News & Resources

In addition to a directory of summer camps, the Camp Channel’s Job Board contains thousands of summer camp staff positions available across the country.

While most camps do typically have openings for “traditional” camp counselor positions, the fact of the matter is that most summer camps require a wide variety of qualified personnel to operate and function effectively.

In addition to camp staff who are skilled in a particular activity, most camps require counselors who are certified in various aspects of their summer program offerings such as: Lifeguards & WSI, Equestrian and Horseback, SCUBA, Tennis, Golf, Registered Nurses & Doctors, CPR, EMT, Wilderness First Aid and Responders, etc.

Many summer camps also need to fill kitchen staff, maintenance positions, and office staff to some degree or another.

Our Job Board is ranked so as the most recently modified post will appear at the top of the list; providing you with up-to-date information regarding the availability of various positions. By visiting the front page of the Job Board, you are able to quickly browse the most recently updated posts at the top as well as through the entire index which provides:

• Name of camp(s)
• Short description of staff positions offered
• State(s) where camp(s) are located

Click on the short description (in blue) to see the full post.

Given the large variety of summer staff positions available, you are able perform a Job Board Search along the following criteria:

<ul><br /><li>General Position<br /><li>Specific Position<br /><li>Camp Gender<br /><li>Camp Type (Day Camp or Residential Camp)<br /><li>Program Type (General Program, Specialty Camp, Travel/Adventure Camp, Special Needs Camp, Adult Camp, Family Camp)<br /><li>Location (state or province)<br /><li>Keywords<br /></ul><br /><b>After obtaining a list of results, click on the short description (in blue) to see the full post.</b>

Some job postings are more in depth than others with respect to information provided about summer camp staff openings, requirements, and compensation. Most posts allow you to click on the camp name and visit their website to find out more with respect to employment opportunities. At the bottom of each post, you’ll find a short “Request For More Information” form which will allow you to email a camp director. The vast majority of camp directors will be thrilled to learn of your interest and you are encouraged to send requests or visit their website … often allowing you to immediately apply online.

Please note: there is typically an important distinction with respect to summer day camps vs. overnight camps in so far as most day camps do NOT provide housing and require you to reside within a reasonable driving distance.

You’re are also welcome to post your resume online for camp directors to review and contact you directly.

The Camp Channel is excited to announce the official launch of CampRentalChannel.com: a website dedicated almost entirely to summer camp rentals and leases. Feel free to search or browse our wide and growing list of rental camp opportunities at:

http://www.camprentalchannel.com

Rent or lease a summer camp for large groups, parties, company outings, programs, retreats, weddings, family reunions, picnics, etc. Many summer camps offer facilities suited for relatively large groups of people for dining, lodging, and other activities. Typically located in a remote natural environment, summer camps can provide a tranquil, yet dynamic setting to facilitate group interaction or simply a great place to relax.

Some camps offer long term lease arrangements if you are a director seeking suitable summer camp facilities.

Historically, summer camps have been an American institution since the early 1900’s. In the early days camp was all about getting youngsters out of city life and enjoying the clean cool air of the country while learning camping skills. Today, summer camp has progressed from campfires to computer screens and from nature trails to rollerblade rinks. In fact, many of today’s camp programs take place in the heart of the city.

Even with all those changes, the essence of the purpose of summer camp remains unchanged. Children still need to use their summer break in a healthy, productive way. A good summer camp not only teaches skills but is equally concerned with a child’s growth and maturity. Using a fun and relaxed environment, a camp helps families by developing a child’s capacities for self confidence, self esteem, independence, leadership, mutual understanding and making friends. These life skills are the part of camp experience that last a lifetime.

The Camp Channel offers a large chest of tools to assist you in finding an excellent summer camp based upon your needs and preferences. In contrast to general search engines such as Google and Yahoo, the Camp Channel provides a number of different methods:

• You are able to conduct an all-inclusive full camp search – where you can check off all the activities, regional constraints, and other criteria you’d like in a summer program. This particular type of search is a great place to start to really get down to the nitty gritty.
• You can also browse for summer camps according to a category or type; whether it is all camps in a particular state, or a kids camp which offers a particular activity as a specialty such as basketball camps, football camps, baseball camps, drama camps, computer camps, weight loss camps, art camps, etc.
• Similar to the large search engines, you can also perform a keyword search to pull up a list of summer camp programs which are relevant to your search terms.
• If you already know the name of the camp you’re interested in, you can also search by camp name.

Sometimes it helps to use multiple methods or try a number of different searches because you may at first pull up too many or too few results and need to adjust your search criteria. For example, our full search has a “switch” allowing you to perform either a “wide search” or a “narrow search”. A narrow search will require that results contain ALL of the particular activities you’ve checked off, whereas a wide search will only require that at least one of your criteria be present in a listing.

Second, you may find a different type of search will provide you with a more appropriate list of results. Let’s say you’re searching for a summer day camp for your child. Typically, day camps must be located relatively close to where you live, typically no more than an hour drive (max). So, you may wish to select Browse: U.S. States and then seek out day camps in the city where you live.

OK, now you have a list of matching summer youth camps, what do you do from here?

At some point, you’ll start to want to dig a little deeper to find out more about any given summer program. The format of the search results LIST contains important, but minimal information, including: camp name, short description, location(s), whether it’s coed/all boys/all girls, and sometimes there are photos and a link to a map. However, if you click on the blue button titled “More Info”, you’ll then obtain the full record for a camp listing. On the full record page, you’ll find more information directly on the page as well as a series of buttons above the camp name which opens up small pop-up windows (be sure your web browser isn’t set to block pop-up windows): contact info, activities & features, and more descriptive information about camp (if applicable).

As far as contacting camps for more information: the vast majority of summer camp directors will be thrilled to hear from you as an interested parent or camper!

If you’re looking at a list of camps, be sure to click on the “More Info” button on the far right of each listing to see a camp’s full profile. From this point, there are basically three methods for you to make contact with a summer camp on the Camp Channel:

1. Visit a camp’s website. Some, but not all camp listings offer a direct link to their website. While the Camp Channel’s listings try to provide consolidated and detailed basic information to allow you to search and sort through a large number of options, it’s often extremely beneficial to visit to a camp’s website which will give you a much better perspective regarding a particular summer camp program.
2. Email a camp. At the bottom of each listing on the Camp Channel, you’ll find a short “Request For More Information” email form which will allow you to send off an email to a camp. By clicking on the link (below the submit button) titled “Create/Edit My Email Message”, you can create a standardized message (which you can adjust as needed) to efficiently send requests to many different camps.
3. Call the camp directly. Be sure you’ve clicked the aqua blue button on the far right titled “More Info”, then look directly above the Camp Name (at the very top of the page) and you’ll find a button titled “Contact Information”. Click on this button to obtain telephone and mailing address information.

Many camps will have DVD’s or full color brochures to provide you with more information. You may also want to keep in mind that many overnight/sleepaway camps maintain a winter office which is different than their summer office. Depending upon what time of the year you attempt to contact (by telephone or U.S. Postal Service), you may want to be sure to try the appropriate office. There’s no one size rule fits all: directors may head up to camp for the summer as early as April and stay at camp as late as September. There are some camp offices which operate year round.

Below you will find a list of associations and organizations related specifically to summer camps and programs. Click on the links to visit their websites in order to learn more.

American Camp Association

Association of Independent Camps

Boy Scouts of America

Christian Camp and Conference Association

Association for Experiential Education

Girl Scouts of the USA

Midwest Association of Independent Camps (MAIC)

National Association of Therapeutic Wilderness Camps, Inc.

Ontario Camping Association

Western Association of Independent Camps

YMCA