Summer Camp Isn’t Easy For Every Family

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For some families, summer camp is a given. Kettleby Valley Camp is located close to Aurora, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Vaughan and these communities have their share of affluent neighborhoods. For others in these communities, the cost of camp can be a real struggle to swing, particularly for single parent families.

There are charities that can help and there are entire camps devoted to underprivileged children. But it’s the people who are in the middle that are looking for help. These families have homes and jobs, but lack the disposable income that makes paying for camp easy.

This year more than ever, I’ve been contacted by single moms looking for ways to make camp happen for their kids this summer. Some are looking for ways to break up the payments while others are willing to pay for camp through contributing to our staff training sessions.

As a business, we have (sizable) bills to pay and we’re not in a position to compromise on our camp fees. Kettleby Valley is by no means the most expensive camp. However we’re not the least expensive either and when we can, we try to help.

Summer camp isn’t an experience that should be taken for granted. There are some families that make big time sacrifices to ensure that their children have the opportunity to attend camp. This makes me feel like I’m doing something important and I hope it does the same for every one of our counsellors.

Great Summer Camps Offer More Than Fun and Safety

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Recently we were fortunate to be named in Heather Hadden’s blog entitled “Most Popular Camps in Ontario”. There are many things that parents look for in a summer camp such as safety, great staff, and a fun program. However there are other considerations that go hand in hand with these qualities when families make their decision about where to send their children.

For most families that use our camp, both parents work and flexibility is an important part of the services we provide. For our day camp, parents can drop their children off at camp, they can use our home bus service, or they can combine the two options.

With our residential overnight camp, we offer a weeklong experience for campers that’s close to home. For some families, a northern camp simply isn’t an option and we feel that Kettleby Valley meets the needs of a quality camp program without the three hour drive. With soccer, baseball and other commitments, our residential overnight program provides the option of a camper ducking out for for an hour or two for an important game.

Convenience is also a major consideration. For TD bank and IBM employees, we provide day camp transportation to and from their work locations throughout the summer. This means no extra stops between work and home.

Tradition has always been an important part of summer camp. However, in order to stay competitive, Ontario summer camps like ours have had to go beyond tradition and offer programs that meet the needs of today’s busy families.

 

 

Should Camps for Children in Ontario Allow Campers to Use Cell Phones?

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In the past several years, cell phones have been a contentious issue at Ontario summer camps. Parents, campers and staff alike have asked us about the use of cell phones and we’ve stood firm with our answer – no. Our answer is still no, but it’s not as firm as it used to be.

Everyone knows that smart phones can do so much more than a traditional cell phone. However there is one capability a phone has that is widely overlooked – the ability to make a parent feel at ease.

Many parents attended day camp or overnight camp when they were children. However, for others who never went to camp, sending their child away can be a stressful experience and receiving a text or email could go a long way to reassuring them.

At camp, we hope to foster independence, and cell phone use might actually help rather than hurt. A message to Mom or Dad might read, “Having fun, please leave me alone now”. This might be just the thing that would help parents realize it’s okay to give their kids some space.

Some camps are worried about a negative message going home from camp via a cell phone message. If a child is unhappy, the word will eventually get home and cell phones could serve as an early detection system that salvages what might otherwise have been a negative experience. Most camps already ask parents to inform them if their child sends word of a problem they might be facing by way of a letter or fax. We can simply extend this piece of advice to include cell phone messages.

Don’t get me wrong, living without the use of a computer or phone for an extended period of time is still a value I hold dearly. It’s rather liberating to be on a canoe trip with no signal for days. And for now, the answer to cell phones for campers is still no. But I’m beginning to see a day when a cabin group might have ‘connect time’ on their schedule.

Summer Camp T-Shirt Day in Ontario

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As a Summer Camp, we’ve always had shirts and I was recently presented with the opportunity to go through my collection of camp shirts to commemorate National Camp T-Shirt Day. As I did this, I realized that far more than 75 percent of my personal wardrobe consists of camp clothing. It also made me understand why I can’t seem to part with them.

As I looked at each one, memories came back from the time that they represented. The one from 1999 made me think of how Jennifer and Paula, our first Section Directors, had to do double duty as archery instructors. There was another shirt that reminded me of the massive ‘circus tent’ we used to be able to fit the entire camp under. Every staff member I worked with hated the process of putting that thing up. There was one that made me think of my daughter’s first year as an actual camper. I have a pink staff shirt, the year we had mostly female spring staff (the only exceptions being Chex, Fozzie and me). That was the first year (but not the last) that the basement of the old lodge became the recipient of our inadequate septic system. There was a shirt from the first year we had shirts that actually fit, a staff shirt from the first year we had a camp truck (other than mine) a shirt from the year we opened our new lodge. You get the picture.

