13 things to look for in a camp
So you’ve decided to send your child to camp. Congratulations! Overnight camp is one of the most influential and transformative experience in a young person’s life. Assuming you pick the right camp, you will not regret it.
Disclaimers: I’ve met many camp directors, been to many camps, and been in contact with many others. WIth very few exceptions, they’re excellent, professional operations and they know what they’re doing. That being said, as a parent, your job is not to take my word for it, but to do your own research and make sure you are comfortable and confident, as we’ll discuss below.
These are my opinions, and are should be taken as such.
SHOULD you send your child to camp? That’s a question for a different post. This post is working on the assumption that you’ve already made that decision.
Here are 13 things to look for in choosing a summer camp, in no particular order: [I have included anecdotal notes of what we do at Camp Nageela West, in brackets.]
1. Confidence in the staff: Do you know who they are hiring? If they are getting their staff members at job fairs on campus or overseas, what kind of vetting do they do? If their staff members are former campers, what training have they undergone? What are their background check and training procedures? [Generally, a small camp like ours is able to be much more discerning about who they hire and where they come from. Every hire we make knows someone I know personally. No job fairs.]
2. Confidence in the Camp Director: A Camp consulting professional once told me, “Parents aren’t sending their kids to a camp. They're sending their kids to you.” On the flip side, as the parent, do you know the camp director? Do you trust him or her with your child? Ultimately there’s one person in the organization with whom you’re entrusting your cargo. Find out who it is, and make sure you’re cool with that. Will they work with you? Do they know your child, or do they have to look up her name when you call?
3. Safety protocols: This applies to medical policies, food safety, campus security training, vehicle safety rules and sexual abuse training. Find out how they approach all of these issues. Of course, in the current medical climate, COVID protocols may be important (it’s hard to predict in September what the virus-scape will look like next June). Who is the nurse and where is the closest hospital are both relevant questions. If your child has specific medical need or food allergies, those questions need to be asked as well.
4. Communication: How does the camp communicate with parents, and how often? The majority of camps do not have camper phone calls, but some will allow limited emails [we do emails daily], and most encourage campers to write home regularly. What I’m really talking about is how the camp administration communicates with parents. Do they send out regular emails with information? Will they call if there’s an issue? When you call the camp office, do you speak to someone high up right away? If you have an issue, are you able to speak to the bunk counselors? To the division head? To the camp director? [Every CNW parent has my cell #. That’s obviously not practical in a larger camp. One of our favorite ways of keeping parents in the loop is in a What’s App group, with updates several times a day, like, “We just had an intense hike, and now we’re about to cool down with a water fight. Here are some pics!”]
5. Community: Does the camp have events in your area during the year? Surprisingly, this one is huge! Don’t underestimate the healthy benefit your child will gain from getting together with their camp friends on the weekend, or for ice cream after school. It's an amazing way for kids to balance the stresses of school, and to maintain the excitement of their uplifting summer experience. [If you live in any major West Coast city, we have year- round programs in your area. Especially in Vegas and LA.]
6. Campus/ Facilities: Honestly, not a huge concern in my book. It’s hard to get kids excited about going to camp if the bunks are dilapidated or run down, or if the sports facilities don’t function properly. A beautiful lake, a giant waterslide or ropes course are all things that drive new sign ups, but honestly, it’s mostly fluff. When we were kids, we went to run down camps and had a blast. As long as the campus is safe and functional, it really doesn't need to have carpeted bunks. That said, it’s a factor. For some kids, it makes a bigger difference than for others. [During our travel camp years, one of our best experiences was in a gorgeous 20,000 square foot mansion with an in house bowling alley. Our current Utah campus is both spacious and very nice looking. The down- side, no pool. The up- side, horses and paintball.]
7. Program: More important than campus, but less important than staff and overall camp culture. Does the camp have a creative program? Is it a specialty camp? Do I want to find a camp where my child will continue to excel in the same activities they participate in during the year, or do I want new experiences? Is there a focus on crafts, dance, sports, outdoors, etc.? Another focus point is elective activities vs. assigned activities: Some camps are into choice. Some camps are proponents of the bunk or cabin bonding through assigned activities, and trying things out of your comfort zone. [We generally have a mix of the two. Some years we have had a separate extreme sports or travel program.] What kind of unique activities do they offer? Cooking? Woodworking? Archery? Hip- Hop dance? Ask!
