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**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:

Live From Tri-State - Part 2 - Day Camp Pod #12 Apr 02, 2019

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EVEN MORE Live Interviews From the Tri-State Camp Conference

Tag team back again!

After Tri-State Andy and Ehren came back with almost 2 hours of footage from camp pros attending the conference so we’re giving you even more!

So here you are! More interviews from THE WORLD’S LARGEST gathering of camp pros.

Big ups to Max Claman, Matt Kaufman, Sam Borek, Scott Arizala and Lauren Brandt Schloss for speaking with us for this episode.

We’ll see you next week with a new Day Camp Pod

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, Director - Robin Hood Leadership Centre & Corporate Rentals, Volunteer Ontario Camps Association (OCA) annual conference/accreditation visitor
Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor - Crystal Lake Park District, Vice president ACA Illinois

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/

Live From Tri-State - Part 1 - Day Camp Pod #11 Mar 26, 2019

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Live Interviews From the Tri-State Camp Conference

We’ve got some more live conference footage for you!

Andy and Ehren were on scene at the WORLD’S LARGEST gathering of camp pros in the Spring of 2019. While they were there, they busted out the microphones, grabbed some nearby camp pros and started recording!

We’re very thankful to Adam Baranker, Professor Dave Malter Erec Hillis, Benjamin Esposito, Deborah Gilboa, MD, aka "Dr. G." and Dave Thoensen for speaking with us for this episode.

We’ll see you next week with Part 2!

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, Director - Robin Hood Leadership Centre & Corporate Rentals, Volunteer Ontario Camps Association (OCA) annual conference/accreditation visitor
Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor - Crystal Lake Park District, Vice president ACA Illinois

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/

2019 Winter Conference Takeaways - The Day Camp Pod #10 Mar 12, 2019

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Day Camp Ideas and Takeaways from the ACA National and the OCA Conference

We’re nearing the end of conference season 2019. If you’re like many other camp pros, you come back from these conferences with pages of notes and a brain full of ideas.

For those of you who weren’t able to make it to some conferences this year, first of all, get it in your budget for next year, then second, tune in to this Day Camp Pod episode!

Andy, Sam and Ehren attended the American Camp Association (ACA) National Conference and the Ontario Camps Association (OCA) provincial conference in the past couple of months. Back with some game, changing ideas, the hosts were chomping at the bit to share with all of you.

Listen in to hear more about:

Why go to these conferences? Why wouldn’t you just get this information online?
The Day Camp Cafe with Michael Brandwein
Inclusion ideas and practices
New ways to engage staff, campers and families with online survey and polling tools
Emerging medical concerns and practices in the camp world
New marketing tips, tools and strategies
More staff recruiting and retention techniques

Did you attend any other conferences this winter? What did you take away from them? Let us know in the comments!

BONUS NOTES! BECAUSE THOSE OF YOU WHO SCROLL THIS FAR DESERVE A HIGH-FIVE…AND MORE RESOURCES! THANKS FOR THESE, SAM!

Sam’s Notes - Awesome Camp Pros to reach out to!

Things we do well:

smariebrickley@indyymca.org

Sophie does a great Accommodation Process Form

rdesmond@brightschool.com

Does wonderful camp programming for early learners, 3-8 year olds

lsomogyi@girlscoutsgchwi.org

Has great ideas for environmental and conservation stewardship efforts. Such as a Butterfly garden and a compost bin.

Laurel.zitney@ymcacharlotte.org

Has a camp songs and more resource: ultimatecampresource.com

shoule@cotesaintluc.org

Does a fun theme day every Friday instead of weekly.

hammoc@uw.edu

Chad does a lot of online training before camp starts.

drdebjohnson@gmail.com

She is with Camp Courage USA in Owasso, OK. She incorporates mental health therapy- social/emotional skills, either one on one or in groups with the campers.

Google bus services in your area or ask principals for contacts for bus options.
jpoole@secondcity.com

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

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/

Day Camp Staffing Part 1 - The Day Camp Pod #9 Feb 26, 2019

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Staffing Your Day Camp Like A Pro

Where are the camp staff?

It’s a question that a lot of camps find themselves asking in the Winter and Spring of 2019. With reports on Generation Z working less and less in highschool and college, it seems that the summer camp world is not invulnerable.

That being said, our industry is full of ingenuity. This apparent staff shortage is a new opportunity for the camp industry to lead the way and recruit the best that this generation has to offer.

To help YOU find the best staff this summer, The Day Camp Pod’s triumphant trio (Andy, Sam and Ehren) are joined by the brilliant Kim Aycock and the ingenious Will Pierce from Pierce Country Day Camp. This episode will definitely give you some new ideas to think about and will help you up your staff recruiting game this summer.

