Parents love what camp does.

The campers have gone home, the summer staff has departed, and camp staff are reviewing assessments. One major constituency to ask for feedback is your camper parents and guardians. This summer, Sacred Playgrounds helped 22 camping organizations conduct assessments with camper parents. While we aren’t done crunching the numbers to give you percentages yet, we wanted to get some trends in front of you. We offer each parent or guardian an opportunity to comment on any aspect of their child’s experience.

First, many parents love what camp is doing for their children. They overwhelmingly express appreciation for no-cell phone policies, faith-based activities, and excellent staff. But there are always some things to work on, too!

Trend: Food Service

One trend that continues from 2023 is asking for improvements in food service. Some wanted more variety, especially for campers who didn’t care for the main dish. We heard from parents with comments like:

“My child felt pretty hungry throughout the day because all they got was jelly on bread most days.”

Some parents noted the camp didn’t provide seconds or there was a lack of healthy snacking options – these led to hungry children. We know that hungry kids don’t have as good a camp experience – and good food service is part of hospitality. Last year we wrote about these ideas to ensure campers get enough food.

There was also a small, but quite upset cohort of parents who were disappointed that vegetarians were not accommodated, or child’s allergies weren’t tended to. A reminder to be honest about what you can and cannot do in your camp kitchens. If you can’t accommodate allergies or special diets, be upfront with parents. 

Trend: Communication

Another trend continuing from 2022 and 2023 is parents asking for more and better communication from their camp. Some areas for us all to review that showed up in parent comments.

Pre-Camp Communications

• Do emails and mailings clearly state drop off and pick up dates, times, and locations?
• Are packing lists sent several weeks in advance?
• Do parents get a schedule or handbook so they can help the camper understand what to expect?
• Are homesickness policies clearly explained? Are campers allowed to call home, and under what circumstances?
• Can these items be found in multiple places (website, emails, an app, or physical mailings) and are they timely?

 During-Camp Communications

• Do you share pictures or videos daily? And do parents know where to find them?
• Do those pictures include ALL campers? Or does your photographer focus on their favorite camper group?
• If you have an app, does it work?
• How does a parent send a letter or email to their camper?
• Do you have a method of communicating general information about camper activities during the week? (Today, the 7th graders went on a picnic lunch to the island, while the 6th graders had a pool party. Our worship theme was “mercy.”)

Ask: Parent Empowerment

“I would have loved information or tips to continue the positive impacts of camp in the home.”

One parent wrote this in the open comments, and they weren’t alone in this sentiment.

We saw a surprising (and gratifying) number of parents asking for information about their camper’s week, activities, Bible stories and speaker themes. They are interested in asking good questions to help their camper process and continue to grow when they get home. (Hey, we created a hand-out you can download and personalize to send with parents as they pick up their children.)

Your Turn

Be sure to take time to review your parent assessments. First, of course, address any failures in safety or policy. Next, notice the patterns of things YOUR parents and guardians are commenting about. Do you have thanks and kudos to share with staff or board members? Do you need to shift programming, staffing, budgets, or supervision to address concerns? Are there areas that you aren’t going to change because they are central to your program or philosophy, and how will you ensure that every parent understands your practice?

Parents (and other guardians) are among our primary constituents – they often make decisions about their camper’s registration and foot the bill for camp. Let’s take some time now to listen to their joys and concerns and prepare for an even better experience for their children next summer.

PS – Do you want Sacred Playgrounds to deal with all of this on your behalf, give you your own trends and numbers, have a comprehensive consultation about your results, and get a media kit to share your successes with your constituents? Check out Effective Camp (Level 1) or email me to learn more.