Meadowbrook Day Camp Blog

Leadership

2011-12-11T08:48:00.001-05:00

Youth Development is a high priority at Meadowbrook. From our youngest Campers all the way up to our Staff, as year-round youth development professionals, we work to teach many important life skills. Being a part of Meadowbrook is not only fun, but it is learning and growing in areas that are not taught in traditional educational settings.

Leadership is one of the important life skills that we teach at Meadowbrook. We refer to our supervisory staff as the Leadership Team. That is an intentional name. They are leaders within our Camp community and part of a team that works all year long to create our amazing Summer program. They lead by example, and that trickles down to all of our general staff and ultimately our Campers.

The link below will take you to an excellent article on leadership that we have shared with our Leadership Team. It is a good illustration of what we believe and how we teach this important life skill at Meadowbrook!

Leadership Article

September Update: What’s Happening at Meadowbrook?

2011-09-28T14:15:00.002-04:00

We miss the sounds of happy children, Lunch Pavilion cheering, Lifeguard whistles, and T.I.G.E.R. spirit at Meadowbrook…but we hope everyone’s transition back to school was successful.

While we have moved from our blog to facebook status updates for much of our electronic communication, we will still update the blog with larger pieces of information, like this.

So, what’s been happening at Meadowbrook since Camp ended?

We are already very busy getting ready for the Summer of 2012! There is no off-season at Meadowbrook!!

We started by welcoming back many Campers to our Valley Brook School. One of the differences here at Meadowbrook is that we are a year-round youth-development facility for children. We have lots of blue MCDC backpacks in the halls of Valley Brook. All of the preparations that we do to change Camp back to School (waxing all of the floors, painting, landscaping) also benefits our Meadowbrook Campers. We also did a lot of wall repairs in our Pre-K changing room as we prepared for Valley Brook School.

We have chosen to do a lot of work on our pools this year, and we have started now instead of waiting until Spring. Rain aside, we emptied both the main pool and upper pool. They are being scrubbed, power washed and have fresh coats of paint and tile work. Now we wait for a solid week of dry weather for a second coat of paint and then we refill and cover for next Summer. From there, we will move to improving the deck surfaces around the pools this winter.

Our landscaping crew has also been hard at work. The very hot and dry start to the Summer took it’s toll on many of our grassy areas. We have done lots of thatching, aerating, fertilizing, seeding and haying to get everything back to beautiful for the Summer of 2012! We have also improved some of the gardens around buildings and will continue to plant throughout the fall.

Another Meadowbrook Difference is that ALL of our Staff re-interview every year. We start with our Leadership Team (editorial comment: the largest and best in the industry). Many have already been in to see us, some spending several hours reviewing programs and Staff and brainstorming ideas to make the Summer of 2012 even better!

Generally speaking, our facility has not had too many problems with all of the rain we have been getting, including the hurricane. But we have had a few issues, most notably erosion on the road between our two lakes and a little flooding in the basement and garage at the Camp house. We did lose some carnival games, special events supplies, and furniture; but we are happy to report that all of the Meadosaurus bones that everyone found during the Summer of 2010 were saved! We will be spending time during the next few weeks rebuilding both the road and basement so that they will both be ready long before the Summer of 2012!

Finally, September is a busy month for giving back. We are very focused on practicing Generosity from our T.I.G.E.R. program. Throughout the month, Roz has been attending meetings for S.C.O.P.E., where she sits on their Board of Directors. She also worked on and presented at the American Camp Association (ACA) Day Camp Conference. Our Office Manager Marty also designed and moderated a session at the Conference. Four of us attended and it was a chance to learn what is going on at other Camps as well as share our best practices with the industry in hopes of more and more children having meaningful Camp experiences for years to come. Meanwhile, Jed has also been busy as a chairperson planning the ACA Fall Management Conference and the ACA Tri-State Camp Conference. He also has been fulfilling his Board position with the NY/NJ Section of the ACA.

