Facilitating safe drop off and pick up of campers by parents is an important aspect of any camp. Here are several tips to facilitate your camper arrivals and departures:
- Make sure every child has an authorized pick up list and ensure staff are checking ID’s for those who are authorized to pick the camper up.
- Always make sure every camper is signed in and signed out daily. This is important to make sure there is documentation of when the child was at camp. Check the list daily and if a parent forgets to sign in, make sure staff is doing it. In turn, hold the parents accountable for forgetting to do it to make sure it gets done each time.
- Keep drop off and pick in the same spot every day so it is consistent for parents. If you have to change the pick up or drop off area unexpectedly make sure it is communicated right away and signs are put up at the normal place just in case parents show up there.
- Make sure any camp updates, reminders, or incidents are passed on to every parent upon pick up. Have a process in place to make sure these things get to the parents in a timely manner and gets to every parent.
- Never let a child leave camp alone by walking or biking unless written authorization is given by parents. Some camps may not allow this at all, but if you do have a form or process in place to make sure proper authorization is given.
- Display great customer service to parents as they come and go each day. This is really the only time you will be interacting with parents regularly so always create a great impression.
- Don’t allow kids or counselors just to hang out at your check in/check out area. Kids and counselors should be in the camp activity space and leave the drop off area for administrative tasks only.
- Keep your check in/check out area clean and organized, just like the rest of your camp areas should be. This area would be the first thing parents are going to see when they arrive at camp so you should always want it to look nice and not cluttered or unorganized.
Running a seamless drop off and pick up will make sure your campers are safe, improve your communication, ensure your operation stays organized, and make sure parents always have all the information they need from staff to continue to enjoy your camp!
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