My husband owns a steel pallet racking business; the kind of heavy duty shelving you see in every warehouse in America. On a daily basis, his phone rings off the hook. He is inundated with phone calls about the quality of the racking he is selling, how well it will support their products, and how he and his staff will take safety precautions when installing the racking.
Erik and Kelly Rossebo
But, I, as a Summer Camp Director, have a noticed a severe decline in how many phone calls I receive from parents about our program or our staff. And it’s not because our enrollment is decreasing; in fact, it’s been steadily increasing. In our incredibly technological world, families are increasingly relying on a sharp website and great social media posts to choose their camp.
I’m here to say “Call Me”!
I love to talking with parents and children about our program and our amazing staff. I love answering your questions regarding your child’s particular needs or situation. I want to tell you about the quality of our leadership workshops or how we teach activities. Ask me about how my staff will support your child. Allow me to explain how we take safety precautions in everything we do.
Your child is so much more important than any product sitting in a warehouse. Don’t be afraid to call me and ask tough questions or seemingly simply questions. I and my staff will be caring for your child; every question and every answer is important.
So, to help you out, I’ve put together a list of questions to ask any camp director when choosing the right camp for your child:
• What is the camp’s mission and philosophy?
• What do you do better than any other camp?
• How are your counselors selected and trained?
• How does your staff handle discipline? Homesickness?
• How do you handle medical needs?
• What are the facilities like?
• Tell me about an average day at camp
These questions will help you get the ball rolling. Once you start talking, hopefully you’ll think of questions that are important to you and your child in particular. It’s a good idea to talk with your child about the questions they have and either relay those questions or let your child ask them him/herself. Some of the best conversations I’ve had with families have been over Skype or Facetime with the parent/s and child together.
Don’t forget to ask for references! One of the best ways to learn about a camp is by talking with other camp families.
Believe it or not, summer camp is right around the corner! It’s not too soon to start making plans for an amazing summer experience!
