• Subscribe
  • E-Newsletter
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Login
Campus Rec Magazine
  • Sections
    • Columns
    • Facility Development
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
    • Rec of the Month
    • Staff Development
    • Well-being
    • Profiles
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • E-Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • On-Demand
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
  • Education
    • CR Leadership Summit
    • CR Base Camp
    • Pickleball Innovators
  • Buyer’s Guide
No Result
View All Result
  • Sections
    • Columns
    • Facility Development
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
    • Rec of the Month
    • Staff Development
    • Well-being
    • Profiles
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • E-Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • On-Demand
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
  • Education
    • CR Leadership Summit
    • CR Base Camp
    • Pickleball Innovators
  • Buyer’s Guide
No Result
View All Result
Campus Rec Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home Columns

Summer Camps are Changing to Find Success

Greg Corack by Greg Corack
March 2, 2021
in Columns
0
summer camps
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

Summer camp season 2019 was a record breaker at East Carolina University (ECU) with over 1,000 campers and 16,000 miles traveled.

These numbers sparked a renewed interest in tremendous camp expansion for 2020 with the addition of a third recreational camp, jr. lifeguard camp and adventure trip camp for teenagers. Registration opened with trepidation on March 23, 2020 but saw over $80,000 in revenue in the first two days.

Well, we all know what happened. Hundreds of refunds were issued and over a thousand campers were stuck at home. Our recreation center remained closed until late August. Now it’s 2021 and the worst year many of us can remember is over. We are gearing up for the summer with a modified but exciting experience awaiting our campers this June.

But before that happens, there are several things to think about and execute:

Review Your Mission and Purpose

October is usually the month for assessing the previous summer’s offerings, producing revenue reports and making decisions about plans for the following year. This past October was slightly different. There was nothing to evaluate and a lot of unknown eight months in the future.

EXTRA CREDIT: The University of Iowa camps are equally recreational and environmental education.

We took the time to review the mission and purpose of our summer camp program. We determined if hosting was feasible and what we valued moving forward. A reduced-capacity summer camp aligned with our core purpose of serving the faculty and staff at ECU in a safe and effective manner became our focus. We realized our campus community was clamoring for childcare this summer. And, providing this needed resource was essential as ECU returns to face-to-face operations.

Reduce Your Summer Camps Numbers

Watching crowds of people gather is almost unfathomable these days as worries of viral spread dominate every risk manager’s worst nightmares. Summer camp is no different as our hopes for record attendance and revenue will have to wait another year.

Campus Recreation and Wellness obtained approval for a modified capacity of roughly 50% to meet existing government regulations and indoor gathering limitations. These reduced numbers allow for limited physical interaction during activities. Most importantly, they allow for easier contact tracing in the event of viral spread. The negative side of limiting numbers is clearly the need to produce revenue from camp operations. A normal year yields:

  • Almost 1,000 total campers.
  • $140,000-plus in revenue.
  • A minimum 20% profit margin.

The reduction in registered participants optimistically allows for revenue under $100,000 and a profit margin in the low single digits. Our goal was never to produce a significant financial surplus. It was to serve the ECU community in a safe and fun youth-friendly environment.

EXTRA CREDIT: Due to the current climate and the transition to online, many universities and departments are having to make difficult decisions in regards to budget cuts. Here’s how to get creative with your budget.

Reinvent the Pod System

Many of us with school-aged children understand the value of a closed classroom as contact tracing in the public-school system is accomplished through reduced movement during the day. Children only interact with their immediate classmates with limited trips around the building and the elimination of larger gym classes, cafeteria visits and grade-level recess.

Summer camp this June will be no different at ECU as we plan to create pods by age group. This system will allow for easier contact tracing in the event of a positive test and the ability to continue camp while stopping viral spread. The plan includes:

  • Pods of eight to 12 campers with two dedicated counselors.
  • Contained activities on a “home basketball court.”
  • Separate times for swimming.
  • Quarantine rooms in the event of symptomatic campers during the day.

