camp staff training - how prepared is your camp?
“What type of training do your camp staff have?” is in the top 5 questions that parents ask camps every year. It’s a natural query, because parents are putting their childrens’ lives in the hands of camp professionals for a week or even longer. They need to know who’ll be caring for their child, and what training they have.
Great kids’ camps like Explorer Camps train counselors to be effective caregivers, teachers, and leaders as it’s an important part of the work they do each summer. Staff arrive on camps with great potential. The best kids’ camps do all they can to tap into those gifts and teach them what it means to be youth development professionals.
Expert Online Training
There are a number of steps to training staff for camp, however at Explorer Camps it all starts with our partnership with Expert Online Training. They’re the world’s leader in online training for counselors and administrative staff at kids’ camps, and we take advantage of this expertise.
It’s an incredible tool utilised by thousands of camps in the US, and is created using the very high standards set by the American Camp Association. With over 140 topics to choose from for a wide range of levels of staffing, it enables our camp to give certain themed topics to match counselor’s specific needs.
Explorer EOT Staff Training
All Explorer Camp counselors are required to complete a minimum of 8-10 pre-determined topics which last over 5 hours, and includes madatory quizzes and reviews at the end of each module. Furthermore, they are given an access to nearly 130 additional topics to choose from to further enhance their knowledge before even stepping on the camp.
Some of the areas staff have to complete obligatory training are:
- Child welfare
- Discipline
- Dealing with aggression and bullying
- Becoming a youth development professional
- Helping awkward children fit in
- Active water safety
- Risk managment
- Safe touch and safe talk
Building on the Knowledge
Even though online training is important, it’s crucial to follow it with live training to build upon the knowledge gained in the online courses. The Explorer team has mandatory certified 1st Aid training, and a number of live on-site trainings to bring a practical side to the staff preparation. In these live trainings, counselors are given opportunities to explore the knowledge gained from EOT sessions, and actively use it in real-life practical situations. It’s a perfect combination for preparing staff members to create the magic and power of camp for your children.
“What type of training do your camp staff have?” Being the ONLY summer kids’ camp utilising EOT in all of Europe, Explorer Camps can safely say “THE BEST” prepared camp in this region as your children deserve and get the best.
