The summer months create some of the greatest memories for kids and adults alike. Swimming, fishing, hiking, and sports are some of the most popular activities children enjoy during the summer. There is a way for them to have these experiences all in one place. Summer camps offer all of these and more for the eager camper.
With over 40 million people going camping every year, this remains one of the most popular summer activities. For anyone looking to start a fun summer camp, they have a large undertaking in front of them. With the right resources, however, they can successfully fulfill their dream and start a summer camp to be proud of.
Choosing the location
Any business expert might tell you that location is one of the most important factors in determining success or failure. New summer camps are at a disadvantage compared to their more seasoned counterparts. The other camps have the benefit of years of experience. If your summer camp is too close to an older camp, you might face a significant challenge to find potential campers. When choosing your location, try to find an underserved area. A community may have several children who would love to attend a summer camp, but none were in a relatively close distance. If you set up shop there, you can tap into this potential. This could be a great location for your new fun summer camp.
Maybe there was an old summer camp that shut its doors years ago. The neighboring community has now been left without this great summer tradition. Your new summer camp can help them out. You can start your summer camp here or just revive the old one. If you choose the latter, you can touch on the nostalgia in your advertising. Let the people know that the camp they all knew and loved is back and better than ever. This revitalization can generate some of that much-needed buzz for your camp.
During the location process, you will need to hire a quality lawyer. The attorney will help guide you through the sale and acquisition of the property. There is a lot of confusing paperwork that the lawyer should help you navigate through. Once all the legalities have been taken care of you can then hit the ground running and start making your fun summer camp look beautiful.
Camp maintenance
The beauty of the outdoors is unmatched. Many summer camps emphasize the gorgeous scenery that they offer. There’s nothing quite like taking a hike down a beautiful pathway, amidst the tall trees and colorful flowers. When you’re operating your summer camp you will want to do your best to preserve nature and make your property look breathtaking. You can use these wonderful images while advertising your fun summer camp. Tree pruning can help make the landscape look clean and neat. If trues become too overgrown, they can be a nuisance. You can cut them back while still maintaining their beauty.
Proper maintenance of the buildings is also essential. When operating any new business, first impressions are often the difference between success and failure. If visitors are unimpressed with the facilities, it is doubtful that they will sign their children up for your camp. Trash can be an eyesore on the property. Make sure that all trash is properly disposed of and that you have regularly scheduled trash pickup. You should establish a good working relationship with a dumpster or trash removal company. Timing is also important. If you wait too long to contact the trash removal company, you might experience overflow. When you start to notice that the dumpster is almost full, you should contact the business then. The company may be busy and not available to come to your camp right away. If your dumpster is full to capacity, you will find yourself in a pickle. No one will want to attend a summer camp covered in trash.
Additional beautification projects
There are some additional touches that you can add to the fun summer camp that can really make it pop. Gazebos are structures that can really add some beauty to the area. They serve several different purposes. They can become meeting places for the campers and/or counselors. The campers can perform small shows off of them. There are many different designs of the gazebo, such as the custom Amish gazebo. You can also accentuate the body of the area by planting flowers and trees. These additional touches will go a long way and showing that your camp is willing to put their best foot forward.
Marketing and advertising
When you start your fun summer camp you will want to attract potential campers. The people need to hear about your camp. Your marketing and advertising campaign can make or break your camp’s success. You can take out ads online, film a commercial, or more to spread the word. There are numerous different low-cost ways to market your fun summer camp.
T-shirts for your staff can help create some organic reactions from people they interact with. A shirt with the camp name and logo can be seen by hundreds. These shirts are a one-time investment that will pay dividends for your fun summer camp. You can find a custom screen printing company to print these shirts as well as any other promotional products.
In addition to t-shirts, there are a number of other promotional products that can be used in advertising. Mesh vinyl banners are a great tool that can leave a significant impression. The top advantage of these banners is their size. Someone passing by can’t help but notice the gigantic banner. With a larger scale banner, you can include all the pertinent information that you need to convey. You don’t, however, want to overload the banner with too much text. Keep it short and compact. The more words on the banner, the less likely people will pay attention to it. Include some eye-catching graphics. This will help pique the interests of parents and turn them on to your fun summer camp.
