Camp Administration 101: Stay Alert And No One Gets Hurt
The importance of supervision at camp
By Jason Schaitz
Proper supervision of campers is of utmost importance to ensure the safety of participants and should be taken very seriously. Regardless if you are coordinating an activity, taking a trip, or even having downtime, counselors must make sure they never let their guard down. It only takes a few seconds of complacency for an incident or accident to occur. Here are 10 tips to make sure counselors are displaying great supervision:
1. Always position yourself facing the kids so you can see as many as possible.
2. When multiple counselors are supervising a group, spread out to see as much of the space as possible. Counselors should not be congregating in the same space.
3. When walking with kids, counselors should be on the side or at the back of the line in order to see all the kids. A more responsible camper should be the line leader.
4. You can’t see everything standing in one area, so roaming will provide better supervision and make your presence felt by the campers.
5. Interact with kids as much as possible. Counselors should be active, other than at lunch time, breaks, etc.
6. Never let a camper go anywhere alone that is out of the supervisor’s line of sight. Walk with younger campers and use the buddy system with older, more responsible campers.
7. Sit with campers during meals. Sitting with the other counselors at their table will give kids the green light to mess around, especially as they finish eating.
8. Stay alert, even during downtime, like at a movie or waiting for a bus. Even though this is a time for the kids to relax and wind down, counselors should not.
9. Be extra alert where water is involved. Ideally, counselors should be in the water with the kids, even when lifeguards are on duty. At the very least, counselors should be on the banks. Sitting off to the side in the shade or lying out on the side of the pool is unacceptable. Do not swim anywhere without certified lifeguards.
10. Survey the area for any liabilities or hazards, and make sure of proper child-to-adult ratios before allowing kids in any area. Continue to ensure that the area stays safe.
As a camp director, it is important counselors are trained on different supervision techniques and monitored to ensure they are compliant. Take supervision seriously, and you will have a safe and incident-free camp!
Jason Schaitz is a Parks and Recreation Director with 15 years’ experience managing camps and recreation programs. He also created and manages www.thesummercampsource.com with the goal of providing free resources for any type of camp, afterschool, or childcare program. Take your camp to the next level by visiting The Summer Camp Source and check out the Camp App, Camp Resources, Camp News, and Camp Administration 101 educational series.
