The Day Camp Pod, from Go Camp Pro. Bringing you the best ideas, strategies and discussions in the Day Camp Industry.
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A podcast for summer camp professionals. In each episode I talk about 1 topic that has to do with the magic of camp. I prefer topics on programming and creating that magic only camps can create. Occasionally topics might include things like marketing and staff issues as well.
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As much as people like to talk about camp and ‘the real world’ as two separate entities, camp professionals know that this simply isn’t true. Beyond Camp dives into how different aspects of our lives affect our camp experience, effectively bursting the camp bubble and welcoming all parts of our lives into the conversation. Join hosts Cassie Bloy and Rachel Kent, along with some other all-star camp pros as they dig into the true identity of a Camp Director in today's era of summer camp and re ...
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Starting a Day Camp from Scratch - with Korey Kalman and Mario Del Cueto - The Day Camp Pod #110
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/start-from-scratch-2024 From Passion to Reality: Starting and Running a Successful Day Camp In this episode of The Day Camp Pod, hosts Andy Pritikin and Sam Thompson delve into the world of starting and running a successful day camp. Featuring guests Corey Kalman, who…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/ownership-gold Inside the Camp Ownership World: Success Stories and Challenges Join Andy, Sam, and Justin Pritikin as they delve into the inspiring story of Jonathan Gold, a successful operator of three large private day camps in New Jersey. In this episode, Jonathan …
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/eddie-norgard Navigating the Challenges of Camp Management while Fostering Creativity and Growth Eddie Norgard is a golden example of how hard work, creativity, and purpose can propel a talented young person in the camp industry. Eddie is a super-successful YMCA profe…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/2024forward Navigating the Day Camp Renaissance: Staffing Solutions and Innovations Summer 24 is in the books, and our September to-do lists have turned into pumpkin spice… Time to get the Day Camp Pod back on track for another great season of best practices and uniqu…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/season-6-debrief The summer is upon us! Join us as we debrief the best Day Camp Pod Tid-Bits from the past eight months. Season 6 of the Day Camp Pod is winding down as we laser-focus on the daunting job before us. This episode, Sam & I debrief our ACA trip to Washing…
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Mini-Pod - 13 Industry Experts, 13 Tips for New Camp Directors - CampHacker & The Day Camp Pod
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/13-tips Going full-time is scary! These camp pros have some wise words to help any director find their footing. The Go Camp Pro team put together a really cool episode in which 13 top tier camp podcasters were asked for an important tip to tell any new camp director t…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/gen-z-staff He’s back! Justin's insight is more important than ever. You won’t want to miss this one! This past Tri-State Camp Conference, our all-star podcast guest, Justin Pritikin presented to a packed room of camp professionals about working with his generation’s …
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/talking-teens Summer camps rarely meet their full potential of teen programing. Jeff Leiken is here to help us get into the teen mindset! There are very few camp consultant trainers in our industry over the past quarter century that have had the impact of Jeff Leiken.…
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“Yes, Chef!” Camp Leadership Lessons from “The Bear” - with Eric Wittenberg - The Day Camp Pod #103
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/yes-chef Staff training is nearly upon us…will you be ready? Hulu’s award-winning TV show, THE BEAR teaches valuable lessons from running a restaurant, and turning your staff from good to great - that really resonate to running a summer camp. Eric Wittenberg of Camper…
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Staff With Additional Needs - with Allison Krabill & Jordanna Grossinger - The Day Camp Pod #102
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/additional-needs-staff A diverse staff team is a stronger staff team. Since 2020, camps have been more and more aware of their staff’s needs - particularly their pay, schedule flexibility, and the amount of burden they carry. But meanwhile, our staff have very similar…
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Maximizing the Use of Your Summer Staff - with Thomas Coffey & Matt Kaufman - The Day Camp Pod #101
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/maximizing-summer-staff Increase your staff efficiency by maximizing your staff’s abilities. In today’s world of $4000 camp counselors, camps need to do everything possible to be efficient in how we staff our summer programs. We discuss this topic and more with Thomas…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/random-acts-ice-cream Looking to appreciate and recognize your staff better? Come listen and learn from the best in the business! One of the best parts of attending the CODA and ACA National Conference is meeting super smart day camp pros from all over the country, an…
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Full-Time Pipeline & Transitioning Leadership - with Sam Borek & Gregg Licht - The Day Camp Pod #99
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/transitioning-leadership No one becomes a director overnight. Taking over an existing camp operation is no small feat, and today we’re joined by two seasoned, self-made camp professionals who have each had unique challenges. It’s a great podcast for anyone looking to …
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/parents-at-camp Hiring parents as staff can be a double-edged sword… There’s no better way to get adult staff to buy into your camp and your culture than to have their kids attending camp, and drinking your kool-aid. That said, there’s a lot of ins and outs, a lot of …
