The Day Camp Pod - From Go Camp Pro

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/day-camp-kitchen Happy Kitchen - Happy Camp. Here are some best practices for camp kitchens of all kinds! Review us on iTunes! Running a food service at your day camp is not typical, and it certainly isn’t in the talent wheelhouse of most camp directors. But for those who can pull it off, it can be an awesome perk for your camp families- while hopefully not being a huge financial or managerial burden upon you. We’re...

Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/mental-health-2020 Mental Health needs to stay front-of-mind. Now more than ever. Welcome the wonderful Linda Erceg to this episode of The Day Camp Pod! Review us on iTunes! Mental Health has become one of the biggest issues facing camp professionals - and that was before covid-19 came into our lives. For summer 2021, we need to be as prepared as possible for the wide array of Mental, Emotional and Social Health issues...

It can be done. If you’re running an indoor camp during the COVID-19 pandemic, have no fear, the Day Camp Pod and Melanie Zak Curry are here! Review us on iTunes! Tune in to this mini-pod to hear about Melanies’s experience and strategies for running camp inside: Do you have a suggestion for a future show? Let us know by email: daycampquestions@gocamp.pro - Bonus Resources General Camp...

Find more at http://daycamppodcast.com When’s the right time to think about reenrollment? How do you know they’re ready to come back? Well, it’s at least time to start thinking about it, so let’s get to it. Review us on iTunes! As Day Camp Professionals, we can come up with the greatest camp programs and initiatives in the world, but it don’t mean a thang, if you don’t have the campers enrolled to fund your warm and fuzzy amazingness. It’s basic business that it’s way easier and cheaper...

Nothing says financial wake-up call like a global pandemic! Andy welcomes back Jonathan M. Gold to the show to help us grasp the things we need to be thinking about in preparing for a tough financial road ahead. Review us on iTunes! Whether you ran in 2020 or not - we've all got a tough road ahead. We need to be prepared with every scenario, every tip and trick, and every bit of help we can get. Enter friend of the Pod Jonathan M. Gold - our financial correspondent and...

Find full show notes at https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod What was it like for Day Camps who DIDN’T RUN this summer? Tune in to this episode of The Day Camp Pod with Kelly Schuna and Ben Esposito to find out more! Review us on iTunes! Summer 2020 was challenging for all, especially for those of us who chose to NOT TO OPEN for a traditional summer of camp. While we have the utmost respect for those camps that found a way to make it happen, today’s podcast is dedicated to our colleagues who...

How two camps embraced the eLearning Camp model during the COIVD-19 pandemic. Review us on iTunes! Welcome to another Day Camp Mini-Pod! We’re so glad to be bringing you new content every week on the Day Camp Pod. As a reminder, there will be a full episode every two weeks with some Mini-Pods in-between. A HUGE thanks to our hosts, Sam, Andy and Tiff for this extra push this seasons On mini-pod, Sam and Sabrina Hinkens share how their camp programs have pivoted to eLearning models in...

What was it like for Day Camps who ran this summer? Find out on our first episode of season 3 of the Day Camp Pod! Review us on iTunes! Summer 2020 was a whirlwind for us all, especially for those of us who were able to OPEN our doors to the public. We had to use every ounce of leadership, creativity, perseverance and resilience that we could muster. While we support our comrades who did not open this past summer, and we will have a podcast just for you - this episode is about how three...

Crafts that are both in-person and virtual-camp friendly! Thanks, Sam and Diana! Review us on iTunes! As we truly dig-in to one of the weirdest summers of our time, we wanted to equip you with some crafts and program ideas that will help you run the best program you can, whether it’s virtual or in-person. And when it comes to incredible Day Camp Programs, who do we turn to? Sam Thompson of course! Tune in to this mini-pod to hear about some of the best fidget and sensory-friendly crafts...

Thanks for the season, Day Camp friends! Here are our favourite episodes and some goals for your next summer! Review us on iTunes! It’s been a wonderfully full second season for the Day Camp Pod! 19 full episodes, 5 mini-pods (2 more on the way, still!) and over 10,000 downloads, we’ve certainly come a long way! On behalf of the team at Go Camp Pro, we’re so grateful for Andy, Sam and Ehren for their radical openness and dedication to sharing the tips and best practices that will make...

