3. Increased Vigilance on Food Allergy Management • Some camps now have dedicated staff addressing the special food needs of campers and staff.


• Others have pre-summer medical checks on project ingredients for food- allergic kids.


• More camps are starting to define themselves in relation to food allergies (e.g., “nut free,” or “nut aware”).


4. Reacting to Changing, Popular Interests • Influenced by “celebrity chefs,” inter- est in cooking amongst children has sparked and made this the hottest new activity; many camps have introduced cooking as an elective, and/or built or expanded cooking studios; there are now cooking camps that rival culinary programs and offer special focuses on entrees, breads and desserts!


• “Glee” camps and activities created and modeled after the popular TV show.


• Bigger skate parks that appeal to girls and boys; what started as a ‘boy’ thing has expanded equally to girls.


• Camps have built additional and big- ger Gaga rings to accommodate its increased interest.


• Some camps are analyzing their strengths and niche interests of their campers, developing mini camps within their camps to better meet these needs.


5. Preserving the Environment • Camps continue to expand their “greening” and “reducing carbon footprints” efforts with more com- posting, recycling, building “green” with solar panel fueled building, and nature/environmental programs.


6. Realigning Staff & Resources • Outsourcing highly specialized pro- grams like tennis for improved instruction and cost effectiveness.


• Eliminating activities that are no longer a main focus in their tradition- al camps, such as horseback riding, and using this space to accommodate growing sports like soccer in need of bigger fields.


• New staff positions to handle recruiting, to act as liaison with par- ents and campers, and a staff person to oversee food management for allergic kids.


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7. Addressing Parents’ Needs for Frequent Communication • Parents want to be more informed about what their children are doing while at camp; as a result, more camps are turning to more frequent commu- nication and information dissemina- tion through e-mail, photos, web sites, newsletters, and use of social media.


8. Improving Facilities • Most camps I visited this past summer either had completed or had a current or future expansion, renovation, or an addition project on the drawing board Camps, like most other businesses, have


to be unique and evolving. As such, it is especially important in challenging times for camps to maintain and expand their facilities and programming, as well as to offer ‘soft’ value added practices that require a smaller investment yet have long lasting impact and can lead to pos- itive viral word-of-mouth buzz.


CC


Jill Tipograph is an internationally recog- nized youth and summer expert and founder of EverythingSummer.com. Camp industry professionals consult with Jill for her insights into how to best meet the needs of families through best practices and effective marketing tools.


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