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I used to think about staff training as having to cover everything that could possibly happen in a summer.

And now I kinda only want to train them on the first day of camp.

Day 1.

Seriously. That’s it.

And yeah, I know how this sounds. Like I’m suggesting we send our staff into summer battle with pool noodles instead of actual preparation.

But hear me out because I’ve definitely done something way different for years. Spending countless sessions cramming staff training with every conceivable scenario:

• What to do if a kid gets homesick on day 17?
• How to handle a rainy day activity in week 3?
• The proper protocol for lost-and-found management during Color War?
• The exact steps for mediating a bunk dispute over who gets to be Cabin President on Backwards Day?

This list could be way, way (way, way) longer, and we’d all be nodding our heads slowly.

And you know what happens? Kind of the same thing with staff.

They nod politely, get overwhelmed, forget 90% of it, and then spend the first day of camp completely terrified because we barely covered the thing they’re actually about to do: meet actual campers.

The “Cover Everything” Trap

Here’s what typically happens at staff training:

Day 1: “Here’s how we do check-in.” (Pretty useful!)

Day 2: “Here’s what to do if a bear wanders into the dining hall while the governor is visiting during a solar eclipse.” (Slightly less useful!)

We cram their brains with so many edge-case scenarios that the important stuff gets buried under an avalanche of “what-ifs.”

Look, I get it. Safety protocols and emergency procedures matter. They absolutely do.

But let’s be real. In an actual emergency, what happens? Someone calls the nurse. Someone gets the director. The staff follow a simple escalation process, not a 27-step protocol they memorized during a sleepy afternoon session.

Meanwhile, your new 17-year-old counselor isn’t lying awake at night worried about proper documentation procedures. They’re anxious about much more immediate concerns:

“What do I say to break the ice with my campers?”

“How do I keep kids engaged when there’s downtime?”

“Where exactly is the arts and crafts building again?”

“What if they think I’m super lame?”

“Do other counselors like me?”

We’re preparing them for the 0.1% scenarios while they’re sweating the 100% certainties of Day 1.

The Day 1 Focus Approach

I am not saying don’t cover some of the higher-level, more in-depth stuff.

I am saying focus on it less, and when you do dig deeper, make sure to connect it to how this will matter to the staff on day one.

Here’s what I’m thinking: Spend 75% of staff training just on the first day of camp.

That’s it. Day One. The first 24 hours.

What happens on the first day of camp?

Tours

Intros

Basic rules

Name games

Meal procedures

First activities

Bedtime

Nothing fancy, just the kinda of foundation, making everyone feel safe and welcome.

If your staff feel prepared for these basics, they can be present instead of panicking. If they know these “little” things, then the big things tend not to be overwhelming what-might-happen mysteries.

Think of it like teaching someone to drive. You don’t start with how to handle black ice on a mountain road during a blizzard. You start with “this is the gas, this is the brake” over and over and over again. Building from there.

What Staff Actually Need to Know

So, what exactly should that 75% cover? Here’s the starter list I’m using this summer:

1. Greeting skills: Actual scripts for how to introduce yourself, welcome campers, break the ice
2. Navigation: Where everything is, how to get from A to B, what the daily schedule looks like
3. First-day activities: 10 foolproof games/activities that don’t require special equipment or skills and how to lead them effectively
4. Basic procedures: Meals, bathroom breaks, transitions between activities
5. Simple escalation: Who to call if you need help (not 15 different scenarios, just WHO to call)
6. Confidence builders: The camp songs, cheers, and traditions they absolutely need for Day 1
7. Quick conflict resolution: Taking care of the small stuff before it turns big

Notice what’s not on this list?

Detailed behavioral management strategies. Advanced programming skills. Emergency protocols beyond “get help from person X.”

New counselors can’t absorb everything at once. So give them what they need right now and trust your systems will cover most of the rest of the unknowns.

Plus, they are going to learn most of how things work by doing them with you during training.

The “But What About…” Conversations

I can already hear the pushback:

“But Jack, we HAVE to cover water safety!”

“What about our risk management protocols?”

“Our accreditation requires us to train on 47 different procedures!”

I get it. I’m not suggesting we throw safety out the window (which would literally be very unsafe).

But maybe that safety stuff looks like this:

Simplify emergency responses to basic escalation. “If you’re concerned about a camper’s health or safety, immediately radio the health center and stay with the camper.” That covers like 90% of emergencies.

Create visual references instead of memorization requirements. Laminated cards, posters in strategic locations, pocket guides. Information should be accessible, not just memorized.

Focus on awareness, not mastery. “These are the areas where we need to be extra vigilant. Here’s who to alert if you notice a concern.”

Schedule just-in-time training for specialized content. Water safety right before the first swim session. Field trip protocols the day before trips start. Why dump it all upfront?

I’m always feeling concerned that overwhelming staff with info doesn’t make camp safer. It makes them distracted, anxious, and less able to be present with the campers.

Vibes Over Content

It’s easy with staff training to focus on the checklist of things to cover. What we need to focus on the culture and staff motivation.

If you can get the staff to love each other and feel fired up to connect with kids, the rest isn’t that complicated.

So the new checklist:

1) KIDS - Are my staff bought into the mission of camp?

2) COMMUNITY - Are they bought into each other?

3) KICK OFF - Are they ready for the first day?

Start with Day 1, Build from There

When we’re crushing the first day of camp:

Kids feel pumped + excited because the counselors were focused on all the most important things.

Parents leave without a second glance because drop-off was an energetic well-oiled machine.

Staff feel competent and 100% empowered because they know EXACTLY what to do.

This is the best kind of momentum.

And again, I’m not saying throw out the rest of your training in the dumpster behind the dining hall. Maybe just reorganize it.

Prioritize what actually matters in the moment your staff need it. Trust that if they feel confident in the basics, they’ll be more receptive to learning the advanced stuff when it becomes relevant.

Take a hard look at your training schedule. Ask yourself: “Is this helping my staff succeed on Day 1, or am I just doing it because we’ve always done it this way?”

Camp is about meeting kids where they are. That same thing happens with staff when they’re ready to crush Day 1.

You got this,

Jack

PS - A Reminder that our Conversational Camp Content Workshop Replay is available.

What You’ll Get:​
✅ 100+ min workshop on writing great parent emails
✅ Live demo: newsletter built from scratch (this email you're reading now is the one we built (for parents) in the session
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👉 Grab the Camp Content Workshop Replay​

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Check out a couple of email series all about these topics:

​Summer Camp Staff Training​

​Confident Kids Today​

And if you’re gearing up for staff training, we have:

​The Summer Camp Society Staff Training Recipe Book​

A full week already planned * 99 pages * 23 sessions with all activities * Too much to list here.

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