Camp should be for every child. Here’s how to ensure your Day Camp is inclusive for children of all abilities. A lot of camp professionals operate under the belief that every child deserves a week at summer camp. However, when it comes to the execution of that “every” child, we can sometimes fall short when there is a camper who’s needs we feel like we don’t have the means to serve. What we need to do is shift our paradigm of thinking that inclusion programs at camp are “more work” and...

A glimpse into how things are going to change in the Day Camp world, post-pandemic. Dr. G is back again! A more logistical follow-up to last mini-pod’s conversation with Dr. G. If you make the decision to run camp in 2020, OR if we’re still here for 2021 (heaven forbid), there’s going to be a lot to think about as we’re preparing to welcome people to our sites. It’s going to take time, but you definitely want to start with a medical perspective, and that’s why Dr. G is back! These...

LITs, CITs, CILTs, Interns, Future Leaders - whatever you call them, they are the keys to your camp’s future! Here’s how to give them the best day camp experience ever. One of the most difficult parts of directing camp is that it can be hard to really be “in the moment” at camp. After all, it’s our job to have long term vision. If we’re not thinking a week, month or year ahead of where we are now, we may miss an opportunity, or end up having to scramble down the road. One of the things...

Whether it’s this summer or next, we’re going to have to prepare our staff for the opening of Post-Pandemic Day Camp. Dr. G is here to help! The first summer after the 2020 pandemic is going to be a weird one. Logistics, health procedures, insurance, programming, it will all look different. One thing that we absolutely can’t miss is how we address the staff that we’re going to be working with this summer. How we address them, how we listen with them and how we empathize with what they’re...

Is your staff training as good as it can be? We’ve brought in the Camp Code pros to help you get it there! We’re releasing this episode in April 2020. Aka one of the most unsettling points in our industry’s history. Right now, we don’t know if camp will happen. What we do know is that if (and when) it does, we need our staff to be ready to give kids the most amazing, outdoor, socially non-distanced experience of their lives. The quality of your staff is the key to camper retention and...

How do get virtual training right? Because we may have to be a little “socially distanced” this staff training. A mini-pod from the Day Camp Pod! Hey Day Camp Pod fans! We’ve received a lot of emails this season about wanting more Day Camp Pod goodness. We’ve heard your cries and are here to deliver! We’re going to be experimenting with the “mini-pod” a few times before the end of this season. These short (~20min) episodes will appear every other week in between our usual full-length...

Find full show notes, bonus resources and program tips of the week at http://daycamppod.com Did you know that 5/6 kids in the US don’t go to summer camp? Let’s change that ratio and get those kids to your camp. Did that stat blow you away? For us camp folk, it’s almost unbelievable that we are part of the mere 17% of people that really understand the transformative, wonderful, magical power of a week, month or summer at camp. What this means, is that unless you have a 100% return rate...

What we know about COVID-19 and how it is affecting summer camps as of March 20th, 2020. In these interesting, uncertain, wild, scary times, we wanted to keep the camp world up to date with what the leaders in the industry are thinking, saying and doing when it comes to COVID-19 and it’s affect on the summer camp world. Andy, Sam and Ehren are joined by Joel Bennett, a camp veteran and consultant who recently led an excellent ACA “crucial conversation” webinar about the coronavirus...

What Day Camp Directors need to know about the major trends in the industry. Part of the job of every great Camp Director should be time set aside for big picture thinking. In that time, directors should not only be thinking widely about their organization but the landscape of the industry as a whole. In many cases, if you are up to date on the latest trends in the industry, there are many things that you can proactively do NOW to set your self up for success LATER. Your staff, families...

Summer camps thrive when they are relentlessly driven to serve their mission. Do you have a belief about how the world should be for kids? Do you feel strongly about the types of environments the kids and youth of today should be growing up in? Do you ever wish there was an intentional place that gives kids the space to express their true selves in a welcoming community? Well, hello!? That place is Summer Camp! No matter what type of camp we are a part of, we all believe in the common...