Government & Organizations
**The Day Camp Pod – From Go Camp Pro**

The Day Camp Pod is for day camp leaders who want real answers and practical advice. Each episode covers how to build a resilient camp, face daily challenges, and support every camper. Our hosts and guests are experienced camp directors who believe in problem-solving, teamwork, and helping staff grow. We talk about staff training, making camps more welcoming for everyone, and building strong connections with parents. If you want to learn how empathy and creativity make camps better, and how to keep your camp strong during tough times, you’ll find new ideas here twice a month from Actober to May.

The Day Camp Pod, from Go Camp Pro. Bringing you the best ideas, strategies and discussions in the Day Camp Industry.

Latest Episodes:

Day Camp Trends - with Roz and Jed Buck - Day Camp Pod #31 Mar 17, 2020

Show notes

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 and campers will thank you for the deep-thinking you did 2 years ago.

On the Day Camp Pod, we usually focus on a specific topic that Day Camps need to know about. For this episode, we are zooming out to give Day Camp Pros some time and space to look broadly at the industry.

To help with that, Sam, Andy and Ehren are joined by some incredible Day Camp Pros that have an incredible vantage-point on the industry. As former staff, directors, owners and now consultants, Jed and Roz Buck (https://www.rozandjed.com) are here to add to a discussion on the hot-topics that you should know about as you prepare for the upcoming season.

Tune in to hear about:

Jed and Roz’s camp experience, classic camp love-story and how they got to where they are now.
How the customer-service expectations are changing in our industry
What camps are doing to assess and change their culture
Unique perspectives and ideas on staff training and engagement

Did we miss something? Please let us know in the comments or by email: daycampquestions@gocamp.pro
-

If you love the Day Camp Pod, we would be grateful if you subscribed and left us a review. It’s SUPER easy, too! Just head to http://ratethispodcast.com/dcp
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THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

Andy: Doggie Dive

Sam: Handshake - for jobs/internships (https://www.joinhandshake.com) + games laminated on a keyring for staff!

Ehren: Staff scavenger hunt teaming old and new staff, incorporating camp songs and other camp cultural pieces.

Roz: Making the downtime FUN-time! Giving them games intentionality.

Jed: BEFORE orientation actually starts - give the staff something to do- games, anything- make it fun!!!

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp
Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director - Camp Robin Hood - Robin Hood
Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor - Crystal Lake Park District
Roz and Jed Buck, Camp Consultants - rozandjed.com

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/

Mission-Driven Camps - with Tiffany McDuffie and Yoni Stadlin - Day Camp Pod #30 Mar 03, 2020

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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 cause of creating a great place for kids to spend their summer.

This episode is for those camps who want to take that universal belief to the next level.

In this episode, we are going to focus in on two mission-driven camps that are so incredibly intentional about carrying out their “why”. Sam and Andy are joined by Tiffany McDuffie from Purposeful Play and Yoni Stadlin from Eden Villiage Camp. Both Tiffany and Yoni are doing some amazing things to serve their mission. This is definitely not an episode to miss!

Tune in to hear about:

Tiffany’s camp origin story and how she created Purposeful Play
Yoni’s story and what Eden Village does to serve its mission
Tips for applying these mission-driven principals to your Day Camp
Some awesome program tips that will make your camp better THIS summer!

What do you think? Please let us know in the comments or by email: daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

If you love the Day Camp Pod, we would be grateful if you subscribed and left us a review. It’s SUPER easy, too! Just head to http://ratethispodcast.com/dcp

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

Andy: Star Points

Sam: Program Assessment Tool - to determine the validity of a program for your mission

Ehren: Facilitator Blueprint

Tiffany: Kobe Bryant Quote: “The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they do.”

Yoni: Angel Walk

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp
Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director - Camp Robin Hood
Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor - Crystal Lake Park District
Tiffany McDuffie, Executive Director - Purposeful Play
Yoni Stadlin, Founder and Director - Eden Villiage 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

Staff Recruitment - Day Camp Pod #29 Feb 18, 2020

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There are less fish in the camp staff applicant pool than ever, so you need to step up your fishing game

Review us on iTunes!

Many reports have shown that over the next 10 years, fewer and fewer youth 16-24 will be entering the workforce. This rate has already been in decline for the past 20 years and it seems that more and more, Day Camps across North America are feeling the staffing squeeze as the summer creeps ever closer.

The worry of being under-staffed can be utterly consuming for camp directors, especially those who are hiring 400+ staff each season.

Like all things in our industry, we need to adapt to circumstances in order for our camps to thrive and be full of the leaders of tomorrow. That means that this recruiting season, you need to get creative.

