Camp Woodland Blog

What does trust look like several miles off the ground? I’ve been flying a lot lately and thinking about the inherent trust I have in the airlines. When flying domestically, I am typically in the air for a couple of hours at the most, and it is highly likely I can get to where I am going within the course of a day. So, I am putting my trust in the airlines for 24 hours or less (usually WAY less). I am in a metal tube thousands of feet (several miles in the air) with a bunch of people I don’t know and with a pilot, co-pilot, and flight attendants that I have most likely never seen before I am about to embark on my adventure.

When do we meet the flight crew? The flight attendants are visible before, during, and after the flight; however, the time that I *may* see the pilot is after I am on the ground and rushing out the door to make my connection or to get on with the business or pleasure that has prompted my need to fly the “friendly” (when everything goes smoothly!) skies in the first place. In this scenario, I see the person responsible for a group of 50-100+ passengers from runway to runway after the flight has landed. The pilot oftentimes stands by the cockpit door while telling folks good-bye and thank you. I have no idea what kind of grades were made in flight school or how many hours were logged off the ground, yet the airlines have my trust or I wouldn’t choose flying as a common mode of transportation.

What do flying and sending your child to camp have in common? Similarly to the trust I put in the airlines, there is also a HUGE trust factor that our camp families (YOU) put in US when enrolling your child/ren in the Woodland experience for up to 6 weeks. You are sending your most precious gift/s to us. Some of you bring them to camp yourselves so that you can see camp and more importantly, meet the people (camp leadership and counselors) who will be taking care of your camper/s. You get to take a good look at the “airplane” AND those people who are in charge of “flying the airplane.” There are others of you who live far away and rely on a call (or more!) to speak with a member of the leadership team or a direct connection to camp, the information on our website, and what is shared on social media platforms.

How do we increase the trust factor? For those of you whom we have never had the pleasure of  coming to camp or meeting us (even for those we have), two events occurred this week that can put your mind at ease and increase the trust factor in how camp runs on a day-to-day basis. On Tuesday, the Oneida County health department (through the state of Wisconsin) came to Camp Woodland for our annual review. Then on Wednesday, we greeted two trained volunteers from the American Camp Association (ACA) for our on-site accreditation visit that occurs every 5th year (this is in addition to completing an online review and signing a statement of compliance in February of each year).

What does a health department/accreditation visit look like? For this year’s on-site health department and ACA visits, JoAnne and Lee gave our guests the grand tour of camp. On both days, stops were made to watch various activities in action, check out a few cabins, take a look at the kitchen and health center, and interview some campers and staff. The great thing is that because our staff are trained at the beginning of each summer and on an on-going basis, they handled any questions that were asked like pros and did a nice job telling the story of what we do and why. Following Wednesday’s ACA tour, the visitors went through multiple notebook binders to verify that we have systems in place and the necessary required documentation to be in compliance with close to 300 health, safety, and program quality standards! Whew!

Why do we seek accreditation? We’re glad you asked! Unlike the mandatory visit from the health department each year, Camp Woodland and Towering Pines CHOOSE to go through the accreditation process and PROUDLY display the ACA-Accredited Camp sign as it has 50+ years (at Woodland) of parent trust behind it. Accreditation means that both camps have proof of accountability, credibility, and commitment to the best practices established by the camp industry. Experts from many fields including the American Red Cross and The American Academy of Pediatrics, for example, are consulted to work with ACA to continually improve the camp standards program. Towering Pines is on a different cycle from Woodland and had their on-site visit in 2023. Marion Jordan (JoAnne, Susan, and Jeff’s grandfather) was actually instrumental in starting the ACA Accreditation program back in the day!

How did we do?! Camp Woodland had another excellent report from the health department (are you surprised?!)! While we won’t officially know if we “PASSED” our accreditation visit until the fall (the final report is sent to ACA headquarters for scoring), we can share that we were able to say “YES” across the board in the various categories as the team made their way through each standard. Having back-to-back visits made for a busy week, AND we are glad to return to the more FUN part of our jobs (getting ready for Woodland’s 56th birthday celebration, driving the ski boat, reading a story at campfire, and spending quality time with your daughter/s)!

P.S. I will actually be on the ACA accreditation visit team for a camp in NC on my way to camp next week – it is one way to give back to the program and the people who volunteer their time for us. I can’t wait to spend the last 10 days with your camper/s and see you for Parents’ Weekend!