A positive COVID-19 test from a counselor or a camper is inevitable. However, this system allows our camp to remain functional with minimal disruptions.

Rethink Your Summer Camps Travel

The American Camp Association recommended eliminating travel as a best practice for summer camps in 2021. This recommendation threw a wrench in our plans at ECU as daily travel serves as a hallmark of our award-winning summer camps. Children rave about the trips we take throughout the region to both entertainment and educational venues. The pandemic, and unknown conditions this summer, preempted our abilities to forecast travel abilities. Thus, it’s limiting plans to leave campus in June and July.

The time to get creative is now. Your staff is undoubtedly wary of entertaining 50-plus children for nine hours each day. Increased reliance on campus facilities, local vendors and venues within 15 miles will stretch the imagination of even the most creative counselor. The importance of eliminating activities where contact cannot be minimized is essential as large-scale water parks, amusement parks and locations with large indoor capacities should be avoided.

Remember this is Fun

For those individuals charged with administering your summer camps, there is probably a great deal of trepidation going into the planning process, especially amidst the changing landscapes in various parts of the U.S. Recent meetings on our campus are laden with the problems of operating in this new environment, especially disruptions to traditionally streamlined activity timelines and the ease of off-campus travel.

The most important thing to tell both your seasoned professionals and your student counselors is this is supposed to be fun. Working summer camps is a rewarding exercise for our employees and a memorable experience for campers of all ages. The reason recreational summer camps are so fun and build almost immediate loyalty from parents is the campers are never bored. They are engaged, active and never have a tedious day.

Most campuses have not engaged in youth participation in over 22 months. The time to make this summer safe and memorable is now.

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Stay up to date on industry trends, best practices, news and more.

Tags: campus rec summer campscampus recreationfeaturedprogrammingsummer camps
Previous Post

The SMC Rec Center at Millersville University

Next Post

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Creating Lasting Change

Greg Corack

Greg Corack

Greg Corack, Ed.D., serves as the senior director of Campus Recreation and Wellness at East Carolina University. He began his career at James Madison University in intramural sports and eventually moved to Eastern Kentucky University for his first professional position as assistant director of Intramural and Club Sports. Greg has worked in a variety of capacities in his 15 years in the industry including experiences supervising indoor and outdoor facilities, health promotion, athletic training, adventure leadership and team training. He has presented at multiple state, regional and national conferences with a passion for action research and assessment. Greg earned doctorate of education from Eastern Kentucky University, a master of science and bachelor of science, both in sport management from James Madison University.

Related Posts

Seven Best Practices for AI Prompt Engineering
Columns

Seven Best Practices for AI Prompt Engineering

June 17, 2025
How the Midnight Mountaineers Event Series Benefitted West Virginia University Recreation
Columns

How the Midnight Mountaineers Event Series Benefitted West Virginia University Recreation

June 5, 2025
difficult conversations
Columns

6 Tips for Having Difficult Conversations

May 20, 2025
padel
Club Sports

Why Campus Recreation Leaders Should Start Paying Attention to Padel

May 15, 2025
group fitness managers
Columns

How to Finish Strong as a Group Fitness Manager

May 8, 2025
2025 Summit
Columns

The 2025 Summit is Around the Corner — and 2026 Should be on Your Radar

May 6, 2025
Next Post
Equity Diversity and Inclusion

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Creating Lasting Change

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Get Updates in your inbox

Stay up to date on industry trends, best practices, news and more.

Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn
Campus Rec Logo

The premier business resource for college and university recreation centers.

The Current Issue

July/August 2025

July/August 2025

Browse

  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • E-Newsletter
  • Podcast
  • Media Kit
  • Contact

© 2025 Campus Rec Magazine. Published by Peake Media.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Sections
    • Columns
    • Facility Development
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
    • Rec of the Month
    • Staff Development
    • Well-being
    • Profiles
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • E-Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • On-Demand
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
  • Education
    • CR Leadership Summit
    • CR Base Camp
    • Pickleball Innovators
  • Buyer’s Guide

© 2025 Campus Rec Magazine. Published by Peake Media.