To help you find the best ever, Sam and Andy are joined by Mark Hemmerdinger from Crestwood Country Day Camp in Long Island, Ryan Rosen from Camp Kinneret just north of Los Angeles and Jonathan Nyquist, the founder and current CEO of Camp Canada Inc.

Tune in to hear about:

Strategies for recruiting counsellors from your current camper base
How to look outside your camp-sphere for new hires
Tips for standing out at hiring fairs
The secret to the perfect follow-up with a staff you are interested in.
What to look for in potential counsellors, activity leaders and administrators
Much, much, more!

Please let us know in the comments or by email: daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

If you love the Day Camp Pod, we would be grateful if you subscribed and left us a review. It’s SUPER easy to! Just head to http://ratethispodcast.com/dcp

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

Andy: Mid-Season Staff Training
Sam: Bubble Painting
Mark: Star of the Week
Ryan: Creatively teaching campers the power of voting…by shaving the director’s beard!
Jonathan: Themed Bingo

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president

Gender and Day Camp - Day Camp Pod #28 Feb 04, 2020

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Ensuring our Day Camps are inclusive for campers, staff and families of all genders.

We know the power of a week at camp. A child’s life can be changed for the better simply by spending 5 days at our day camps.

Now that we’re firmly planted in times where most people value inclusion, camp directors know that we need to keep being leaders and a bastion of inclusion in the world. In a lot of cases, camps have done a fairly good job evolving to reflect those inclusive values, but that doesn’t mean that it’s the end of the conversation.

Part of being inclusive is to be constantly be reflecting and re-evaluating our programs, hiring & facilities to ensure that we aren’t creating barriers for people to feel included and welcome at camp.

When it comes to gender, we need to recognize that being inclusive means going just beyond not limiting the programs that boys and girls can take part in. We need to look deeper into things like what programs we are offering, what language we are using every day and even how our staff hiring practices can have some biases in them. What about campers and staff who identify as transgender? How are you evaluating your camp beyond just male and female?

This kind of thing is tricky! It can be hard to navigate, but that’s why you’re here with us on the Pod! To help us all learn, joining Sam, Ehren and Andy on this episode are Leslie Keller from TIC Camps in Maryland, DC & Virginia, and Genna Singer from Camp Settoga and the JCC of Manhattan to discuss with us the ins and outs of gender issues in Day Camp programming and operations.

We know that this isn’t the end of the conversation about Gender and Day Camps. What did we miss? What would you like to hear more about?

Please let us know in the comments or by email: daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

If you love the Day Camp Pod, we would be grateful if you subscribed and left us a review. It’s SUPER easy, too! Just head to http://ratethispodcast.com/dcp

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

Andy: “Camp-Paign” 2020

Sam: Negative Space Tye Dye

Ehren: Question Cards

Leslie: Stereotypes vs. Statistics

Genna: Time Capsule/Settoga Moments

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ, partner/founder Everwood Day Camp, founder/past president NJ Camps Government Affairs Project
Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director -

Specialists and Activity Leaders Working Effectively with Day Camp Staff - with Michael Brandwein - Day Camp Pod #27 Jan 21, 2020

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Welcome back, Michael Brandwein!

Your staff being able to work together may be one of the biggest keys to the success of your camp program.

You can have the coolest activities and the best classes around, but if the staff running those areas don’t work well with your camp counsellors, you’re missing out on the full potential of those programs.

It’s understandable why this can be a problem. Your specialists (activity leaders, program staff, etc.) are usually older and may not have as much camp-kid-experience. Your counsellors (group leaders, unit leaders, etc.) are younger and may not understand how they can jump in and properly assist when they don’t have the skills in those programs. When differing experiences and differing expectations meet, you know that it can be a recipe for trouble.

It may manifest in the counsellors not taking the initiative the specialists are looking for, or the specialists treating the counsellors as a glorified babysitter. In any case, communications break down, people get bitter and it causes a big headache for Day Camp directors everywhere.

However, like all staff conflict, it’s often something that we can get ahead of and address in your staff training before the summer even starts!

Staff conflict? Intentional training? Hyper-specific camp problems that seem unsolvable? Are you thinking about who we’re thinking about?

That’s right! He’s back, friends! Joining Sam, Andy and Ehren is the great Michael Brandwein!

Tune in to this episode to hear some of Michael and our host’s best tips, tools and secrets that have helped them teach staff the benefits of truly valuing each other and using their combined skills to make camp programs the best they can be.

Any questions? Ideas for shows? Topics? Guests? Please send them to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

Andy: Glow and Grow cards, with specialists

Sam: Marble painting, but with toy trucks!

Ehren: Specialty Activity Board

Michael: Follow Sam’s Advice!

