Although it is the campers’ happiness most camps devote much of their attention to, it is in every camp’s best interest to know what parents are thinking and saying.
Given the declining youth population and increased summer activity competition for these youth, attracting and retaining campers has never been more difficult for camps and the camp community in general.
To ensure campers return year after year, camps must obtain feedback from parents (and campers) in meaningful ways. Camps must seek input from their customers on a proactive, not reactive, basis.
This task usually falls on the shoulders of the camp director, who must discover ways to filter and respond to parental concerns and questions, often revolving around the following core of subjects: camp tours, staff, safety, policies, bunk (or group) dynamics and parent communications. 
Camp Tours: First impressions last forever, and this is exactly why camp tours play a crucial role in a camp’s future success. Camps can effectively manage families’ expectations by explaining ahead of time the type of tour they will receive (personal vs. group), by whom, the time, its length and when (not if) they will meet with the director. To conduct the tour, select camp representatives that best reflect the camp and its composition, as well as someone who can articulate its philosophy, procedures and mission.
Tour guides should also maintain professionalism at all times. Parents do not want to hear negative comments about camp colleagues; instead, they want to see as much of the camp as possible, particularly the aspects, locations, activities that differentiate the camp from its competitors. Tours also provide the opportunity for the camp to ascertain the parents’ goals. After every tour, the camp director or a member of its staff should follow up with the parent to receive his or her feedback about their brief stay at camp and his or her impressions of the operation.
Staff: Parents are always concerned with the people who are responsible for their children while attending camp. Many camps devote a great deal of their attention — behind the scenes — to ensure they hire the right stuff, but far too often they neglect to promote this fact to parents. Camps should share their systems, including hiring practices, background checks, orientation and training to both current and potential families. As well, don’t be shy to tell parents if professionals, including psychologists, first responders or food allergy specialists, are brought in to train staff during orientation or the summer. It also doesn’t hurt to provide parents with select pages from the staff handbook that answer frequently asked questions, as well as explaining how the camp handles dismissals, days off, cabin coverage, staff recreation and sensitive issues, such as underage drinking.
Safety: To start, tell parents the plans the camp has in place to ensure their child’s safety. Inform them of security measures — some camps have 24-hour surveillance, overnight patrol and locked gates — and be prepared to inform them of emergency systems that are ready if necessary. Explain how out-of-camp travel is handled, including transportation, and be sure to promote any accreditations the camp has achieved and/or passing of strict local, provincial and federal health requirements. Most parents do not understand the value and efforts behind accreditation in a provincial camping association, but it is information they ought to know.
Policies: Treat parents as your partners. While many camp directors feel at times bullied by parents, they must respect parameters to which families must adhere. Follow through if rules are broken, be clear on what the director’s role and responsibilities are, and clearly define policies, like session lengths, visiting days, phone calls, food allergies, special/medical needs, programming, instruction, pre-camp new camper/parent programs, electronics and fees, so there are no misunderstandings. One area to be particularly weary of is re-enrollment. While camps want registrations to come flowing in for next season as soon as they can, many parents resent the pressure of re-enrollment at visiting day.
Bunk Dynamics: Parents have a difficult time being separated from their kids. This includes the lack of being in touch all of the time, especially when one considers our society’s dependency on cell phones, text messaging and e-mail. Immediate feedback on each day’s events is commonplace. Parents want information, so discuss with them ahead of time camper placement, bullying (in and out of camp), new camper transition, bunk size, friends, counsellor background and coverage. On the other hand, if a parent’s inquiries border on over-involvement, tell them so. Remind parents that they chose your camp because of the trust they feel for you and your staff to make the best decisions for their child’s well-being, while under your watchful supervision.
Parent Communications: Staying in-touch with families is a year-round job. Be proactive and frequent in your communications. By partnering with parents, you will better manage their involvement and sense of entitlement, not to mention reduce the guilt they feel for sending their child away. (Despite their understanding of the life-long value of camp.) An effective approach is to appoint one staff member to be a liaison between the camp and the parents. This can be one individual who fields all calls and then contacts the necessary camp staff, or an individual for each respective division. Leverage the strong staff you have for this position. This helps to mitigate complaints and facilitate problem resolution.
Camps must also be conscientious in their follow-up and responsiveness. Parents use benchmarks to get them through their emotions. Knowing they will receive a call back within a set number of hours will help lessen their anxiety.
For years now, camps have implemented effective parent communications programs so don’t try to reinvent the wheel. Some strategies to consider are: first-time camper parent evenings; photo display of (in-season) daily pictures on camp web site (posted at night); allowing parents to e-mail campers; scheduled communications between senior staff and parents during camp; and annual post-camp surveys to campers and families for their feedback and suggested improvements.
Jill Tipograph is the founder/director of Everything Summer, an independent and personal summer planning resource consultancy for families focused on the guidance and selection of the right camps and programs for kids and teens.
|
