Last day of school: For most Ontario public boards, the last day is typically the last Thursday or Friday of June.
2. 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.
3. 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:

• Any uncovered weekdays
• Weeks where no suitable camp was found
• Budget overruns (run budget-optimization skill)
• Logistics conflicts (overlapping pickup times for different camps)
• Waitlisted programs that need backup plans

Flag issues clearly and suggest alternatives.

Step 6: Generate Output Files

Create or update:

1. <research_dir>/summer-YYYY/schedule.md - The week-by-week schedule table
2. <research_dir>/summer-YYYY/budget.md - Budget summary (use budget-optimization skill)
3. 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.