So many shirts, so many memories….so little drawer space.

 

 

Day and Overnight Summer Camp Kettleby Valley near Toronto Gets Site Ready

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Recently, our summer camp for children has taken on many building projects. In the past five years, we’ve put in a second pool, constructed new pool change rooms, build a new lodge, and reconstructed several other buildings including structures at archery, canoeing and drama.

When most people think about summer camp, they tend to overlook all the work that happens in order to get the place ready each year. Chex and Midori have been working all year booking school groups and registering campers. Pickles has been creating the videos we post and Titus has taken the time to organize the projects for the spring.

This week, our spring maintenance crew began work. Huck and Taps have been varnishing floors, while Huck’s brother (who has yet to be nicknamed) has milled up all the pine trim we need to finish off projects. Crush and Titus have started installing all new windows in the cabins and Whirley and I put a new pine floor down in a cabin (sorry about your back Whirley). Star has started this week with grouping campers and other office duties.

This is just the start. Repairs to the steps going down to canoeing, wood chips brought down to the valley, new insulation for cabins, staining buildings, clearing deadfall, and dismantling an old bridge is a small sample of other jobs that need to be completed before summer. So, a big thanks to all our spring staff for all their hard work in getting the camp to look so good by the time the campers arrive.

Archery a Favourite at Our Ontario Summer Camp

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Many summer camps in Ontario offer a variety of activities as part of their camp program. Kettleby Valley provides campers with a chance to take part in swimming, canoeing, climbing wall, arts and crafts and many other traditional camp activities.

One activity that has consistently been a favourite each year is archery. I’ve often watched our youngest campers knock their arrows, pull back the string, one eye closed, tongue stuck out, aim…and then the arrow falls to their feet. Undaunted, they retrieve their arrows and try again.

Archery requires a surprising amount of coordination and it takes time to develop the skills necessary to get results. But when it all comes together and the arrow makes it to the target, the look on a camper’s face says it all.

We’ve had some great staff down at archery and this has also led to the popularity of the activity. Over the past eight year Fozzie, Peaches, Squirt, Tripper and Sprout have all done a great job in making archery successful. And with Rizzo and Chewy taking over this year, I’m convinced that the activity will remain a favourite.

Ontario Summer Camp Kettleby Valley Welcomes Two Staff Back from the Past

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Camp is a great place to work each summer. Our camp staff consists mostly of students – high school, college or university people who are looking for the experience and responsibility that comes with leading children.

Unfortunately, you can’t stay a student forever (although there are some staff members testing this notion), and the vast majority of people move on to careers in other fields. Not everyone can work at camp for a living and once people decide that it’s time to move on, they don’t often return.

This summer, we’re lucky to have two former staff members bucking that trend. 11 years ago, Soleil was an LIT and in 2002, she worked as an Auxiliary Counsellor at Kettleby Valley. Soleil finished her Bachelor of Arts degree at Brock University in 2008 and this year, she’ll be completing her Bachelor of Education at Lakehead University. Soleil will be part of our team of One-to-One counsellors for our integrated program.

After two years away from camp, Chewy is also returning. For those of us who are a little older, we remember him as a long-time camper and LIT. However, most people at Kettleby Valley remember Chewy as a Canoe Instructor and Residential Counsellor. He, along with Rizzo, will be looking after Archery, Crossbow and Camp Craft this summer. With Sprout taking on the role of Section Head this summer, and Tripper moving on to other endeavours, the timing of his return is perfect.

Both Chewy and Soleil spoke about how much the experience of camp has meant to them and how much they missed the place. We’ve missed them too and we’re happy to have both of them back for at least one more summer!

Ontario Summer camps with Integrated Programs: Who Benefits?

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At Kettleby Valley, we offer an integrated program for children with exceptionalities like Down Syndrome, Asperger’s and Autism. There is a tendency for people to see this as a service that we’re providing for the families of these campers. It’s true that the campers with exceptionalities benefit from taking part in camp activities throughout the summer. But no more than any other camper would benefit. I believe it’s our camp that gains the most from our integrated program.

Diversity and inclusion are part of the core values we have at camp. We want our staff and campers to be accepted for who they are. Our integrated program creates an atmosphere where campers learn to empathize with others without feeling sorry for them. Tolerance for differences within individuals is increased, not only for exceptionalities, but for everyone.