Looking forward, we are excited to see all of our families at Meadowfest on October 16^th at Camp. Come enjoy a great fall day at Meadowbrook with lots of fun activities. This is also a great opportunity to earn referral discounts with our SWAP program. We encourage you to bring along friends and neighbors who may be interested in sending their Children to Meadowbrook next Summer. When they enroll and list you as the referring family, you receive a $200 discount on Camp for your family!

As always, we thank you for the confidence you place in us and for allowing us to share the wonderful Meadowbrook experience with your children. As always, if you need anything from us, have any questions, or we can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to give us a call in the office. We are available all throughout the year for all of our Meadowbrook families!

2011-01-05T10:30:00.005-05:00

Camp does wonderful things for our Staff as well! Check out this college essay from a Meadowbrook Counselor. It was good enough to get her accepted Early Decision at her first choice college as an education major! Enjoy.

“Uh-oh, Melissa, I fell in,” called the little voice from the bathroom stall. Slowly, I opened the stall door and sitting there, with her little legs dangling off the edge and her arms on the seat like she had an armrest, was my four-year old camper stuck in the toilet. She looked up at me, smiled, giggled and waved, and as we both started laughing I knew she was okay. Immediately, I pulled her out and helped her clean up.

If life is like a book filled with many chapters, this situation was a single page in one of my several camp chapters. Meadowbrook Country Day Camp is my favorite chapter. For three summers, I have worked there as a group counselor and a bus counselor. The experience has helped me gain self-confidence and helped me identify strengths that allowed me to discover my interest in early childhood education. Before Meadowbrook, I had previous camp adventures. All of those prior experiences, positive and negative, helped prepare me for my summer at Meadowbrook.

As a young teen I spent a few summers at sleep-away camp. Many of the girls had been there for a few summers and had already formed their cliques, which made it hard to make friends and to fit in. At sports I would be chosen last and often felt excluded from activities. This left me feeling uncertain about myself, wondering why I wasn’t easily welcomed into their group. Based on those summers, working at a camp may seem a bit ludicrous. However, I knew that in spite of everything, I was determined to try again and help make summer a fun time for others.

The first few days at Meadowbrook were a little disorienting, but I managed to figure it out with help from others. Many staff members besides me were new, which made it easy to make friends. I found friends who had opinions and input that I valued. Returning staff members helped me adjust to my new camp, from showing me around the grounds to giving me advice on day-to-day trouble shooting. My co-counselors and I were able to work together to maximize the fun for our campers and for ourselves. I learned that by persevering and trying new experiences, past chapters are merely stepping stones to build on.

On my bus were campers that ranged from age four to age twelve, and it was hard to find a game that pleased them all. Children need constant entertainment and engagement in activities. They get bored easily, and I did not receive a manual during orientation with instructions on how to address each and every situation that can arise. Instead of playing the suggested games exactly as the directions instructed, I manipulated them or created new games so everyone was able to participate and have fun. One of the favorites was counselor charades, because the campers were able to pick an action or character and the other staff members and I made complete fools of ourselves. From acting out the role of Dory from Pixar’s Finding Nemo to singing with the other staff as the Backstreet Boys, we always had a blast. Music was always playing and cheers were always being sung. Our bus was exploding with so much spirit that we won the Bus Spirit Award.

The impact Meadowbrook and Roz and Jed Buck, owners and directors of the camp, have had on me will positively affect me for the rest of my life. This experience has allowed me to identify and focus on my strengths and interests. I have learned how to work with others and how to be patient and encouraging. Now, I am able to trust myself and my decisions. I have become more creative and imaginative in my problem solving methods and in my leadership skills. Working as a group counselor with four-year olds and as a bus counselor has helped me learn how to think on my feet. My experience taught me how to help campers have the best time, and for me I have nothing except, in the words of Roz and Jed, “positive, indelible summer memories”. In addition to these memories, Meadowbrook has helped me overcome my insecurities and has increased my confidence so I am ready to move on to the next chapter in my book of life.