Listen in to find out about:

How to effectively cast the net to catch quality candidates?
What are some ways to think outside the conventional employees and conventional hiring methods?
How can we incentivize staff recruiting other staff?
What internal methods are you doing to “grow” staff starting at a young age?
How do we work with the current generation of staff to help them see themselves working at camp?

What are you doing this year to be intentional about recruiting quality staff this summer?

DCP - DAY CAMP PROGRAM IDEA OF THE WEEK - LEVEL UP YOUR DAY CAMP!

Andy: “For Those Who Work at Camp” incentive shirts (paperwork and orientation attendance)
Sam: 3rd year jackets, My boss thinks i am kind of a big deal.
Ehren: “Gluck Bucks”
Kim: Appreciation Envelopes for Staff (5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace)
Will: Iced Coffee and Light Breakfast for the staff in the AM

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director - Liberty Lake Day Camp
Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director - Camp Robin Hood, Director
Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor - Crystal Lake Park District, Vice president ACA Illinois
Kim Aycock, Speaker, Trainer, Teacher and Go Camp Pro Contributor - www.kimaycock.com
Will Pierce, 4th Generation Owner/Director - Pierce Country Day 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/

Parent and Family Visits - The Day Camp Pod #8 Feb 12, 2019

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Puttin’ on the Ritz for Day Camp Parents & Families

When it comes to marketing your camp, there’s no better strategy than to get people on the property. We take a lot of pride in the site and the work that we do and we know that getting people on site is the way to get them to buy in to your culture and see the true value of their money.

Whether you do it in the spring, summer or year-round, it’s so important that when you can get families in the door, that you are being extra intentional with the time they have with you. From the welcome, to the activities, to the presentations, to the departure, every moment should be considered to help parents understand why your camp is right for their child.

Seem a little daunting? Have no fear, The Day Camp Pod is here! For this topic, Andy, Ehren, Sam are joined by the mysterious “H” Rothenberg from Camp Coach and Triple C Day Camp to give you the inside scoop on how to get the “yes” and the “wow” from families at your visiting day.

Tune in to this episode to find out about:

Why do these visits? What’s the point?
How can you make these happen at different points of the year?
How do you manage the visit if they happen mid-camp day?
What are some tips to put your best foot forward when parents are on site?
What are the nitty gritty details that you might not think about, but what you need to do?

How do you wow your families at visitor days? Let us know in the comments below!

DCP - DAY CAMP PROGRAM IDEA OF THE WEEK - LEVEL UP YOUR DAY CAMP!

Andy: Ugly Shorts Day with special rituals for winners!
Ehren: Involving parents and visitors with Colour War
Sam: Sponge-strip balls for water dodge balls
H: Rock-throwing range

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, Director - Robin Hood Leadership Centre & Corporate Rentals, Volunteer Ontario Camps Association (OCA) annual conference/accreditation visitor
Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor - Crystal Lake Park District, Vice president ACA Illinois
“H” Rothenberg, Camp Coach and Director - Triple C 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/

Free and Unstructured Play - Day Camp Pod #7 Jan 29, 2019

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Why Free Play at Day Camp Makes Sense

One of the challenges of a typical day at day camp is trying to pack every single moment with magic and fun. The consequence of that is that they whole day can become very regimented and schedule driven.

Now, please put your hands down. Yes schedules are good. Yes you need to know generally what happens when. We aren’t going to ask you to get rid of your schedules in favour of free and unstructured play.

However, take a second to consider this. When we turn over the responsibility of the fun-creation to the campers, we get to truly engage their creativity and help them work out the part of their brain that they desperately need for the future. If we regiment every single moment, we don’t allow for a the moments of magic that you, as an old (okay, more experienced…) camp professional could have NEVER thought of!

To help us give some concrete ideas, to a jello-like topic, Andy, Ehren, Michael Brandwein (again!) are joined by Dr. Kelly Jones, co-founder of Outpost Summer Camps. Outpost Summer Camp is focused on relationship building around unstructured play and they make free play work well with 150+ kids. WOW.

Tune in to this episode to find out about:

Why do Free Play? Why do kids need it?
What are some of the unfounded fears that people think about when it comes to free play?
What kind behaviours do you want your staff to show to get the most out of unstructured play?
What are some different ways that camps implement free and unstructured play?
How can you begin to implement free and unstructured play THIS SUMMER?

How are you going to bring in some free play to your program this summer? Let us know in the comments below!

