The Day Camp Pod - From Go Camp Pro

Because every child deserves a camp experience Would you agree that the world would be a much better place if everybody went to camp? Of course! We know what camp does for kids. To have a place among a positive community is something that every single kid, no, person desperately needs. Now, when we say EVERY kid, we mean it! No matter a child’s ability, background, race, gender, sexual orientation, personality or whatever else makes them unique, they deserve the transformative power of a camp experience. Inclusion programs are becoming more and more prominent in the Day Camp industry, but we need to make sure that we’re doing it right. An inclusion program that is intentional, well thought out and comprehensively welcoming is not easy, but it’s not as hard as you might think. Cue the Day Camp Pod! On this episode, Andy, Sam and Ehren are joined by THE Sari Grossinger from Camp Robin Hood. Together these Day Camp Pros offer advice, tips and tricks to both the prospective and the full-on inclusive day camps. Tune in to find out about: Why do, don’t and should camps have an inclusion program? What are the benefits of an inclusion program? How do we hire and train staff to have be inclusive and work with campers with differing abilities? How do we work with families who may know a lot, or a little about their child’s needs at camp? What are the small, easy, adjustments that you can make to make your camp more inclusive? We hope that this episode empowers you to get your inclusion on this summer! What do you do (or want to do) this summer to make your camp more inclusive for all kids? Let us know in the comments! DCP - DAY CAMP PROGRAM IDEA OF THE WEEK - LEVEL UP YOUR DAY CAMP! Andy: L.A.R.P. - Live Action Role Play Sam: Tennis/Baseball Ehren: Chair Basketball Sari:  Welcome to Holland Poem and Sequel - Staff Training - Empathy Building   Your Hosts: Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director, Camp Robin Hood Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor, Crystal Lake Park District Sari Grossinger - Co-Owner and Director - Camp Robin Hood Bonus Content - Because you read the show notes, and you’re awesome. Sam’s presentation on creating a culture of inclusion. (Thanks, Sam!) Sponsors: Thanks to our wonderful sponsors who help make this Go Camp Pro podcast possible! American Camp Association, NY & NJ   http://www.acanynj.org/ AM Skier Insurance    http://www.amskier.com/ Commercial Recreation Specialists (CRS)   https://crs4rec.com/

Go Big And Campers Won't Want To Go Home Camp is full of WOW moments. From drop off to pick-up, we do our best to inject that WOW into every part of the day. However, we, as camp pros, know where we can dial it up to 11. Special Event Day. Evening Program. Special Afternoon. Whatever you call it, what you do in this 1-7 hour time block can really make that camp session memorable. Joining our triumphant trio, Andy, Ehren and Sam is the man, the legend, Curt “Moose” Jackson from summercamppro.com to share his insights from pages and pages AND PAGES of blogs and roundtables from him, and other camp pros. Tune in to hear about: How easy it can be to program for 300+ kids How to start the magic of a special day as soon as kids step on the bus The best prizes to give for special event days (psst. the best prizes don’t cost money!) Getting the whole staff team involved How to do ALL of this and not break the bank You better believe that this episode is chalked FULL of nuggets. Have a pen and paper handy, because you’ll need it! - Did you get something from this episode? It’s all about sharing! Let us know in the comments, and please, make sure you give credit to those who are being radically open with their ideas.   DCP - DAY CAMP PROGRAM IDEA OF THE WEEK - LEVEL UP YOUR DAY CAMP! Andy: Look-a-Like Contest Sam: Everyday Heroes! Ehren: Diorama Delusion Moose:  Hide the Smurf! - Stump the Counsellor     Bonus Content - Because you read the show notes, and you’re awesome.   Your Hosts: Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director, Camp Robin Hood Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor, Crystal Lake Park District Curt “Moose” Jackson - Summer Camp Programming and Patchwork Marketplace Bonus Links & Resources! - Because people who read the show-notes are the best! Sam’s FULL ON SPECIAL EVENT LAYOUTS!!! (Thanks, Sam!) Photos from Crystal Lake’s Special Events (Seriously, Sam, you rock!)   Sponsors: Thanks to our wonderful sponsors who help make this Go Camp Pro podcast possible! American Camp Association, NY & NJ   http://www.acanynj.org/ AM Skier Insurance    http://www.amskier.com/ Commercial Recreation Specialists (CRS)   https://crs4rec.com/

