Limited Capacity May be Forced at Minnesota Summer Camps

Everywhere you turn there's a 'We're Hiring' or 'Apply Now' sign. There's definitely a staffing issue at many companies and it's even starting to hit our summer camps in Minnesota. And if there are not enough employees to oversee kids at summer camp, the camps may be forced to seriously limit capacity.

Summer camp was always a big deal for me growing up. My best friend and I would pack up and go to summer camp over in Wisconsin together. It was so fun! But because of staffing issues, it may be difficult to make sure your kid(s) get signed up for that fun week or weekend away.

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Diana Parks, Executive Director at Good Earth Village, a summer camp near Spring Valley, spoke with KTTC about their staffing struggles. Diana said that they're 18 counselors short and if they don't get enough hired that'll mean hundreds of kids won't be able to go to summer camp.

There are a couple of possible reasons that Diana sights for their staffing troubles. One, she says, is because a lot of their recruiting is done on college campuses. However, because of the pandemic, they haven't been able to get out to campuses to recruit.

The other issue that Program Director Erik Dahl brings up is the cost of living. Counselors at Good Earth Village make $450/week and room and board are free for the summer. That sounds like a sweet deal but, as Erik points out, lots of college students live off-campus and then still need to pay for rent throughout the summer even while they're off working at camp. In that situation, $450/week wouldn't cut it.

Whatever the reason, the fact is there are just not enough camp counselors. They're still accepting applications, but if Good Earth Village doesn't get enough counselors they'll have to seriously limit the number of kids allowed at camp. And I'm sure the same would go for other camps in the area.

If you know of other camps that are having trouble finding staff for the summer, shoot me a message on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. (@carlyrossonair)

Listen to the Get Up & Go Morning Show w/ Dunken & Carly On-Demand below, with the 106.9 KROC app, and on the following podcasting services:
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