EDGEWATER, Md. -- Rising gas and food prices caused Brian Madden to cancel his family's usual summer vacation to the beach. But Madden still shelled out $2,500 to send his daughter to four weeks of camp.

Parents like Madden are the reason many summer camps have seen increased enrollment even this summer, as moms and dads view the week of activities as an affordable alternative to vacation -- with a bonus of character-building.

"I think we're all pinched," Madden said. To send his 16-year-old daughter, Ashley, to YMCA Camp Letts, Madden's family had to start saving earlier than usual and cut back on eating out. But the sacrifice was worth it, he said.

"To me, it's the change that I've seen in her," he said. "When (parents) see them come back in a different frame of mind, looking out for other people instead of just thinking of themselves, it makes a real difference."

In tough economic times, sleepaway camps are almost recession-proof, said Peg Smith, chief executive of the American Camp Association, a group that accredits summer camps.

"The dollar a parent will spend on their child is the last dollar they'll cut from the budget," Smith said. "That's consistent with what we've seen in other troubling times in the past."

And camp directors are working hard to persuade parents the experience is worth their money. Flat Rock River YMCA Camp in St. Paul, Ind., tried to market itself as "cheaper than taking your kid to Disney World," executive director Steve Heiny said.

"I'd like to think we're as fun as (Disney World), but it's also the relationships that they build," Heiny said. "If a kid comes to camp and makes lots of friends, they're not guaranteed, but they're probably going to come back next year."

Full summer camp attendance numbers are not available until September, but a projection by the National Camp Association, which provides referral and consultant services to camps, indicates attendance topped 7 million children, an increase of more than four percent from last year.

In Edgewater, Camp Letts' residential programs have seen a 12-percent enrollment spike, with similar numbers for day camp. Half of the country's YMCA residential camps have reported their enrollment, and all reporting facilities saw more campers this year.

Still, with the pinch of higher gas and grocery bills, some parents chose a shorter camp session or sent children to a site closer to home to minimize travel costs. And more parents applied for financial aid or sent kids to less expensive day camps, Smith said.

Liz Schmidt and her husband, Steve, both work, so they looked for summer activities for their 10-year-old son, Max, to enjoy. The weakening economy meant they could not shell out the money for a sleepaway camp. So they sent Max to day camp at Camp Letts, saving money to do so by staying with family and friends while on vacation and eating out less, Max's mother said.

Lesa Mateer and her husband, Joel, sent their 6-year-old, Chris, to Camp Letts, even though the day camp cost a bit more than day care.

"I want him to be outside. I want him to play," Lesa Mateer said. "Because of the economy, of course, we think about groceries more and we think about gas more ... but camp wasn't going to be eliminated."

Increased sleepaway camp enrollment also comes from overseas children, National Camp Association executive director Jeff Solomon said, noting 90 percent of the world's camps are in the United States.

The "dollar doing poorly overseas means a good time for families overseas to travel here," Solomon said.

For Ashley Madden, camp was an easy choice over a beach vacation with her family.

"If I could be there the whole summer, I would, but obviously it's very expensive, so this year I could only afford to go for two sessions," she said. "I'd rather be there than at the beach. I absolutely love (Camp Letts). It's like my second home."

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