DCP - DAY CAMP PROGRAM IDEA OF THE WEEK - LEVEL UP YOUR DAY CAMP!

Michael: G3 - Great Greeting Group - Create a council of 2 or 3 staff who create a creative greeting every day.
Andy: Three Team Colour War
Ehren: Safari - Kids get to be both the animals AND the tour guides
Sam: Think Outside the Tie-Dye Box
Kelly: Group Sneaking - Surprises & Hilarity Ensues

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director Liberty Lake Day Camp, past presidentACA NY/NJ
Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director, Camp Robin Hood
Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor, Crystal Lake Park District
Michael Brandwein - Speaker, Trainer - www.michaelbrandwein.com
Kelly Jones - Executive Director and Day Camp Director - Outpost Summer Camps

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/

Intra Camp Communications - The Day Camp Pod #6 Jan 18, 2019

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Michael Brandwein Thinks You Can Meet Better

We get it, your day camp is busy. You’ve got busses coming in, going out, kids going left and right, meals to cook and knees to un-scrape. The last thing you want to do is book time for a meeting with your staff.

And you know what? If your meetings are only about going to be about giving information, or telling the staff where they need to improve, then we wouldn’t want to be there either!

Say it with us, “WE CAN BE BETTER”.

Not only can we make our meetings better this summer, but if we want our camp to be a place where everyone is on the same page, the Day Camp Pod is here to help you completely revamp how people talk and listen to each other at your camp.

Joining Andy, Ehren and Sam is the one, the only Michael Brandwein! Michael has literally written the book on leadership, camp management, staff training and equipping all levels of staff with skills to make the camper experience the best it can be.

We are so grateful to Michael for taking the time to share his best info-giving practices to the entire camp world. You do not want to miss what he has to say. Thank you, Michael!

Tune in to this episode to find out about:

What’s the whole point of meeting, if not just giving information?
What can you do to make your meetings more intentional?
How do you model your meetings to not only give information, but teach and lead by example?
What tech/non-tech solutions do you do to keep everyone in the know in the day to day?
How can you incorporate things like rituals, teachable moments, segments and theatrics to make your meetings (and information) memorable?

You can do it! We can’t wait to hear about the awesome things that you are going to do when it comes to communication this summer. What are you going to do? What do you already do? Let us know in the comments below!

DCP - DAY CAMP PROGRAM IDEA OF THE WEEK - LEVEL UP YOUR DAY CAMP!

Andy: Tug-of-war in a new medium, every year (mud, pudding, jello!?)
Sam: Funyak, Power Paddlers, Corcls - Kid-friendly Kayaks.
Ehren: Music Clump - Scattergories, but with songs!

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director Liberty Lake Day Camp, past presidentACA NY/NJ
Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director, Camp Robin Hood
Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor, Crystal Lake Park District
Michael Brandwein - Speaker, Camp Legend -www.michaelbrandwein.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/

Day Camp Inclusion - Day Camp Pod #5 Jan 07, 2019

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Because every kid deserves a camp experience.

Would you agree that the world would be a much better place if everybody went to camp?

Of course! We know what camp does for kids. To have a place among a positive community is something that every single kid, no, person desperately needs.

Now, when we say EVERY kid, we mean it! No matter a child’s ability, background, race, gender, sexual orientation, personality or whatever else makes them unique, they deserve the transformative power of a camp experience.

Inclusion programs are becoming more and more prominent in the Day Camp industry, but we need to make sure that we’re doing it right. An inclusion program that is intentional, well thought out and comprehensively welcoming is not easy, but it’s not as hard as you might think.

Cue the Day Camp Pod! On this episode, Andy, Sam and Ehren are joined by THE Sari Grossinger from Camp Robin Hood. Together these Day Camp Pros offer advice and tips and tricks to both the prospective and the full-on inclusive day camps.

Tune in to find out about:

Why do, don’t and should camps have an inclusion program?
What are the benefits of an inclusion program?
How do we hire and train staff to have be inclusive and work with campers with differing abilities?
How do we work with families who may know a lot, or a little about their child’s needs at camp?
What are the small, easy, adjustments that you can make to make your camp more inclusive?

We hope that this episode empowers you to get your inclusion on this summer! What do you do (or want to do) this summer to make your camp more inclusive for all kids? Let us know in the comments!

DCP - DAY CAMP PROGRAM IDEA OF THE WEEK - LEVEL UP YOUR DAY CAMP!

