Summer camp blues: Staff shortages vex area camps, slashing capacity for kids

As the weather heats up and the school year winds down, many children are undoubtedly looking forward to summer camp.

Yet difficulty recruiting enough counselors has led some camps to cut programs and the number of campers this summer. And while staffing may be down, participation by campers has fully rebounded since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Camp Fire’s Camp Sweyolakan has had to close registration for campers until it can hire more staff.

The 300-acre camp on Lake Coeur d’Alene has about 30% of the staff it needs to operate at capacity. As a member of the American Camp Association, Sweyolakan maintains a strict ratio of counselors to campers. The camp is short over 20 counselors.

“The more we can get, the more we can open up registration,” said Pamela Norr, executive director of Camp Fire Inland Northwest.

Because it is all outdoors, the camp was able to stay open during the pandemic.

Staffing became a challenge as other camps reopened. Last year, the camp’s 100th anniversary, was the first time the camp needed a waitlist. This year, they paused the waitlist entirely.

Besides counselors, the camp has other open positions, including kitchen staff and lifeguards. A full staff is 48. As of last week, they had 14.

The organization has ramped up recruiting efforts, joining job fairs, visiting college campuses and hosting drive-thru job interviews.

Camp Fire’s day camp, Camp Dart-Lo in North Spokane, is doing better, Norr said.

Salvation Army’s Camp Gifford is also short-staffed. In particular, they need male counselors for their teen wilderness camp. Normally, the camp on Deer Lake in Stevens County has 12 male counselors, but right now they only have one, camp director Lt. Ashley Cunningham said.

If the camp can’t recruit more men, they might have to close the wilderness camp because they need an even gender balance of staff.

Historically, the camp retained a lot of staff year to year, but the pandemic disrupted that cycle and they have had difficulty rebuilding the team.

It has been challenging to recruit young men, Cunningham thinks, because many are struggling with mental health and don’t feel stable enough to work with children.

YMCA’s Camp Reed says it is not having the same difficulty. The camp on Fan Lake 30 miles north of Spokane could use a few more staff members, but they have adjusted so it will not significantly impact operations, camp director Carly Garras said.

Lutherhaven, a Christian camp across Mica Bay from Sweyolakan, is doing better than last year. It still needs another 15 staff out of 75.

Executive Director Rebecca Smith said the year-round administration has focused on solving the problem long-term and is working to create a better pipeline for the future. The camp recruits staff from across the country, not just locally.

In the meantime, “it is forcing us to be really creative in how we staff our programs without sacrificing safety or quality,” Smith said.

Poppy White, director of camping and program services for Camp Fire Inland Northwest, said summer camps nationwide are having the same problem. She recently attended a national camp conference where the issue was discussed.

After the pandemic, college students are more comfortable living with their parents during the summers and are more hesitant to live outside the home.

White acknowledged that as a nonprofit, the wages can be low, but she pointed out that camp jobs include free room and board.

The full summer commitment can be a barrier to some.

Smith said many well-qualified candidates have other engagements like internships during the summer, so Lutherhaven is willing to be flexible with hiring staff for partial seasons.

Sweyolakan welcomes parent volunteers for one or two weeks in exchange for their child’s tuition.

Counselors are usually college students, but Sweyolakan will hire recent high school graduates if they have documented leadership skills and training, White said.

Camp makes a big difference in the lives of young people. It can be a chance for children with difficult home lives to enjoy being a kid for a week or two, Cunningham said.

It can be a lifechanging summer job, too.

White said camp is a unique setting to unplug and connect with others while exploring nature.

“You have an opportunity to build one-on-one relationships with staff and campers you can’t find anywhere else,” she said.

Working at camp is also a great resume builder. A successful summer can lead to strong letters of recommendation.

Many staff who are education majors say their classroom management skills improve dramatically, White said.

Ultimately, it’s about the campers.

“All we want to do is get kids outdoors,” Norr said.