First aid and emergency services
Parents will always be concerned with their children’s safety and health. When out with their children, they will watch them like a hawk. No matter how old they are, parents will always worry about what might happen to them. These feelings are incredibly heightened when they are separated from their children. If parents drop their children off at your camp, you will want to assure them that you will take good care of the kids. They should feel that they can trust you with the care of their children.
The health and safety of the campers should be priority number one. You can alleviate the concerns of the parents by having a proper emergency protocol in place. Nobody wishes for an emergency situation, but sometimes they do still happen. Make sure to take note of the 24 hour urgent care locations in your area. While the most serious emergencies should be taken to the hospital, an urgent care clinic can help in many other situations that require medical attention.
You will also need to have the proper medical equipment and supplies. There are a variety of different health-related issues that may arise at a summer camp. Exposure to poisonous plants is one of those common concerns in the summer. You should have plenty of medicine needed for poison ivy at the nurse’s station. You can also help the campers by teaching them about the poisonous plants and how to best identify them. This can help to reduce the number of incidents your summer camp will face. No parent wishes for the child to get sick or injured. They can, however, build trust with you and know that you can rectify any health issue.
Safety
Parents not only want their children to be healthy while at your summer camp. They want to make sure that they are safe and free from harm. This again comes down to establishing trust. The parents will want to know that you are committed to protecting their children. Any number of incidents can arise at summer camp and you should know how to deal with them.
Fire safety is incredibly important at your summer camp. Even a small fire can engulf the entire area if not rectified swiftly. Make sure that every building comes equipped with smoke alarms. Make sure that the alarms are regularly checked, and batteries are swapped out. A fire alarm without working batteries is useless. You should also install fire sprinklers into every room. Should a fire start, the sprinklers will automatically switch on and try to drown out the fire. You should also perform regular maintenance checks on your sprinkler system to make sure that it is working properly.
Summer camps are generally out in the open. While they may look beautiful, it does present a security concern. An intruder can make their way into a less secure camp. There are a number of different security measures that you can take to combat this nefarious situation. Installing a security fence can help. They could be aluminum fences, cast iron fences, or more. Although a fence could be scaled, the more difficult it is the less likely an intruder will try it. The more difficult it is for the intruder to climb, the lengthier the process will be. This allows more opportunity to catch them.
You should also consider hiring a security team for the summer camp. They can patrol the area in several shifts and call attention to any suspicious activity. A strong security presence is known to dissuade any potential harm. You should equip your security team with all the necessary equipment. This equipment should include radios and flashlights. When using the radio make sure that all security personnel are on the same frequency. Communication is vital in these situations.
Hiring the right staff
A summer camp is more than just a beautiful area with some fun activities for the campers. A fun summer camp is built up with people. Your counselors and staff will be the backbone of your camp. They are the ones teaching the classes, cooking the food, beautifying the area, and protecting the campers. You will want to make sure that you have the best people in place to enrich this camp and let it flourish. The hiring process can be especially tricky. With the right research, you should be able to find some quality candidates.
When hiring your staff, you’ll likely want someone with plenty of experience. For a children’s summer camp, you will want someone with childcare experience. Someone with previous summer camp experience should be given some special consideration. Even if a candidate has not worked at a specific summer camp, they should not be immediately dismissed. They may have other applicable experience in their resume. If you turn them down, you could miss out on a quality counselor. Teachers are also great candidates. Since they are home for the summer, they are likely looking for something to help make ends meet. If hired, you will receive a counselor with plenty of experience and they will have a much-needed summer job. It’s a win-win situation.
Before you extend the job offer, you should make sure that the candidate has been properly screened. You should run a criminal background check. You can also run an education verification test as well. This test will make sure that they have all the proper credentials. A drug screening is also another smart option in the hiring process. A third-party background screening service should be able to perform all of these tests for your camp. While you should not be discriminatory, it is important that you have all the necessary information beforehand. This will help you make an informed decision. A poor hiring decision can have a significant impact on your camp. Quality hiring decisions will help your fun summer camp grow and prosper.
Summer camps are a great American tradition that has been around for years. It shows no signs of stopping. There are several different themes for these camps. Most are for children, but adult-themed summer camps are growing in popularity. The summer camp experience is well worth it. The camper will be left with many lasting memories. Starting your own summer camp can be a large undertaking. However, with the right planning and research, your camp can turn into a resounding success.
