Camp websites are designed to look great. The phone call to the camp director tells you what’s actually going on. Five questions to ask.
1. What’s the coach-to-kid ratio at the station my kid will be at?
The website probably says the overall camp ratio. That number includes the lifeguards and the registration staff. The number you want is the ratio at the actual skill station for your kid’s age group. Anything worse than 1:8 for skill instruction is a kid standing in line, not getting reps.
2. Who is actually coaching the station? Names and qualifications.
“Our coaches are all certified” is a non-answer. Real answer: “Your son’s age group will be coached by Coach Davis, our 11-12 lead. He played D2 baseball, coaches at the local HS, and has been with us six summers.” If they can’t tell you the lead coach’s name and background, the staffing is uncertain.
3. What’s the daily structure? Walk me through a typical day.
A good answer is specific: “8:30 check-in, 9 warm-up circuit, 9:20 Station A, 9:50 Station B, 10:20 break, 10:35 Station C, 11:05 Station D, 11:35 small-sided games, noon lunch, 1 swim, 2 Station E, 2:30 scrimmage, 3:15 cool-down, 3:30 pickup.” A vague answer is a vague camp.
4. What happens if my kid is bored, struggling, or having a bad day?
The right answer involves a person, not a process. “Coach Davis or our camp director would talk to him directly, then call you that afternoon if it didn’t resolve.” Wrong answer: “We have a feedback form parents can fill out at the end of the week.”
5. What’s your refund policy if it’s the wrong fit in the first two days?
Camps that are confident in their product offer prorated refunds in the first 1-2 days. Camps that don’t are protecting against complaints. Real refund policy is a real signal of how they handle dissatisfaction.
The phone call takes ten minutes. The cost of skipping it is signing up for a camp that wastes a week of summer for your kid and a thousand bucks for you. Make the call.