2011 Staff

2010-11-30T17:49:00.005-05:00

One of the important Meadowbrook Differences is that every single staff member, including long time returning staff, re-interview at Camp every year! This allows every staff member to give us ideas of ways we can improve Camp and it allows us to discuss their experience from the prior year and what changes can be made for an even better experience for both the staff member and our Campers!

With schools closed and many students home from college last week, we rehired many great staff members from all areas of Camp.

Just based on last week, we welcome Group Counselors Jimmy D., Abby S., Michael S., Dan B., Brian L., Taylor C., Julia J., Eric F., Erica S., Jackie H., Anna P., Georgia P., Tyler N., Catherine J., Joanne R., Caitlin G., Halina S., Nick W., and Heather Z.

Also returning from last week's interviews are Specialists Pam from Ropes; Lifeguards Rob, Phil, Heather and Stef; Crystal and Gerda; Megan from Dance; Megan and Laura from Gymnastics; and Assistant Waterfront Director Kim.

We have many other Staff that are already on board and more coming in each and every day!! Once again, we are looking forward to the best Staff in Camping!!

Face Lift

2010-11-23T17:55:00.004-05:00

Our NCAA Basketball Court is getting a face lift!

At Meadowbrook, we are very focused on Campers playing on size appropriate athletic facilities for their age. Our NCAA Basketball Court is the mid-sized of our 3 courts. (The smallest is our Mini Basketball Court and the biggest is our NBA Court).

This week, the crew from Nickolaus Construction spent a day at Meadowbrook repairing any less than perfect areas of the surface. They then started the painting process. We still need a few more coats of our now signature blue and grey as well as all of our white lines. We expect to finish everything up next week and have yet another beautiful basketball court for our Campers this Summer! Stay tuned for more pictures!!

Product Development

2010-11-20T17:29:00.003-05:00

We are always working to improve every aspect of Meadowbrook: Staff....Programming....Facility....

Today Roz and I spent the day at a few local playgrounds checking out their playground equipment. One of the ideas we are considering for the Summer of 2011 is a new playground for our older Campers. Today it was Taylor Park, Hartshorn School, Wyoming School, Memorial Park. All different playground manufacturers and elements as we work to create a great new playground for Meadowbrook!

"Brand New" Rec Barn

2010-11-09T06:35:00.007-05:00

With school closed last week, we took the opportunity to finish our work on the Meadowbrook Rec Barn. During the Summer, the Rec Barn houses Gymnastics, the Nurses office, and our Stick Art/String Art Room. It is also a great location for fun rainy day activities like Karaoke.

Last Spring, we put in a brand new wood type floor throughout the building. We also re-did the bathroom walls and floors. After Camp ended, we started phase 2 and replaced all of the insulation and put in a brand new drop ceiling. We also painted the full inside of the building. This week, we finished the project with a brand new roof for the building.

With 230 days 'til Camp...the Rec Barn is ready to Rock!!

Back to Blogging

2010-11-06T23:29:00.004-04:00

November has arrived...Summer is but a distant memory...another great fall Meadowfest is in the books...so it is time to restart the Meadowbrook Blog!

Even in the "off season", things are very busy at Camp. Here will we try and keep you up-to-date on some of the happenings at Camp.

Stay tuned...feel free to comment...suggest topics...and get ready for another amazing Summer at Meadowbrook!

Only 232 days 'til Camp!

Where Did the Blogger Go?

2010-05-14T08:11:00.002-04:00

As we get closer to camp, it becomes more challenging to update the blog; HOWEVER, we are updating our facebook page frequently with interesting discussions, happenings at Camp, and links to articles. Stay in touch at facebook.com/meadowbrookrocks. See you at Camp!