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Camper Recruitment & Retention - with Travis Allison & Joanna Warren Smith - The Day Camp Pod #97
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/recruitment-and-retention Do you know what keeps your campers coming back? Getting campers through the door and keeping them there is an art form of empathy, creativity, and execution. Today we speak with two experts in the field who have literally created a playbook …
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/in-between-moments Blocks are good, but it’s the grout that holds everything together. At Day Camp, we spend the majority of our planning time working on our militaristic program grids of athletics, arts, swim, etc. But the day camp day ALSO includes the “in-between m…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/the-staff-experience What’s the best way to ensure our staff keep coming back? Since the staff revolution of summer 2021, most camps have put more focus on the staff experience than ever before. If we’re being honest SOME focus, as opposed to hardly any, as most of us…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/crisis-management When it comes to crisis, prepare and prevent, don’t repair and repent. With all the crazy stuff going on in our country and the world, camp directors often have to become crisis managers. One of our friends, Dave Thoenson from Tamarack Day Camp outsi…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/summer-2023-debrief What lessons can we learn from summer 2023? Summer 2023 is in the books, and we not only survived, but we thrived - very much like it’s 2019 again… Our super-thoughtful friend from the West Coast, Kelly Jones, joins us to talk about last summer, an…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/remembering-doug-pierce “Whoever needed help, Doug was there with his sleeves rolled up.” - Jay Jacobs Doug Pierce was a larger than life camp director and industry leader who set the standard for Day Camping, ACA volunteerism, positivity, and sharing. Doug passed awa…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/camper-refunds-2023 Parents are the most important partnership a camp can have. But how do we balance the financial needs of our camp and our parents when it comes to deposits and refunds? As we head into the camp season, we’ve got plenty of parents hitting us up with…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/staff-training-2023 As you gear up for another year of staff training, tune in for some expert advice from the experts, Roz and Jed! It’s just about time to get our staff together, get them energized, and get them trained up as much as we can for the arrival of our ca…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/variety-show Staff training is on the minds of camp pros nationwide. Dave and Dave are here to share their two cents on the hottest topics of the year! At the past ACA National Conference in February, I had the pleasure of experiencing both Dave Malter and David Phill…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/boss-convos Even if you’ve known your boss for years, interacting with them can still be nerve-wracking! Dan is here today to share his experience navigating this tricky power dynamic. Managing up, quiet quitting - most people have a pretty dysfunctional relationship …
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GenZ Insight, Smacktalk & Hacks - Emergency Podcast! With Justin Pritikin - The Day Camp Podcast #87
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/genz-hacks Staffing emergencies call for emergency podcasts! Are we really in a “hiring crisis,” or do we just need to change the hiring process? Justin is back to share the inside scoop on how to appeal to Gen Z applicants. I just got back from Tri-State, where I’ve …
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/public-relations-2023 Sometimes building public relations requires a bit of creativity, or at least some planning ahead. Tune in to hear Michael’s tips and tricks! Delivering a great summer camp program is paramount to the success of our camps. But what often gets ove…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/best-inclusion-practices “No culture can live, if it attempts to be exclusive.” – Mahatma Gandhi. Let’s work together to make sure all children get the camp experience they deserve. Inclusion for our campers with disabilities is one of the biggest topics in all of cam…
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Turning Staff “Evaluations” into Mentoring & Developmental Support - with Dr. Daniel Shore and Sara Silverberg - The Day Camp Podcast #84
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/mentoring-and-developmental-support Investing in your staff is investing in success! Our friends from e21 are here to tell us more. I don’t know about you, but when it comes time for my middle management to sit down with the front line staff for formal evaluations, I …
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/training-new-leadership Even with the pandemic in the rearview mirror, camps are struggling to find staff with experience. Leadership training will be more important than ever this year, so be sure to tune in to hear some advice from the legendary Michael Brandwein! H…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/scott-arizala Scott is no longer the “cool young buck” of the camp industry. Tune in to hear about the lessons learned from his years of experience! Scott Arizala is one of the greatest staff trainers that I’ve ever learned from. He’s a master teacher, able to transla…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/maximizing-use-of-facility How can you pivot your traditional Day Camp program and facility to help with year-round revenue? Andy and H are here to tell you how! COVID-19 forced us to be more creative than we’ve ever been before. From program to staffing to facilities…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/day-camp-trends Joanna has assessed and consulted over 500 camps… ya, you won’t want to miss this one! There are a lot of Camp Consultants out there, helping nice, well-meaning, camp operators get their act together, and run their camps like businesses, and Joanna War…
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Incentivizing Staff to Just Show Up - with Ross Coleman and Adam Wallach - The Day Camp Pod #80