Andy: L.A.R.P. - Live Action Role Play
Sam: Tennis/Baseball
Ehren: Chair Basketball
Sari: Welcome to Holland Poem and Sequel - staff training - empathy building

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ
Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director, Camp Robin Hood
Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor, Crystal Lake Park District
Sari Grossinger - Co-Owner and Director - Camp Robin Hood

BONUS CONTENT - BECAUSE YOU READ THE SHOW NOTES, AND YOU’RE AWESOME.

Sam’s presentation on creating a culture of inclusion. (Thanks, Sam!)

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/

Day Camp Special Events - The Day Camp Pod #4 Dec 06, 2018

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Go Big And Campers Won’t Want To Go Home

Camp is full of WOW moments. From drop off to pick-up, we do our best to inject that WOW into every part of the day. However, we, as camp pros, know where we can dial it up to 11.

Special Event Day. Evening Program. Special Afternoon. Whatever you call it, what you do in this 1-7 hour time block can really make that camp session memorable.

Joining our triumphant trio, Andy, Ehren and Sam is the man, the legend, Curt “Moose” Jackson from summercamppro.com to share his insights from pages and pages AND PAGES of blogs and roundtables from him, and other camp pros. Tune in to hear about:

How easy it can be to program for 300+ kids
How to start the magic of a special day as soon as kids step on the bus
The best prizes to give for special event days (psst. the best prizes don’t cost money!)
Getting the whole staff team involved
How to do ALL of this and not break the bank

You better believe that this episode is chalked FULL of nuggets. Have a pen and paper handy, because you’ll need it!

Did you get something from this episode? It’s all about sharing! Let us know in the comments, and please, make sure you give credit to those who are being radically open with their ideas.

DCP - DAY CAMP PROGRAM IDEA OF THE WEEK - LEVEL UP YOUR DAY CAMP!

Andy: Look-a-Like Contest
Sam: Everyday Heroes!
Ehren: Diorama Delusion
Moose: Hide the Smurf! - Stump the Counsellors

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ
Ehren Gluckstein, Assistant Director, Camp Robin Hood
Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor, Crystal Lake Park District
Curt “Moose” Jackson - Summer Camp Programming and Patchwork Marketplace

BONUS CONTENT - BECAUSE YOU READ THE SHOW NOTES, AND YOU’RE AWESOME.

Sam’s FULL ON SPECIAL EVENT LAYOUTS!!! (Thanks, Sam!)

Photos from Crystal Lake’s Special Events (Seriously, Sam, you rock!)

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/

21st Century Communication - The Day Camp Pod #3 Dec 06, 2018

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The Communication THESE Parents Need

No matter what type of camp you are, you want to move forward. Especially if it means providing an even better customer service experience for our parents, we need to always be re-evaluating even our most habitual practices.

Communication with our parents during the summer is definitely one of those things. As the boomers and the gen-xers are moving away from our core parent age, our millennial parents have different communication preferences that we should consider before simply saying “nope, we only call”.

One size definitely doesn’t fit all and especially when you consider WHO is making those calls/emails/texts and WHY you are making those calls/emails/texts, and WHEN you are making those calls/emails/texts, you have to do it strategically.

Sharing their way through this changing landscape is the brilliant Matt Kaufman from Camp Ramaquois. Matt joins Andy and Sam to share their techniques, best practices and strategies for in-summer communication. Thanks for joining us, Matt!

What do you think? Do you believe that a radical change in our communication strategy is in the works? Let us know in the comments below!

DCP - DAY CAMP PROGRAM IDEA OF THE WEEK - LEVEL UP YOUR DAY CAMP!

Andy - Puppy Program
Sam - Minute to win it
Matt - Service Projects For Campers

YOUR HOSTS:

Andy Pritikin, Owner/Director Liberty Lake Day Camp, past president ACA NY/NJ
Sam Thompson, Recreation Supervisor, Crystal Lake Park District
Matt Kaufman, Associate Director - Ramaquois Day 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/

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The Day Camp Pod – From Go Camp Pro

EVEN MORE Live Interviews From the Tri-State Camp Conference

We’ll see you next week with a new Day Camp Pod

YOUR HOSTS:

SPONSORS:

Live Interviews From the Tri-State Camp Conference

We’ll see you next week with Part 2!

YOUR HOSTS:

SPONSORS:

Day Camp Ideas and Takeaways from the ACA National and the OCA Conference

Staffing Your Day Camp Like A Pro

Puttin’ on the Ritz for Day Camp Parents & Families

Why Free Play at Day Camp Makes Sense

Michael Brandwein Thinks You Can Meet Better

Because every kid deserves a camp experience.

Go Big And Campers Won’t Want To Go Home

The Communication THESE Parents Need

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