75 Days 'Til Camp!

2010-04-14T07:42:00.003-04:00

Roz and I have just returned to camp after a long (especially for this time of year) 11-day trip to visit Melanie in London. While we were gone, the weather changed to Spring and it is great to see…

All the Things that have Changed:
The Water is Turned On
The New Trees on the Fields have started to Bloom (at least Most of Them)
The Grass is Green
The Challenge Course has Passed Inspection
The New Fence at the Bottom of the Hill…

And All the Things that We Have Done:
The Tennis Courts are cleaned out and the Tennis Nets are up
The Grass Seed is down
The Sandbox has been re-built
The New Bullfrog Lake Sign is up
The Bumper Boat Barrels are in the Lake…

And All the Things that Have Arrived:
The Back Packs for our Campers
The Four-Way Ping Pong Table
All of the Bus Prizes
The New Golf Cart for the Nurses…

And All the Things That We are Working On This Week:
New Sand for the Sandbox
Starting to Paint, and Paint, and Paint
Weekly Special Event Banners
Picking up the Tents from the “Tent Washer”
39 Different Regular Day Schedules
Rainy Day Schedules (which we won’t need)
Bus Events
Mini Golf Course Designs
New Floors in the Rec Barn
A New “Nitro Swing” for the Challenge Course….

AND SO MUCH MORE!!!

Only 75 days ‘til Camp!!!

Welcome to 2010 Meadowbrook Staff!

2010-03-27T22:22:00.003-04:00

As we have crossed the 100 days ‘til Camp mark, we wanted to once again welcome you to what will be the best Summer ever at Meadowbrook!

For those of you who are joining us for the first time, you are about to meet and work with an amazing group of people, all with the common goal of finding the greatness in every one of our Campers and bringing it out.

For those of you returning, we are thrilled to have you back! Once again, we have a tremendous number of staff members returning this Summer. Each year we raise the bar for those staff invited back. We recognize and appreciate the great job you did last year, and we look forward to building upon it in the Summer of 2010.

A few quick but important notes…

Everyone at Meadowbrook needs to work all 39 days of camp. This year, camp runs from Monday, June 28 - Friday, August 20. If you have had any change in your plans that effects your ability to work the entire Summer, please let Rich know right away.

Get your forms in…medical forms, tax forms, reference forms, working papers, etc. If you need any additional copies, they are under the staff section, forms library, on our website.

If you are on Facebook, become a fan of Meadowbrook Day Camp (facebook.com/meadowbrookrocks). We regularly post content related to camp. We have also set up a group “Meadowbrook 2010 Staff”. This is a private group that will allow our staff to interact with each other prior to camp. You can post and answer questions about what to expect this Summer. It gives everyone a chance to meet before camp even starts. You may find some friends working at Meadowbrook that you didn’t even know about!

Finally, we will be making some significant changes to our Staff Orientation. For the first time, we will be handling some aspects of training on-line prior to the start of Camp. This will allow us to spend more time during the actual orientations at Camp on more substantial, and we think exciting, elements of becoming an excellent staff member at Meadowbrook. If you would like to receive correspondence from Meadowbrook, including the pre-camp staff training information, at a different email address, please let us know so that we can update your record.

We are glad you will be part of the Meadowbrook family this Summer. If you have any questions prior to orientation, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We are looking forward to a great Summer together…only 93 days ‘til camp!

- Roz, Jed & Rich

ACA Tri-State Conference

2010-03-22T08:27:00.016-04:00

At Meadowbrook, we talk a lot about our Leadership Team as an important difference in what we offer our camp families. It is a large, mature, experienced, committed group of professionals that help make the Meadowbrook experience extraordinary for our Campers!

This important difference was on display last week as 12 (yes 12) members of the Meadowbrook Leadership Team attended the American Camp Association Tri-State Conference in Atlantic City. With 12 attendees, we were probably the largest group from any camp in NJ, and among the largest at the conference overall.

Why do we make the commitment and investment to bring so many people? At Meadowbrook, we are dedicated to continuous improvement and lifelong learning for everyone....our Campers...our General Staff...and our Leadership Team! Sure, we can tell everyone what Jay Frankel said, but it is not that same as hearing it first hand and participating in a role play with his actors. We can explain the latest team building game from Jim Cain, but it's not the same as playing it. We can talk about what other camps are doing in the areas of staff hiring, training, facility improvement, program development, but it is not the same as actively participating in the discussion and learning from the best and brightest in the camp industry.

