How to Run a Summer Camp
Summer camps can play a pivotal role in the life of a child. Time spent at camp will teach children important life lessons, assist them in forming new friendships and leave them with memories they will carry with them throughout life. It also eases the minds of their parents, as they rest assured that their children are in a safe environment under the supervision of a trained staff. However, meeting all of these needs for so many children and their families takes planning and know-how. To run a successful summer camp, you must be prepared.
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Instructions
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Choose a theme. There are a variety of summer camps today that are geared specifically toward certain groups of children. They range from summer camps for children with disabilities to faith-based summer camps and to summer camps for children who are obese. Knowing the type of summer camp you are going to run will help you decide on what needs must be met to make it successful and fun for everyone.
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Decide on an age range. If you are gearing your camp toward solely toward younger children, you may need to hire more counselors for supervision purposes. Their ages will also play a major role in the type of activities you plan; younger children generally become bored more easily than older children and require activities that will keep them occupied and interested at all times.
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Decide on accommodations. Before you begin to hire staff or advertise your camp, know how many children you can accommodate comfortably. If your maximum capacity is 300, go a bit below that number for the sake of the campers' comfort. If they are packed in the cabins like sardines, they won't enjoy their stay and surely won't want to return.
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Begin marketing. This is one of the most important aspects of a successful camp. One option is to register with the National Camp Association, an organization that refers prospective campers to one of the camps listed in its directories. To become a member of this association, the camp director needs to contact it and fill out the necessary paperwork to begin the process. Other options include online marketing, creating a web page for your camp and filming a short video for YouTube; this has become an especially popular method of advertisement with camps. In addition, many camps will send out letters to the previous year's campers, in much the same way colleges send invitation letters to their alumni for upcoming events.
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Plan your budget. To properly plan your budget for the upcoming year, it is in your best interest to have as many children enrolled as early as possible. Many camps will offer an early-bird discount for campers who enroll and pay their deposit for the summer by Jan. 31. This gives the camp an idea of how many staff it needs to and can afford to hire. However, because it is a business, if there are children who want to enroll a week before the session begins, and space is open, they will generally not be turned away.
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Hire your staff. Take into account the number of campers you estimate having, as well as the budget you have to work with. Most summer camps need camp directors, kitchen staff, counselors, nurses, lifeguards and activities specialists. Also take into account the previous information you have collected, such as the type of camp you have and the age of the campers. Although you want to have enough staff, for budget's sake, you don't want to overstaff.
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Choose your activities. Summer camps are supposed to be a fun-filled learning experience for kids. Therefore, when choosing the activities your camp will offer, involve the kids and the parents. If you have an established camp, ask campers from the year before what they liked best about your camp, what they remembered the most and what they would like to see added. If you are a camp that is just opening, ask community members what they would like if they were going to a summer camp. The best advice comes from your consumers.
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Decide on the hours. You need to decide if your camp is going to run all summer or half the summer or if you are running only day camps through the week. This decision should not be based solely on what is convenient for your personal schedule, but rather on what meets the needs of your campers in your surrounding area. Though summer camps are a fun experience for kids, it is also a business. If you want it to be successful, you need to play it smart.
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Tips & Warnings
It should be noted that marketing methods may vary according to the camp. Camps that specialize in a specific area, such as performing arts camps and camps for children with disabilities, may have better luck target marketing versus camps that are simply general summer camps.
