Camp data that matters

Running a camp means thinking about a lot of numbers.

Food budgets, staff ratios, activity schedules, equipment costs. Camp is kind of like any “normal” business in that way.

And look, I was an engineering major (minor in The Hidden Curriculum), so I’m naturally down to track things.

But this summer, stepping into this K&E community and thinking about Scott’s awesome announcement, I keep coming back to the simplest metrics. The ones I’m pretty sure are the most important to the day-to-day.

The things that actually determine whether kids wake up each morning, over 6.5 weeks, saying, “Yeah, I belong here.”

The two I’m leaning into the most?

Fist bumps and first names.

I know how that sounds. But hear me out.

This isn’t some revolutionary insight. It’s more like something I’ve noticed everywhere I’ve worked in the last 15 years in camps, and it’s definitely true here at K&E too.

The staff who connect crazy good with kids? Michael, Anna, Sophie, Jack S (not me, the other Jack) just to name a few. They can’t walk ten feet without high-fiving someone or calling out a camper’s name.

Not because anyone told them to, but because that’s just how they roll.

And the kids won’t be like, “Thank you for that fist bump!” or “I appreciate you saying my name correctly.” It’s more like this implicit understanding that people care about you.

That you matter enough to be noticed, greeted, acknowledged as an individual person instead of just another camper.

Small Acknowledgments Matter A Bunch

Look, this isn’t just a summer camp thing.

Adults need this too.

Maybe not getting dapped up in the hallway at work, or having your name said 50 times over a Zoom meeting (though honestly, that might be nice sometimes).

But we all want to feel seen and recognized by the people around us.

For kids, especially kids spending part of a summer away from home, that need is even bigger. When a counselor knows their name on Day 1, or when the director gives them a fist bump while walking to activities, it signals something deeply important.

It says, “You belong here, we see you, we’re glad you’re here.”

These small daily connections compound over weeks. Kids aren’t just passing through for a pop in. They’re here long enough for relationships to really develop.

You can’t fake 50-100 fist bumps in a day. You literally have to be present, moving around camp, engaging with kids to hit that number.

And every time you say a kid’s name out loud, everyone around you learns it’s important too.

I get that it might sounds reductive to say, “Camp boils down to fist bumps and first names.”

Kinda, but not really.

What This Means for Your Kid

Look, when kids feel acknowledged and known, they just act, well, different (but like a good different).

They’re way more likely to try stuff like going on the high ropes course or signing up for the junior play even though they’re nervous.

They gain confidence because they know adults are actually paying attention, not just going through the motions.

They’ll speak up if something’s wrong, too. Not because it’s a policy or anything, but because that’s just what you do when know someone sees you.

These two “little” things – fist bumps and first names – do a ridiculous amount of heavy lifting.

I’m pumped to track this “data” over the rest of the summer (and next, and the one after that, and on and on). It’s what makes the whole thing work.

These are metrics that matter.

I’m not saying camp is simple. It’s definitely not. There’s a million moving pieces, endless logistics, and yeah, all those other numbers I mentioned at the beginning are ones I’m diving in on.

But when you get the basics right, when kids feel seen and known, everything else gets easier.

Thanks for trusting us with your kids. And for being part of a community where this stuff actually matters.

We got this,

Jack

PS *Quick aside, thank you for all the welcome texts and hugs on Visiting Day. I could not be more excited to be a part of this community. You all are amazing!

Jack Schott

[email protected]
585-451-5141 (text me)
​Inspire Confident Kind Kids​

114 Eagle Pond Rd, Wilmot, NH 03287