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ, partner/founder Everwood Day Camp, founder/past president NJ Camps Government Affairs Project
Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director - Camp Robin Hood - Robin Hood Leadership Centre & Corporate Rentals<

**Bonus Episode! - Live from The Women In Camp Summit 2019 - The Day Camp Pod** Jan 17, 2020
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Live from the Women In Camp Summit - 2019!
The Women in Camp Summit was held in November of 2019. Female identifying camp professionals from across the industry joined together for three days of networking, discussion, and professional development designed specifically for those who identify as women working in or in support of summer camp.
Our Day Camp Pod host, Sam Thompson put the call out and gathered some incredible women together for some interviews.
Listen in to hear stories, words of wisdom and more from Peg Smith, Cat Curry, Jane Sanborn, Peggy Brothers and Lauren Somogyi.
We'll be back with our regular episodes next Tuesday!
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YOUR HOSTS:
**Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor -** **Crystal Lake Park District,** **Vice president** **ACA Illinois**
**Peg Smith, Former ACA CEO**
**Cat Vaux Curry, Director of** **Latin 360**
**Jane Sanborn, Author, Executive Director at** **Sanborn Western Camps/Colorado Outdoor Education Center**
**Peggy Brothers, Director of Camp Programs, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana**
**Lauren Somogyi**, **Camp Greene Wood, Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana**

Staff Meetings at Day Camp - Day Camp Pod #26 Jan 07, 2020

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Meetings are important, and they don’t have to be painful!

You may have read a ton of material about why meetings are killing businesses or are the worst thing since un-sliced bread. They’re useless, they’re boring, they’re a waste of time and they kill productivity.

That’s not completely, wrong. Meetings CAN be that way, but they don’t have to be. When we have to have meetings, like we do at Day Camp, we should strive to make our meetings the best they can be.

We don’t have staff constantly on email, slack or other digital communication tools. Things come up that can’t be covered in an email round-up at the beginning or end of the day. You may indeed need to cut down your amount of meetings, but for the ones that you need to keep, you should do it right.

We’ve brought some big guns to help you make your meetings more memorable. Andy, Sam and Ehren are joined by THE Chris Thurber and THE Steve Maguire. Yeah, that’s right. Could you imagine a more stellar crew?

Tune in to this episode to find out why meetings should…

Have a purpose
Have an agenda
Only cover what is relevant to everyone who is in the meeting
NOT be run by a stressed-out Camp Director
Be friendly, kind and conscience
Require participants to have a pen and paper
Switch up the location, format and type (standing, moving, etc.)
Sometimes have food, water or music as people are coming in
Be communicated to people who can’t make the meeting (office staff, etc.)

Do your meetings suck? Do they rock? Tell us about them! Let us know in the comments or send us an email to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

Any questions? Ideas for shows? Topics? Guests? Please send them to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

Andy - Perfect attendance award for your staff - $10 convenience store gift card. Chance to win $100 at the end of the summer

Sam - Scatterball - Tune in to this episode to hear the rules

Ehren - Supervisors sharing moments about how the other staff have made camp better - $10 Coffee Card as a Reward

Chris - Getting campers to help out with admin work! You can make it fun and also optional!

Steve - Shout out to Dan O'Neil- A camp mascot for pick-up and drop-off!

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ, partner/found

Non-Traditional Day Camps - Day Camp Pod #25 Dec 24, 2019

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An insider look into 3 Non-Traditional Day Camps

Review us on iTunes!

How great are camp tours?

Getting the inside scoop on how a fellow camp pro does their “thing” is an absolute blast.

(Ps. there are tons of opportunities to be a volunteer accreditor for your local camping organization. Do tours AND help the industry!

Getting to see “under the hood” isn’t just fun too, it helps us be our best. Even though all of our goals are the same, the nuances of how we get to those goals can always use some outside inspiration.

Even more, when we look outside of the “traditional” way of doing things. To help you find some outside inspiration, Sam, Andy and Ehren are joined by 3 camp pros who are running some unique and awesome day camps. Tune into this episode to learn from Jeff Poole from Second City Improv, Chicago, from Annie Labus, Chicago Botanical Gardens and Scarlett Shankles, Honolulu Zoo Society Zoo Camp.

Tune in to learn about:

How each of these day camp programs run
The unique challenges that come with running camps in public spaces
Pro tips that could only come from people who are running unique programs like theirs
Staffing, transportation, food, and all the usual Day Camp Pod goodness,

Do you know any awesome camp programs that we should feature in a follow-up episode? Let us know in the comments or send us an email to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

Any questions? Ideas for shows? Topics? Guests? Please send them to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

Andy: Drumming Programs at your camp - use Home Depot buckets for a low-budget option

Ehren: Visual summaries of the day so that kids can remember and communicate what they did at camp that day

Sam: A “user-guide” for your leadership style. Give this to your leadership staff to fast track them getting to know you. (Thanks for this, Sam!)