The Communication Today's Parents Need No matter what type of camp you are, you want to move forward. Especially if it means providing an even better customer service experience for our parents, we need to always be re-evaluating even our most habitual practices. Communication with our parents during the summer is definitely one of those things. As the boomers and the gen-xers are moving away from our core parent age, our millennial parents have different communication preferences that we should consider before simply saying “nope, we only call”. One size definitely doesn’t fit all and especially when you consider WHO is making those calls/emails/texts and WHY you are making those calls/emails/texts, and WHEN you are making those calls/emails/texts, you have to do it strategically. Sharing their way through this changing landscape is the brilliant Matt Kaufman from Camp Ramaquois. Matt joins Andy and Sam to share their techniques, best practices and strategies for in-summer communication. Thanks for joining us, Matt! What do you think? Do you believe that a radical change in our communication strategy is in the works? Let us know in the comments below! - DCP - DAY CAMP PROGRAM IDEA OF THE WEEK - LEVEL UP YOUR DAY CAMP! Andy - Puppy Program Sam - Minute to win it Matt - Service Projects For Campers Your Hosts: Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor, Crystal Lake Park District Matt Kaufman, Associate Director - Ramaquois Day Camp  Sponsors: Thanks to our wonderful sponsors who help make this Go Camp Pro podcast possible! American Camp Association, NY & NJ   http://www.acanynj.org/ AM Skier Insurance    http://www.amskier.com/ Commercial Recreation Specialists (CRS)   https://crs4rec.com/

Make your first impressions, your best impressions. Welcome back to the Day Camp Pod! Whether you’re joining us in our beginning season, or if you’re reading this in the vast nethers of the future, we’re so glad you’re here! Open Houses are time and time again, one of the best ways to get the final “yes” from potential camp parents. If done well, parents will register their child, if done REALLY well, they will tell their friends, family and friend’s family that your camp is the place to be this summer. However, the intentionality required to pull off a great camp open house should not be underestimated. Here to help you steer the ship toward the shores of success are our Day Camp Pod Pros, Andy, Ehren and Sam! Tune in to this episode to hear answers to: What’s the goal of your Open House? What guideposts do you use for your open houses? Camp Fairs? Price Breaks? How can you make an Open House an event all in itself? Who are you marketing your camp Open Houses to? How can you specifically recruit them? What are you going to do to make your tour stand-out? How do you train your staff to give the best tour ever? How do you intentionally end your tour? What is your client follow-up process like? Get your pens, paper and Evernote documents out, because this one if FULL of ideas you can implement this season! Do you have any Open House hacks? Let us know in the comment section! - DCP - DAY CAMP PROGRAM IDEA OF THE WEEK - LEVEL UP YOUR DAY CAMP! Andy - Learn to Ride Bike Elective Ehren - Sing your Heart Out Staff Event Sam - Service Projects For Campers Your Hosts: Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director, Camp Robin Hood Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor, Crystal Lake Park District Sponsors: Thanks to our wonderful sponsors who help make this Go Camp Pro podcast possible! American Camp Association, NY & NJ   http://www.acanynj.org/ AM Skier Insurance    http://www.amskier.com/ Commercial Recreation Specialists (CRS)   https://crs4rec.com/  

Welcome to the Day Camp Pod! Welcome to The Day Camp Pod! A podcast that focuses purely on the best practices of the Day Camp Industry. On this first episode of The Day Camp Pod, we start with a sampler of the types of questions that matter to the Day Camp Industry. This episode we’ll hear great questions (and even greater answers) to topics surrounding capturing the overnight camp experience, into our day camps. You’ll hear more about… How to get past the “excuse” of not being an overnight camp How can we embed traditions into our Day Camp Programs? What traditions would you create if you started a camp from scratch? How do we introduce “Free Play” or “Free Choice” into the short days of day camp What are the big special moments or programs do you inject into your programs? These ideas, and more, all from your Day Camp Pod Hosts, Andy Pritikin from Liberty Lake Day Camp, Ehren Gluckstein from Camp Robin Hood and Sam Thompson from Crystal Lake Park District! We hope you enjoy this NEW Podcast, brought to you by Go Camp Pro.   What do you think? Have an idea for another show? Let us know in the comments below!   Idea of the Week - Level Up Your Day Camp! Andy - Bees at Camp! Erin - The Bus Challenge - An every-day challenge on the bus ride to and from camp. Sam - Fear Factor Challenges Your Hosts: Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director, Camp Robin Hood Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor, Crystal Lake Park District Bonus Links & Resources! - Because people who read the show-notes are the best! Moose, Summer Camp Programming blog about Day Camp/Sleepaway Spirit Some games from Crystal Lake’s minute to win it challenges  Sponsors: Thanks to our wonderful sponsors who help make this Go Camp Pro podcast possible! American Camp Association, NY & NJ   http://www.acanynj.org/ AM Skier Insurance    http://www.amskier.com/ Commercial Recreation Specialists (CRS)   https://crs4rec.com/