Millions of children attend summer camps around the United States each year. For private schools, summer camp is a valuable way to foster family and student relationships further. Your parents will already be comfortable with their student at your school and offering the value of a summer camp not only deepens that trust, but it also gives your students new ways to experience independence and adopt valuable collaboration tools.
Schools can serve as an anchor all year round for students and families to count on even during the summer breaks of an academic year. Camp curriculums can also offer educational opportunities for students in new ways that differ from the regular academic curriculum. Imagine, for instance, your students learning biology from a trip to a pond on a summer field trip. Summer camps offer continuity to parents where they know students will be kept safe and comfortable in a familiar location.
Summer camp is a unique form of community where children gather to have a good time. As they experience new adventures away from home, younger students continue to grow and acquire a sense of independence. Summer camps also help children learn new skills while gaining self-confidence. Camp is also a place where kids can practice a wide range of social skills to boost their communication and conflict resolution capabilities.
Studies highlight the benefits of being away from electronics in the summer and being outside as a key differentiator in student health and well-being.
In turn, there are benefits to schools in adding to school revenue, and even just as importantly, family relationship building. Families with younger siblings may be able to use the summer camp as an on-ramp to enrollment in Pre-K the following year. Parents and staff have more time to interact during the summer as there is less academic rigor. Relationships are built between snack time, climbing time, and nap time!
Schools that give parents a valuable camp experience also gain important community word-of-mouth and references. Offering a school summer camp introduces new families to the school structure, staff, and community within each school. Students also have more opportunities to explore valuable new hobbies, socialize, and step up as leaders with the guidance of summer camp school counselors.
When considering a summer camp, one of the important issues is ensuring you’re not negatively impacting or overloading your existing staff. Using a dedicated payment system that processes all payments, enables custom sign-up forms and a health screening mobile app, ensures automation of many of the paper tasks associated with summer camp.
With the MySchoolWallet mobile app, as a free addition to Diamond Mind, families also have a simple, 24/7 accessible way to pay and give on the go. With just a few taps on their smartphone, they can make quick, secure payments and donations to your school.
Families, students, and schools’ benefit from an annual summer camp. Using the simple and integrated tools of Diamond Mind can give you the head start on a successful school year and an incredible summer camp!
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