For our staff members, many see themselves entering the education field in their future. As teachers, modifying ones approach is critical to success, and working with exceptionalities requires adjustments on the fly. The level of gratification gained from making a connection with a child is directly related to the effort put forward. It is therefore no surprise that our integrated program has presented countless rewarding experiences for our staff members.

When you consider all the benefits to the camp as an organization, one could argue that providing an integrated program for campers with exceptionalities is highly selfish of us.

Helping Parents Cope with the Anxiety of Camp

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Many summer camps in Ontario promise to develop independence within their campers. Kettleby Valley is no exception. It’s right there, in bold writing on our home page. I believe that independence is vital to the development of a child. But I’m beginning to question the wisdom of highlighting a feature of our camp that makes some parents feel so uneasy.

When I first started working for summer camps, independence seemed to be something that every parent wanted for their child. And what better way to develop such a thing than to spend some time  at camp with friends away from Mom and Dad? Things have changed. Each day I talk to parents about our camp and they ask questions like, “Can I stay with my child when they come to camp?” or “I want to talk with my child when they’re at your camp, do I just call the main office?” The most common inquiry is, “Can I send my child with a cell phone in case they want to talk to me?” These are sincere questions coming from caring parents who are worried that their child might not like the camp or become homesick.

There has always been the possibility that a camper will suffer from homesickness. However the number of homesick cases hasn’t noticeably increased over the last 15 years. And when a camper becomes homesick, they don’t want their parents at camp, they want themselves at home. So, as a Camp Director, what can I do to help the parents?

Staying with the child at camp isn’t in the cards and allowing campers to have cell phones is a recipe for disaster. Incoming calls, games, internet use, and lost, broken or submerged phones are the short list of problems with this might lead to. However, a call home from a child’s Counsellor might go a long way to putting a parent’s mind at ease. Emailing a picture their child might also do the trick. If I consider the number of people who make these requests, we would have a maximum of five extra calls to make each week. Not a bad trade off to help parents get through the experience.

Our focus doesn’t need to be on fostering independence within the camper – they want their independence. The focus needs to be placed on helping the parents deal with the anxiety associated with fostering independence within their children. 

Facebook’s Affect on Our Summer Camp

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Social media has had a profound affect on maintaining connections with customers, friends and non-friends alike. So what impact has Facebook, Twitter and Google+ had on our summer camp?

Our Camp Facebook page has played a role in getting fun messages out to those who ‘like’ us. We’ve posted pictures and videos. It is by no means a reliable way to get important messages out to staff, campers and parents. It’s mostly just for fun. It’s also been a good way for our staff to keep in touch with one another. However, not everything has been positive.

One of the first profile pictures I remember seeing was a staff member’s face superimposed on the Jolly Green Giant. This picture had embellished certain anatomical features of the giant – not what we’d consider appropriate for our population of campers. After recovering from my nervous breakdown, we started to put a plan together.

In 2006, we implemented policies that were meant to discourage staff from becoming friends with campers. We had sessions in staff training about the impact that Facebook could have on their professional lives. In the years that followed, we devoted parts of our staff contract to Facebook use, we continued to develop policies, and gave more in-depth sessions during staff training about privacy settings and grouping friends.

These days there are options to isolate friends into groups and place them on limited profiles. You’d think that by now, we would have embraced the notion of campers and staff being friends on Facebook. At the risk of sounding like a Luddite, we haven’t. Even if a staff member have campers ‘friends’ on limited profiles, it wouldn’t stop them from seeing the above mentioned Jolly Green Giant profile picture and all its overstated components. Facebook has also been known to require someone to reset their privacy settings without warning, which can leave people’s profiles exposed for the world to see.

Some staff members have developed two Facebook profiles. In theory, this should work.  However, in time the ‘clean’ profile that was meant for campers becomes ‘contaminated’ with friends that are not campers and the problem starts all over again.

I recently took part in a series of Social Media advertising classes offered online through JM Internet Group. During the course, Jason MacDonald compared Facebook to throwing a party. Your profile on Facebook defines the kind of party that you’re throwing. For some people, the party is appropriate for everyone to attend, but for some it isn’t. A university lifestyle is 14A at best and many profiles I’ve seen are far worse. If you continue with the analogy, some (but by no means all) of these profiles represent a party where something is going to get broken. I believe that someone can attend these parties, live this lifestyle and still be a positive role model and a great counsellor. But it is irresponsible to potentially expose campers to this part of their life. What could possibly be gained from it?

I understand when we receive a request to be someone’s friend, it’s hard to reject them. However, we have to come to terms with the fact that this is Facebook.  If you ignore, block or outright reject a camper from being your friend, I’m convinced that they’ll understand.