Dear mothers of children in day camp

amother

Babyblue

Thu, Jun 28 2018, 7:12 pm

Just want you to know of how much you can do for the morahs/counselors who take care of your children every day by just calling them for two minutes to say thank you and tell them how much your child is enjoying camp.

Its only natural to call the counselor or morah for things like
- if you child lost something (we really try but with 20 something kids in a bunk and swimming every day.... and some parents dont label everything....)Yes you can call us for that - I want to know - I know how frustrating it is to loss thing, I have my own kids, but as long as its just once or twice a summer, dont tell us this in any angry tone of voice.
-questions about camp - (happy to answer)
- concerns about your child (I really want to know)

But I want to give a shot out to two parents of children in my bunk whos parents called for no other reason then to say how much their children are enjoying camp. Its parents like those that help infuse me with energy and remind me that all my hard work is worth it and appreciated.

TwinsMommy

Thu, Jun 28 2018, 8:33 pm

my twins' daycamp does an open house before camp where campers and parents come in between a few hours and meet all the counselors. I made a concerted attempt to learn everyone's name (all the new ones who weren't there last year) within the 20 minutes we were there and they really appreciated it. I thanked them all in advance. And when I got the inevitable call from camp about behavior I reiterated how much my kids love camp. I had to email with the head of the program about $$$ and praised the camp to her as well.

amother

Babyblue

Thu, Jun 28 2018, 8:56 pm

amother wrote:

Dear anyone who uses a service provider for anything. Thank-yous are appreciated. Signed a hardworking non-childcare related service provider.

I 100% agree, a thank you to any service provider is so so important.

but I feel that for morahs its especially critical. Its long hours (as least most places were I live - almost full time) and barley make any money (If you would divide my salary into 8 weeks its laughable what it comes out to per an hour. ) Almost any other job you would make more per hour, so even if the work is hard and you get calls after hours (like I do), you can tell yourself that at least your making money . most of us work with kids because we love it, but what we need to hear to help us keep going is that we are giving the kids a good time and sending them home happy - hearing that is "money" to us as we dont make to much physical money.

Chayalle

Thu, Jun 28 2018, 9:23 pm

I feel like such a bad mother....I pretty much never contact DD's counselors for anything. But I do try to send a tip or giftcard at the end of the summer, if they've been nice to her Smile

.

Do counselors really want to be bothered in the evening by the mothers of their charges?

amother

Chartreuse

Thu, Jun 28 2018, 10:36 pm

Chayalle wrote:

I feel like such a bad mother....I pretty much never contact DD's counselors for anything. But I do try to send a tip or giftcard at the end of the summer, if they've been nice to her Smile

.

Do counselors really want to be bothered in the evening by the mothers of their charges?

Good point, but a text (if she has a phone), or a little hand written note sent in with your camper is always nice. I know as a former counselor and morah, it was a really nice pick-me-up at a demanding job.

amother

Chartreuse

Thu, Jun 28 2018, 10:36 pm

Chayalle wrote:

I feel like such a bad mother....I pretty much never contact DD's counselors for anything. But I do try to send a tip or giftcard at the end of the summer, if they've been nice to her Smile

.

Do counselors really want to be bothered in the evening by the mothers of their charges?

amother

Jade

Thu, Jun 28 2018, 11:18 pm

amother wrote:

I'm not going to argue with you.

I will remind you however - that as a morah you have the daily validation of making children laugh and smile to keep you going. You can see that on their faces... you shouldn't need to be 'told' that you are giving the kids a good time.. its in front of you. Standard protocol is a big expression of thanks (and tip depending on location) at end of the month/summer.

