When a parent is looking around the best day camps for kids, the main focus usually is on the facilities and the number and types of activities the camp has to offer. However, a wiser parent should always take a look at the counselors available in a day camp before choosing one.
Since this step may seem a little daunting for many, here are a few good reasons why it is so important and a few pointers to tell you if the counselors are among the best.
Safety and peace of mind above anything else
As we can all agree, children are not always known for making the most mature choices in life. Throwing rocks or even daring each other to do dangerous things are among the usual things a parent may expect. But when they are at a camp and away from your reach, someone else is responsible for looking out for them.
I’m sure we can agree that a counselor is just a human being and there is a limit to what they can do and how many kids they can be looking after at any given moment. That is why you should always check the counselor-children ratio. The best ratio should be about one counselor per five or six children, even if it is in a major city like day camps in Toronto where you are bound to find a lot more children. If a counselor has too many children to look after at once especially young ones who tend to occasionally run wild and go out of sight, it is likely possible that he or she will not be able to attend to the all the kids and someone might potentially get hurt. As such, day camps with the most number of counselors looking after an agreeable number of children are the best options to choose from.
Unfortunately even with someone constantly looking after them in day camps, it is still possible that something can go wrong. Tantrums, fights, and even preexisting medical conditions among children like allergies can also be triggered. Counselors with experience in dealing with children and knowledge in first aid can make a huge difference. They must know what to do in any situation especially when there are emergencies.
It should be of little difficulty to go online and check out the number people who are working at the day camps for kids at the top of your list.
The above covers a vital role of the counselor. Yet there is much more to them than a safety precaution measure.
Counselors guide, educate, and inspire.
More than anything else, the most important role a counselor has in day camps is being a mentor. A counselor does not only look after a child, but he or she also guides, educates, and inspires the children in day camps.
Counselors should have all the patience in this world to be able to attend to both the friendly and the difficult kids. They are the light of the party so they should be fun and lively. They should enjoy being around young children and most of all knowledgeable and persistent to be able to educate, inspire, and encourage the children to excel in their chosen program.
We all know how vicious children may be and they can really behave differently at times. As such, it takes the skills of a counselor who is patient, relaxed, and a good role model who will show the children how to behave properly and how to be responsible even at a young age.
All in all, camp has evolved a lot during the past few years. Just one look at Toronto day camps and you may already start to envy the luck of the younger generation. Bottomline is, day camps are an ideal location for your children to go attend to during summer. It is a place where they can try out different things, hone their talents and skills, get to know people, and develop a variety of social skills that they can use later when they are on their own.
With Zodiac Summer Day Camps in Toronto, you can never go wrong. They have plenty of exciting specialty programs, sports, and educational activities for little kids and young adolescents to choose from. They have top-notch and state-of-the art facilities, committed, caring and experienced counselors, and convenient Door-to-Door Bus Zones. Zodiac also offers the following: Culinary Arts, Dance, Horseback Riding, Mega Sports, Science & Magic, Swimming, Tramp Sports, Adventure Sports, Fashion Design, Jewelry Arts, Robotics, Science & Rocketry, and Tennis. All these activities at Zodiac are guaranteed to make your kids summer fun, exciting, and worthwhile!