On the exhibit floor, we are always looking for the newest improvements, special event ideas, craft suppliers, etc. Sure, 6 eyes are good....12 are better...24 incredible. We purchased several new items for our Activity Tent, replaced a few more tents, and are adding a new over-surface to the hallway and bathrooms where our Tiny Toon Campers change.

We visited with our suppliers for background checks, t-shirts, insurance, database management, food service and others...We confirmed plans with our entertainers for Reality TV Week, Carnival, X-treme Water Day, and our Giant Board Game...We checked in with camp vendors where we were their first or early clients in the camp industry such as our revolutionary Snap Court Surfaces, bubble machine, and iDance.

Overall, we learned, shared, bonded and grew to help make this Summer at Meadowbrook another Extraordinary Summer for all of our Camp Families!

Activity Tent

2010-03-20T07:56:00.003-04:00

We are finishing up our annual trip to the American Camp Association Tri-State Camp Conference (more on the conference later). One of our goals for this year’s conference was to improve what we offer under the Activity Tent at Meadowbrook.

Mission Accomplished! First of all, we purchased a brand new product: Poly Pong. Poly Pong is a 4-sided Ping-Pong Table. It is a combination of Table Tennis (aka Ping Pong) and 4-square! There are 20 different ways to play and it should be Really Neat!

We are also buying new Baggo sets. We found Baggo at this conference a few years ago. It is a bit like horseshoes with bean bags. It is a very popular game and we will replace our Baggo sets with brand new ones!

We are also considering another new item: Lasso Golf. We really like the game and the concept. We just need to make sure that we area comfortable we can play it safely under the Activity Tent.

We will continue to offer 4-Square, Giant Connect-4, Giant Jenga and Knock Hockey. And naturally, we are always on the lookout for more ideas. Let me know if you have any!

- Jed

"I Need To Get A Real Job This Summer"

2010-03-09T21:39:00.003-05:00

We are very lucky at Meadowbrook: we have great staff members and they have an amazing Summer working at Meadowbrook. Each year, over 65% of them return for another great Summer. For many of those who don't return, it is because they "Need to get a 'real' job this Summer..."

Today's article in The New York Times does an excellent job of illustrating that working at camp could possibly be the 'most real' job a young adult can have.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/09/nyregion/09bigcity.html?src=tptw

As I often like to point out, what is a 'real' job...working in an office, wearing a tie, and learning to use a photocopy machine? Or earning the respect and admiration of fifteen 7-year old boys as you capture their imagination while leading them on a secret mission from the bonfire to the hockey rink that nobody else can know about...

As Doug Herzog, the president of the MTV Networks Entertainment Group, says in the article, “College is great; everyone who has the opportunity should go to college, but I learned everything I needed to know at camp.”

How can you top that. Want a "real" job this Summer....work at a camp!!

Congratulations Roz

2010-03-05T07:39:00.007-05:00

An important part of Meadowbrook is our T.I.G.E.R. program. TIGER represents the 5 key attributes that we think are important to creating a successful camp community:

T eamwork

I ntegrity

G enerosity

E nthusiasm

R espect

We learn about these at camp and work to put them into practice both during the Summer and throughout the entire year.

Under the G-Generosity heading, we congratulate Roz on her appointment to the Board of Directors of S.C.O.P.E. SCOPE is a non-profit organization. Their mission is to provide children in need the edge to succeed in life through the summer camp experience.

Under Roz's leadership, Meadowbrook has been a long time supporter of SCOPE. Roz has been an important part of several committees that organize SCOPE's annual fundraising dinner each March at the American Camp Association Tri-State conference. She also chairs the SCOPE fundraising auction each winter for the ACA-NJ Section Holiday Dinner.

