A new platform eases parents’ planning!
Managing summer camps shouldn’t feel like a second job. Yet for many parents, the spreadsheets, deadlines and group chats start piling up long before school lets out, as early as after the holidays. That’s the chaos local mom and entrepreneur Kathryn Hatcher, founder and CEO of Camply, set out to fix with a platform built to ease planning for every school break.
Entrepreneurship runs in Hatcher’s family, and from a young age she envisioned herself running her own business one day. When she was laid off from a health tech startup in late 2024 after several years in government and management consulting, she began to think about what she wanted next. With two young sons and a new camp planning season starting in January 2025, clarity arrived quickly.
As Hatcher was deep in the throes of painstakingly organizing her oldest son’s third summer of camps and attempting to coordinate her youngest one’s, too, she kept thinking, “Why does a better way not exist yet for parents? Why are we doing the same thing year after year?” she says.
Fairly quickly, Hatcher created a camp concierge service where she recommended options to parents based on budget, kids’ interests and the family’s scheduling needs. The demand proved enormous, and she soon realized it was a bigger job than one person could handle. “So many families were doing the same big push in January, and camps have similar signup times. One-on-one wasn’t viable,” she says. That’s when the idea evolved into a scalable platform.
Hatcher launched Camply at the end of last summer, starting with a handful of intown camps and quickly expanding across metro Atlanta and its suburbs, from Buckhead DMP and Brookhaven to College Park and Woodstock. Today, the website lists camp options for every school break, has more than 400 summer providers and attracts about 1,000 new families each month.
Hatcher chose a website rather than an app based on parents’ feedback. “A lot of families told me they don’t want another app, especially for something that isn’t year-round,” Hatcher says.
Caregivers can search by activity type and ZIP code for free, and camps pay to be featured. There is a subscription option ($8.49 monthly or $89 annually) with online tools, such as favorites lists, custom camp calendars, registration alerts and shareable planning features to make coordinating with friends a breeze.
“As a parent of two, I’m always looking for camps close to home that my kids will genuinely enjoy. Camply made the search so much simpler. Instead of digging through dozens of websites, I found great options in minutes,” says Brookhaven resident Nancy Greenspan.
Hatcher also has a philanthropic program in the works. “Camps can be expensive. We want all kids to have opportunities,” Hatcher says.
CAMPLY
joincamply.com
@joincamply
CAMP IDEAS
Arts and Creativity
For the creative kid, Spruill Center for the Arts in Dunwoody and La Dee Da in Sandy Springs bring an amazing breadth of visual arts fun.
STEM
Future coders, engineers and scientists will love Snapology of Atlanta East in Chamblee that uses LEGO bricks and other tools for building.
Sports & Movement
Aussie Kids Golf Academy in Buckhead engages kids in golf while Balance Dance + Gymnastics in Chamblee brings all the tumbling and obstacle course play.
All-Around Camps
Looking for something that has it all? Anyone Can at Peachtree Christian blends STEM, art, movement and more, and Ready, Set, Fun! in Sandy Springs amps up indoor play with a variety of activities. (Bonus: They take 3-year olds!)
Nature
Dunwoody Nature Center inspires a love of the outdoors with its educational camps.