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/incentivizing-staff Front-line workers have certainly felt the pressure these past couple of years. Tune in to hear Ross and Adam’s tips on encouraging staff to keep coming back! Once upon a time, there were day camp staff that worked the full season, full days, and m…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/young-thoughts-with-justin There is LOTS to learn from our up-and-coming youth! Justin is back to share some key insights of the corporate world from the Gen Z point of view. Two of our most popular podcasts last year involved the perspectives of the opinionated young…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/learn-from-corporate-america Corporate practices are just as applicable to camps. Tune in to hear Mario’s top three! Camp is a warm fuzzy place. AND it’s a business. And our friend Jonathan Gold likes to remind us, we have to run a good business FIRST, in order to do …
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/burnout-episode Burnout. We’ve all been there. Some may say it is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Are you a typical Day Camp operator that works so hard that you forget to smell the roses? You put your Camp first and you second? Didn’t the pandemic tea…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/registrations-and-refunds The world is in an economic crisis. How are Camp Pros supposed to respond to it? As Day Camps continue to rebound from the pandemic, inflation is hitting hard and we just can’t raise prices as much as our costs are increasing- So what then? W…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/debriefing-and-decompressing Summer 2022: A summer of lesson, laughs, and learning opportunities. Summer 2022 is in the books- Woo-Hoo, Congratulations. And by all accounts, it was a helluva lot better than 2021, which ain’t saying much. After a more normal school yea…
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Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/beyondcamp/reflections-and-dreams-2022 Before the pandemic, we would never have dreamed of starting a podcast. Now, we’re wrapping up season three! Three seasons of Zoom, Slack, Facebook, and virtual everything. Three seasons that feels both like a lifetime and like it has passed in the blink of…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/including-non-neurotypical-campers Every child deserves a camp experience. Period. Allison Krabill and Sam sit down to tell you how to help non-neurotypical campers have a successful camp experience. We’re grateful to welcome The Summer Camp Society’s new executive di…
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Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/beyondcamp/dont-lose-your-friends Learn from our mistakes…here’s how to make sure you keep your friends this summer. They say making friends as an adult is hard… but whoever said that for the first time had never tried being an overnight camp director, juggling the demands of a 24/7 job with fri…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/staff-not-coming-back Justin Pritikin returns to give you an inside scoop on why your staff are not coming back, quitting and in general, “done” with the camp industry. Picking up from our past episode 66, and the Tri-State Camp Conference Session that he and I gave l…
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Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/beyondcamp/being-a-mentor Giving back isn’t as hard as you think! Many of us are fortunate to have incredible mentors in our lives, people we can turn to, ask questions to and share our failures with. But how do you become a mentor? Do you have to have worked in the industry for 50 years? Do you…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/staff-holding-hostage A proactive approach to working with this post-COVID generation of staff This past summer was intense, especially in the realm of managing our staff who have been through a lot in the past two years. Managing staff resistance is something that co…
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Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/beyondcamp/self-care-community-care Is self-care really the be-all and end-all of mental health? Every felt like self-care just isn’t cutting it? What about shifting from me to we? We know we are stronger together and that the weight of the world is more easily shared when carried together. Join…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/equity-in-camp Staff training is the opportunity to show how important DEIJ is at your org. Daniel Morias and Leslie Keller are two awesome camp professionals who over the pandemic started the Equity in Camp Initiative- and have launched a successful consulting busine…
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Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/beyondcamp/camp-corporate-world When you trade in your Keens for dress shoes…will camp still be with you? From camp counselor to a director for Health Canada, Etienne’s passion for camp hasn’t wavered, if anything it’s grown stronger. A moment at a staff meeting percolated in his head until year…
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/day-camp-office-admin Keeping the Trains Running on Time! The Day Camp Office is the nucleus of the organization during the off-season and during the summer. Filled with multitaskers, databases, spreadsheets, phones, Emails, texts, push notifications, weather reports-…
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Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/beyondcamp/is-all-fun-created-equal The different types of fun you’ve experienced as a camp pro, and what it’s like now… Have you ever had a moment during the summer where you question your very decision to end up where you are at that current moment, but then once the summer is over you look ba…
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Get Your Orders In Now! - Purchasing 2022 - with Josh Cohen and Eric Forti - The Day Camp Pod #69
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Send us a text Find full show notes and links at: https://gocamp.pro/day-camp-pod/purchasing-2022 Don’t say we didn’t tell you so! We’ve all heard the news- The shipping containers stranded outside Los Angeles, the supply chain issues, the lack of truck drivers, the lack of workers everywhere - THIS IS NOT FAKE NEWS - this is Purchasing 2022, and i…
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