Again - I'm all for thank-yous.. its good derech eretz all around, and a good habit to get into. Especially if someone is calling you for an 'issue report' they should at the same time provide a 'happy report'... always good to try to make service providers feel great... (selfishly) it helps you get great service.

amother

Ruby

Fri, Jun 29 2018, 5:33 pm

amother wrote:

I agree with you, and also I believe parents should make more of an effort to give fair tips at the end of the summer/trip! My son is a counselor in day camp, works hard, is responsible AND CARING of the kids, and he barely gets a tip! I understand if the parents can’t afford it (then give $5 and a nice note!), but many parents can afford it but don’t tip or don’t tip fairly. How do you think it makes the counselor feel, after working and running after/ chaperoning/ serving meals to, etc. your kids, and making very little money while relying on tips?

amother

Brown

Fri, Jun 29 2018, 6:22 pm

Not sure why there are these posts about camps every year. The ones where I live are so sub par and disorganized, the thought of giving a big tip or frequent praise is humorous.

That said, all people in all professions deserve a nice thank you when they do an exceptional job.

Simple1

Sat, Jun 30 2018, 11:04 pm

Chayalle wrote:

I feel like such a bad mother....I pretty much never contact DD's counselors for anything. But I do try to send a tip or giftcard at the end of the summer, if they've been nice to her Smile

.

Do counselors really want to be bothered in the evening by the mothers of their charges?

This is why I sometimes don't like these type of posts. Tipping and thanking is a really nice thing to do. But parents who don't get to it should not be guilt tripped. If they paid up the (huge) camp fees, are not complaining, and have generally behaved kids, then they are not doing anything wrong.

If parents are the more expressive and outgoing type, then a thank you phone call is a really nice thing to do.

amother

Jade

Sat, Jun 30 2018, 11:11 pm

Simple1 wrote:

Thought about this over Shabbat. If the thank-you is extra important since the pay is so low - it should be coming from the director and head staff on a regular basis.

ProudMommie

Sun, Jul 01 2018, 12:05 am

It is always nice to say thank you to anyone who works with/teaches your child. However, camp counselors are doing a job for which they get paid. If you are unhappy wirh the compensation, then take it up with organizers of the camp/administration. I dont live in the States now but I am under the impression that camps already charge parents a lot there. How many times has the word "money" been said in this post...? No one owes counselors tips for doing a good job -- they r obligated to do their best. Parents should not be expected to tip for something you r supposed to do. If low compensation bothers you maybe then go to law school. Lawyers make a lot of money. Any job with children does not require expert skills so does not pay well, but camps still cost a lot...hmm go figure.

amother

Babyblue

Sun, Jul 01 2018, 12:19 am

Op here - thanks for everyones thoughts and comments.

It was not my intention to make anyone feel guilty or ask to get paid more or for bigger tips (I did mention money but not in the contexts of asking for better pay). It just felt so good that some parents called just to say thank you. Its TOTALLY not necessary to do so, just this was something I never thought to do, and I see now how much it means so figured I'd mention it in case there a parent like me Smile

. And yes a note or text is nice too if your not the type to call....

Obviously I will do my best for the children either way.

amother

Lime

Sun, Jul 01 2018, 12:29 am

Dear counselors, while I appreciate so much what you're doing, & I keep on thanking you for your work, why do my kids come home from camp looking like they went through a war???? Why are their swimming stuff filthy & their towels so wet that I have to wring them out??
My kids are little, they need help changing into their swim stuff, yet they come home saying that the teacher refuses to help them??
Dear camp director, why when friday dismissal is 12:00, my kids bus was at my house 11:59, a full 20 minutes before they where supposed to be home??
Counselors definitely deserve thanks, but they also need to show effort & dedication.

ProudMommie

Sun, Jul 01 2018, 12:39 am

amother wrote:

. And yes a note or text is nice too if your not the type to call....

Obviously I will do my best for the children either way.

thanks for clarifying!

ProudMommie

Sun, Jul 01 2018, 3:36 am

"Any job with children does not require expert skills so does not pay well"

By the way, I strongly disagree with this reality and feel that because we dont value ppl who work with/teach our children, we suffer a lot. This attitude is responsible for the current state of our education. If camp counselors need to be smart, engaging, positive, intuitive, sensitive and emotionally intelligent at the very least, than what qualities r required to be a mora/ rebbe who teaches jewish children in these very complex times??