8. Camp culture: This is subtle and hard to define. The camp may not be able to answer this, but speaking to parents of returning campers might help. A camp might be known as an intense learning experience or a chilled, campfire and drum circle type of camp. It may be a small, family friendly camp, or a highly organized machine. It might lean toward sports fanaticism or drama, or one of so many other variables. Most camps have components of all of these. Finding out the underlying culture might help you choose the right one. [We’re definitely on the small- family feel spectrum. We also tend toward a lot of dancing.]
9. Philosophical or religious affiliation: My area of experience is with Jewish camps, but the same would apply in the broader camp culture. Camps are extremely conducive to thinking, probing, growing and joining. Does the camp you’re looking into promote ideals and values that you value, too? Does the camp talk politics? You might not want that for your children, or you might! [we don’t] If it’s a Jewish camp, is it attached to a particular movement? Most camps are. These are good questions to ask. [Our main religious affiliation is Say KNOW to Judaism. We promote Jewish pride through an open, questions welcomed policy. No question is considered taboo or sacrilegious.] Another item to consider, if you’re looking into Jewish camps is whether they do Shabbat, and what they do for Shabbat. [Shabbat in camp is awesome!]
10. Food: Some kids are chill with whatever. Just give them fish sticks and macaroni, and they’re good. Some camps offer more elaborate menu options and high quality food. [for example: when, we had a travel camp, we were upfront with the parents that our fare would be simple. Lots of sandwiches and BBQs. When we spent summers on facilities with real kitchens, our food variety and quality went up considerably.] What are their options if your child doesn’t like the food? Are there alternative choices? Do they offer vegan options? What about gluten free? Is it a well balanced diet? What is their snack policy? Some camps may be strict about junk food, while others welcome sugar. What are you comfortable with? [We can usually accommodate dietary restrictions, but severe allergies are more complicated.] If you are interested in a Kosher camp, it’s important to find that out as well.
11. Friends: If it’s your child’s first foray into the world of overnight camp, it is very helpful to go with a friend. It’s not imperative that this be a BFF. You can ask the camp to put you in contact with one of his or her bunkmates before the summer. Have a couple of playdates, maybe a sleepover. Just seeing a friendly face will make the transition much easier. Some parents prefer not to send to a camp where all their child’s school friends go, as a push to expand a bit. You know your children better than we do.
12. Gender separation: Most camps are coed. A notable few [that’s us!] offer non coed options. Think this one through before you send. Some parents prefer co-ed camps because it allows them to send brother and sister at the same time and get some breathing room at home. Some parents have expressed to me that they met their spouse at Jewish camp, and they want the same thing for their children. Perhaps a specific friend of the opposite gender is attending this camp. Non co-ed camps [which admittedly, I’m partial to] allow children to experience a lower stress environment. Adolescent boys and girls act and feel less secure when they feel they need to impress the opposite gender. Additionally, it’s a poorly kept secret that many children experiment sexually during camp. If you have a 12-15 year old camper at a co-ed camp, there’s room for concern. Finally, coed camp directors have confided in me (and I’ve observed it myself when working at coed camps) that the staff members are extremely distracted by relationships with other staff members. These concerns are virtually erased in a non coed model.
12. WILL THEY BE ABLE TO OPEN? I see this as one of the most important questions for 2021. So many camps that have successfully given children amazing summers for decades, were nevertheless unable to operate in 2020. Will things be better in summer of 2021? We certainly hope so. We don’t know. Nobody does. Camps which were able to operate safely and successfully in 2020 are more likely to be able to do so in 2021. [We are very proud of being able to operate in 2020, and we’re excited to have the same Utah campus in 2021. If we need to continue COVID protocols, we have the capabilities to do so. If rules are relaxed, we’re prepared to break out with additional trips, contact sports and more.]
