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Summer Camp

Your Camp Staff Make Your Program

Artrice Pray

Hiring Director & Head of Canine Relations

December 30, 2025

Residential summer camps run on relationships. An indoor pool or climate-controlled housing helps, but it is the staff who turn a property into a community. They are the ones who spend significant time and effort in training to set kids up for success throughout the summer and beyond. They might sit with a homesick camper at midnight, coach conflict resolution before breakfast, and keep routines steady when the day is loud, hot, and unpredictable. That is why the way a camp treats its employees is not a “nice extra” – it shapes camper outcomes, staff retention, and the culture families feel.

Why Residential Camp is Uniquely Demanding (and Uniquely Powerful)

The residential model is immersive by design: staff live where they work, and the work is continuous. In a single day, a counselor might be a coach, mediator, role model, and first responder to minor crises. This intensity is also what makes camp impactful. The American Camp Association’s national outcomes research (with over 5,000 families across 80 ACA-accredited camps, like Camp Sequoia) found reported growth in areas such as self-esteem, peer relationships, independence, leadership, friendship skills, and social comfort (American Camp Association, n.d.).

Those outcomes are delivered through thousands of small interactions. If a camp wants kids to feel supported and successful, it has to create conditions that allow staff to show up with patience, energy, and consistency. Who you hire matters as well. Camp Sequoia has routinely had 10 TIMES more staff applicants than available jobs. It is easy to see how the ability to hire selectively has positive outcomes with kids. 

Support is not Fluff: When Staff Feel Valued, Camp is Better for Everyone

Organizational psychologists use the term perceived organizational support – the extent to which employees believe their organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being. In a major meta-analysis of organizational support theory (results from 558 studies), perceived support was linked to stronger well-being and better work outcomes (Kurtessis et al., 2017). In plain terms: when people feel supported, they are more likely to stay engaged and do great work.

Residential camps are a stress test for this idea. The hours are long and the emotional labor is real. Staff who feel under-resourced burn out quickly. Burnout can be contagious. Staff who feel respected and cared for have more bandwidth to be calm, creative, and consistent. 

Supporting Staff Supports Youth

Camp-specific research points the same direction. A Journal of Youth Development study found that higher staff well-being and feelings of support were associated with higher youth well-being outcomes at camp, and that practices supporting staff can indirectly benefit campers (Lubeznik-Warner & Rosen, 2023). Directors often say this intuitively: when the adult team is thriving, the kids do better. This is why the Directorate places an emphasis on interpersonal skills and self-advocacy. Throughout the hiring process, and especially during the summer, Sequoia leadership check-in frequently with staff of all levels. A model where each Director has an open-door policy and makes themselves available for feedback and collaboration ensures that staff of all levels feel heard and supported. 

 

What “Treating Staff Well” Looks Like in Practice

Treating employees well is more than pay (though compensation matters). In residential camp life, it is also about living conditions, time off, recognition, and whether staff are treated like developing professionals.

Camp Sequoia’s staff incentives page is a useful example because it frames appreciation as an intentional system, not a one-time thank-you (Camp Sequoia, n.d.). It emphasizes fundamentals travel reimbursement for staff who complete their contracts, air-conditioned housing, superior dining options and notes that summer compensation packages have increased by more than 50% in the last five years. It also lists concrete supports that communicate “we see you,” including:

  • Protected time off (extended weekly breaks).
  • Wellness resources (health and mental health supports).
  • Merit-based recognition (public awards, gifts, and letters of reference).
  • Practical “we’ve got your back” help (like reimbursing emergency travel without docking pay).
  • High-impact gratitude moments (ongoing trip giveaways, including a staff cruise and travel experiences for years of dedication).
  • Small daily morale boosters (a staff lounge stocked with thousands of complimentary drinks and treats over the summer).

None of these items alone guarantees a great culture. Together, they communicate something powerful: You matter here, and we are building a place where you can do your best work.

Growth is Part of the Compensation

Many seasonal staff choose camp because they want to grow personally and professionally. They don’t choose camp to just earn a paycheck. Camp work builds transferable skills: leadership, communication, teamwork, problem-solving, crisis response, and coaching social-emotional development. The American Camp Association has highlighted how counselors gain professional skills and how camps can help staff translate that growth into resume language and future opportunities (DeHart, 2020).

Residential programs can strengthen this “growth dividend” by making development explicit:

  • Coach, don’t just supervise: frequent check-ins, actionable feedback, and clear expectations.
  • Build pathways: mentoring roles, head counselor positions, specialty certifications, and supervised leadership practice.
  • Help staff tell their story: reflection sessions, documentation of skills, and strong references.

The Bottom Line

Camps like Sequoia that invest in staff are not being soft; they are being strategic. Research consistently links felt support to better well-being and work outcomes, and camp-specific findings suggest supporting staff is one route to better youth outcomes. In a residential program, staff are the main “intervention.” Treating employees well is not separate from the mission. It is the mission, applied upstream.

References

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