Here at Heart we like to keep our camper-staff ratio in our cabins rather small and with good reason. We want each girl to get to know one another, their counselor and vice versa. These are the people they are going to be sharing most of their time with and we feel that it is uber important for them to truly understand one another.
Not only do we think that smaller ratios are better for morale, it honestly is much safer for everyone. When one counselor is handed twelve little girls, chaos ensues. There is no way she can make sure that each girl is completely taken care of without something crazy happening. We don’t hire superheroes, we hire young women who take on enough as it is, and the least we can do is give them some backup!
Small ratios, big hearts! <3
With our younger campers we tend to put five in a cabin with one counselor. That counselor also has a Heart LITe, our young Leaders In Training, who are faithful and wonderful helpers in cabins along with everything else they do on camp. As the girls get older, the more campers and counselors go into a cabin. If a cabin has ten girls, we have at least two counselors. If there are twelve or more, three counselors are provided.
Not only do we keep our ratios small in cabins, we do the same with our classes! Our core classes: Field Sports, Swimming, and Horseback are always the larger classes so more counselors are required. Once we break it down to the classes that the girls pick from we get the smaller class sizes. We also limit how many girls can take a class at a time so everyone has a place and role in the class.
We love to dance! <3
By keeping our classes smaller each girl gets the individual attention she needs. Each camper is different; each camper requires different methods of help, advice, or attention in general. It is much easier for our counselors to assist campers individually in a class of seven than in a class of twenty.
Here at Heart we like to be smaller. We like the sense of community that has been built on for the past 65 summers. We want to connect with our campers and have them connect with us; that’s why we do what we do.
To us you are never just a number or bed that has been filled. You are important. You are worthy. You are home. We always want you to feel that way and we strive for that with each passing day.
Our ratios might be small, but our hearts aren’t. <3
Lots of love,
Fal
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I also like the health benefits of keeping the camper to counselor & activity participant ratio low. ?
Nurse Giangroso