Jeff: Using popular or funny names to name kids groups or locations at your camp (ex. the kids at Second City are grouped into Second City alumni (the Colbert’s, the Martins, etc.)

Annie: “Photographer” - Kids go in pairs and observe a nature activity quickly (like a camera), and then share it.

Scarlett: “There’s always tomorrow” reminding staff that they can’t control what happens to them today but to start tomorrow with a clean slate.

Day Camp Transportation - Day Camp Pod #24 Dec 10, 2019

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Camp begins when kids get on the bus!

There are a lot of reasons why Sleepaway and Day camps are the same and 95% of our podcasts are chalked full of ideas that ANY camp director can take to improve their camp.

However, this one is a shout out to every Day Camp Director’s biggest and most unique logistical headache:

THE BUSSES

Whether it’s 10 or 100 busses, Day Camp Pros know how much work goes into effectively getting to and from your camp. When you add the prefix bus- to any common camp term like staffing, logistics, hiring, training, programming, it opens up a WORLD of unique and wonderful challenges to address.

Joining Ehren and Andy to get those bums on the bus effectively is Howard Thall from Banner Day Camp, Adam Wallach from Camp Mohawk, and a very special guest - Larry Bell from Camp Robin Hood.

Tune in to hear more about:

How Day Camp transportation has changed over the last 50 years
How do you grow transportation to accommodate more campers?
Logistical tips (routes, pickup & drop off, communication, staffing)
Bus Programming
Pricing, surcharges and more!

Do you have a question that we didn’t cover in this episode? Let us know in the comments or send us an email to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

Any questions? Ideas for shows? Topics? Guests? Please send them to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

The DCPTOFW (for short) will be back next week!

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ

Treating Your Day Camp Like a Business - With Jonathan Gold - Day Camp Pod #23 Nov 26, 2019

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…Because it IS a business!

Don’t get us wrong, camp is the best, most fun, amazing, happy-go-lucky place there is. It has to be that for the staff for the campers, but as a director, if you want your camp to be around of the long run, there’s a more serious side that you need to consider, and that’s the reality of the fact that your camp is a business.

Let’s be clear, we’re not here to tell you that spreadsheets, budgets and financial statements are fun, but they are necessary. As our guest, Jonathan Gold says, “you don’t love putting gas in your car, but you sure need it!”

Along with Jonathan are our regular hosts, Andy, Sam and Ehren to dive deep into taking care of business at your day camp.

Tune into this episode to hear more about:

Jonathan Gold’s camp origin story
Jonathan’s camp pyramid of importance from cash flow at the base, all the way up to the easier day to day problems
How to build a culture of financial prudency among other people that spend money at camp
The changing landscape of the camping industry and their financial implications
Practical steps for intentionally planning out your budget and managing cashflow
Even more practical and important tips…

Do you have a financial tip or question that we didn’t cover in this episode? Let us know in the comments or send us an email to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

Any questions? Ideas for shows? Topics? Guests? Please send them to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

Andy - Homebase App for hourly employees. Tracking hours, reminders, notes for absences, and transferring it to payroll.

Sam - “Funraising” game - Penny Wars. (You’ll have to listen to this episode to get it)

Ehren - Giving out “fake” money to the staff for shout-outs, buying special snacks or privileges. You can also use them to purchase some program equipment. You can call them “Gluck Bucks” if you want.

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ, partner/founder <

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The Day Camp Pod – From Go Camp Pro

What Day Camp Directors need to know about the major trends in the industry.

Summer camps thrive when they are relentlessly driven to serve their mission.

There are less fish in the camp staff applicant pool than ever, so you need to step up your fishing game

If you love the Day Camp Pod, we would be grateful if you subscribed and left us a review. It’s SUPER easy to! Just head to http://ratethispodcast.com/dcp

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

YOUR HOSTS:

Ensuring our Day Camps are inclusive for campers, staff and families of all genders.

If you love the Day Camp Pod, we would be grateful if you subscribed and left us a review. It’s SUPER easy, too! Just head to http://ratethispodcast.com/dcp

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

YOUR HOSTS:

Welcome back, Michael Brandwein!

YOUR HOSTS:

Meetings are important, and they don’t have to be painful!

Any questions? Ideas for shows? Topics? Guests? Please send them to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

YOUR HOSTS:

An insider look into 3 Non-Traditional Day Camps

Any questions? Ideas for shows? Topics? Guests? Please send them to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

Camp begins when kids get on the bus!

THE BUSSES

Any questions? Ideas for shows? Topics? Guests? Please send them to daycampquestions@gocamp.pro

THE DAY CAMP PROGRAM TIP OF THE WEEK

YOUR HOSTS:

…Because it IS a business!

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