Not only do we wish Roz the best as her role within SCOPE grows, we thank her for continuing to model Generosity for the entire Meadowbrook community!

Keeping in Touch

2010-02-11T09:47:00.006-05:00

At Meadowbrook, we are always looking for ways to communicate effectively with our camp families. We believe that "Partnering with our Parents" and "Effective Communication" are 2 important attributes of the special relationship that we have with our camp families.

During the non-camp months (we don't call it "off-season"...there is no off-season at Meadowbrook), our plan is to update the blog and facebook fan page about twice each week. During the Summer, we are hoping to provide short updates every day. Naturally, this is in addition to our daily posting of pictures from Camp, our weekly e-mail newsletter, regular Meadow-Grams and Swim Reports, Ask Me About stickers, and phone calls from Division Heads and Directors. If that is not enough, please do not ever hesitate to pick up the phone and call the office with any questions or concerns.

Naturally, if you have ideas for blog topics or other ways to improve communication...just let us know!! Thanks - Jed

Video Yearbook

2010-02-06T09:42:00.003-05:00

Friday was another fun day of watching rough cuts from our Video Yearbook and working with our fabulous Video Editing Team. Every year, we produce a Video Yearbook that we mail to all of our Meadowbrook Families that captures the excitement of the prior Summer. It is always fun reliving all those special moments!

Once again, we are pouring over about 50 hours of footage shot over 14 days during the Summer of 2009. The final product is an exciting combination of thousands (yes thousands!) of different video shots, transitions, effects and titles, all set to fun music. This year’s video will include great music from Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Rascal Flats, The Jonas Brothers and many more! Think you know what songs we picked? Plus, we have the perfect opening song…can you guess what it is? This year we are also featuring special segments on Swimming, our Challenge Course, and our T.I.G.E.R. Program! Stay tuned for more updates. We hope to have it in the mail next month!!

Special Events

2010-01-30T17:50:00.002-05:00

These are the times that campers and counselors remember forever. Creating positive "indelible memories" is an extremely important part of what we do at camp. Our Leadership Team begins the process in October with a meeting to brainstorm our 8 weekly themes for the summer. This is always a fun meeting with lots of energy and creative juices flowing. One of the unique features of our program at Meadowbrook is that each summer our themes and special events are fresh and different!

Our team meets throughout the year to develop our themes and the many exciting events that our campers will experience all summer long. Jed and I carry a pad and pen with us everywhere we go, because you never know when an amazing idea might come to mind! If you have a great idea for a special event, please let us know.

Our calendar is shaping up beautifully for this summer, so we hope our campers are getting ready for another incredible summer of special events at Meadowbrook!

-Roz

American Camp Association

2010-01-27T17:48:00.003-05:00

As camp professionals, in addition to running Meadowbrook Day Camp, we are active participants and leaders within the camp industry. For example, today I attended the Board of Directors meeting of the NJ Section of the American Camp Association (ACA) where I am an active Board Member.

What does the ACA do and how does Meadowbrook fit in?

First and foremost, Meadowbrook is an ACA Accredited camp. That means that we follow over 300 nationally recognized standards to help make Meadowbrook a safe, well run camp. ACA Accreditation is a large commitment that camps make and it is estimated that only 1 in 10 camps in the state of NJ achieve this high standard. We are proud that we have consistently been an ACA Accredited Camp. I also serve on the NJ Section's Standards Committee and volunteer as a Standards Visitor to camps seeking to establish or renew their ACA accreditation.

Our involvement with ACA also means that we are frequently attending seminars and workshops to help us improve everything we do at Meadowbrook. We share our expertise with others and have the benefit of learning from other camp professsionals as well as experts in other areas. This helps us to make every Summer at Meadowbrook and amazing experience for our Campers.

Finally, ACA works to provide the camp experience to as wide an audience of children as possible. Again, we are very involved in this goal through our ACA work as well as by providing significant support to an outgrowth organization from ACA called S.C.O.P.E. Just today, I joined a new ACA task force exploring ways to make the wonderful benefits of a day camp experience available to as many children in NJ as possible.

- Jed

Meadowbrook Division Heads

2010-01-22T18:37:00.000-05:00

One of the most important aspects of Meadowbrook is our amazing Staff. Not only are they great, but there are LOTS OF THEM!

Our Group Counselors are led be an amazing group of Division Heads....13 of them! Once again, we have a great return rate, with 11 of last year's DH's returning to Meadowbrook. They are Sue, Suzanne, Allison T., Mindy, Scott, Alison S., Charlie, Tami, Pat, Andy, and Russ. This year, they will be joined by 2 staff members from last Summer that we welcome to the Leadership Team as new Division Heads: Vickie joins us from the pool and Steve B. joins us from our Ropes staff.

Together, this group meets year-round to help plan an amazing Summer for our Campers! By design, each Division Head supervises a small number of groups so that they can spend lots of time with their Staff and get to know each one of the Campers in their Division....an important Meadowbrook Difference!

Blog - Take 2

2010-01-20T08:56:00.001-05:00

We are attempting to re-start the Meadowbrook Blog. Because of how we run Meadowbrook, an incredible amount of work goes into creating each Summer. As a result, the blog has been inactive. BUT....starting today, we will try it again. Stay tuned!

Meetings Meetings Meetings

2009-03-25T07:17:00.000-04:00

Lot's of meetings this week, and it is only Wednesday. So far, we've met with Chris our painter to review what needs to be freshened up before summer. Frankie was in yesterday looking at all the property for stone, blacktop, grading, etc. We also met with our AV expert, also named Chris. Planning on a new sound system for the lunch pavilion and goat theater. He will also redo our morning assembly sound system and add to the rec barn system so rainy day karaoke will be even more fun! Finally, Char was here inspecting our ropes course and making some minor repairs. He checks everything....every rope, every buckle, every connection. Ongoing maintenance helps keep everything in tip-top shape.

Last night the full Leadership Team got together. Worked on orientation activities and training ideas. And always great food....working at Meadowbrook is never having to say you are hungry! Also met with Casey yesterday. She is one of our Special Events Directors. Time to get all of those bus events planned so we can finalize our '09 Special Events Calender. Today our 3 RN's come in to meet with Roz for their first group pre-summer meeting. And tours everyday for new families who want to join the Meadowbrook Fun.

Only 96 days 'till camp!

Back to Camp

2009-03-23T06:42:00.000-04:00

Today we return to camp after almost a week out of the office. We visited another Day Camp in NJ (thanks Andrew) to share ideas and then spent several days at the Tri-State Camp Conference in Atlantic City buying, learning, and sharing.

What do we do now with 98 days to camp? Today is catching up on lots of phone calls, emails, and enrollments from last week. Also a few tours for prospective families. New stuff? Our challenge course gets its annual inspection this week. We already know we are replacing a few elements on our low course. So today we put in a new pole for an anchor. We also need to finalize some tri-state purchases: more foam for our bubble machine...some funky new "sand"...and getting to work on everything we need to buy for our new salad bar (more about that another day), just to name a few.

Please give us your feedback on the expansion our presence in social media. This entry will appear in a few different places. Let us know what works best for you as we try and "figure it all out!"

ACA Conference

2009-03-22T10:04:00.000-04:00

We just returned from the American Camp Association (ACA) tri-state conference in Atlantic City. Meadowbrook had 8 members of our Leadership Team present, among the most of any camp!

What did we do? Attended sessions...visited with suppliers...shared ideas with other camps...shopped for new items to make Meadowbrook even better!! Now that we have our blog, we can share with you like never before...stay tuned!!

Welcome

2009-03-21T20:37:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the Blog for Meadowbrook Day Camp. We will see where this goes. It gives us an opportunity to keep everyone up to date on all the exciting things at camp. As always, let me know your thoughts. Thanks. - Jed