Lakefield College School Summer Programs: Parent Interview with Alaina Connelly

Watch our Parent interview with Alaina Connelly to hear firsthand what children experience and how they grow at Lakefield College School Summer Programs.

Transcript of the interview

How did you know Lakefield College School Summer Programs was the right fit for your children?

I knew that this was a good fit for my kids because they're excited to come and go to camp every day. They want to go multiple weeks throughout the week, and we've now been coming for three years, and it's really one of the only camps that my kids ask for.

That speaks to the diversity of the program. It also really speaks to the really high quality staff members that the camp hires and the level of care and engagement that they provide for each of the campers each day.

I'm a local parent, and so when other parents are asking me about this program, I have nothing but amazing things to say because of all of the program staff and then the unique things.

The other nice thing is that lunch is provided every day, which is a huge bonus for parents who are tired of making lunches in the summertime. And I really think that the programs and the staff really cater to what interests my kids have.

The group sizes are quite small, so they really get to know the kids by the end of day one. And so by the end of day five, they're really feeling connected.

When they come back returning weeks, then they get different counselors, but then they get to reconnect with their old counselors again, which I think is a really awesome thing.

Being a family that is local, we've seen some of our camp counselors outside of the camp setting and they still go by their camp names and they still engage with the kids as if they were still at camp with them, which only makes that experience that much stronger.

What is unique about Lakefield College School Summer Programs?

Lakefield College School Summer Programs is really unique in that it is located on a beautiful property, and much of the camp programming takes advantage of the variety of program space that they have.

Kids get to spend time on the lake and at the beach. They get to spend time in the forest. They get to climb on the climbing wall. They get to use the sports fields. On rainy days, they can sometimes be inside and use the gym.

They also get to go to the Northcote Farm once a week during their session. All of these programs really provide a lot of unique opportunity and exposure for kids to learn about themselves, but also about nature and farming and, of course, being with their camp friends.

The farm experience is a really great addition that they've been able to add in the last year or so, and it really just elevates the uniqueness of these camps. It is just, again, another really cool thing that is so different from many day camps, particularly any that are in our area.

Was there any personal growth you saw in your children?

My kids are 5 and 8, and so I would say just becoming more confident, just experiencing new programs that maybe we haven't as a family been able to engage with a ton, and then just further developing the love of being outside and being on the water and playing silly games and that level of fun that kids don't normally get maybe in a school setting or just at a home setting.

They've just been able to be exposed to different things. So again, being at the farm or being on the climbing wall, just that exposure really has allowed for greater confidence both within themselves and putting that towards their group setting.

Working with different kids that they don't normally play with because they're new to camp and they're not necessarily in their classrooms, that exposure just has allowed for that confidence building.

How can a parent support their child to get the most out of this experience?

The camp does a really great job of providing information emails prior to your kids showing up to camp. That's really helpful if you are a first-time parent at Lakefield College School Summer Programs.

The support staff are amazing, and registration on day one is super seamless and super smooth. They do a really good job of connecting with the kid right away so that if the kid is a little bit nervous on day one, then staff kind of jump in right away and help them get to know who their group members are, and what the day is going to look like so that they can settle into what to expect pretty early on.

Again, just the quality of the staff really does a good job of connecting with your kid and meeting your kid where they're at so that they feel important amongst all the other kids that are in their group.

What do your children say about their experience with Lakefield College School Summer Programs?

My 5-year-old daughter loves camp and she would live there all day long if she could and would never come home if that was an option for her. She loves her camp counselors and just dives in 100% and has nothing but really amazing things and positive things to say about her experience.

My son, who's a little bit more timid, has also had nothing but amazing things to say. It is one of the only camps that he chooses to go to every summer. We've had a chance to sample a lot of local day camps and the Lakefield College School Summer Programs camp is always the one that he wants to go back to without any hesitation. I think that alone just speaks to the level of comfort and the positive experiences that they're having.

My son has done the one-day overnight aspect of the camp for the older kids. And that was a really positive experience. He got to sleep with a friend in the same bunk space, and that was definitely a highlight. That was a new addition to the programs last year.

This year, my daughter will be able to participate in the Campfire programs, which I know she's really looking forward to and is ready to do that this summer.

What final thoughts would you like to share about Lakefield College School Summer Programs?

When I'm talking to parents of my children's friends asking about summer camps and kind of figuring out what places to go, I always say that Lakefield College School Summer Programs is really the best quality program.

You really do get the most out of the cost of the programming. The fact that you don't have to make lunches is a huge thing. And just the diversity of the programs and the quality of the staff are much stronger than a lot of the other programs that exist.

I say to parents, if one week is all that you can do, then one week is going to be worth it because your kid is just going to have a really, really great time. And you might have to be prepared to send them for more than one week after that.

I would also say that Lakefield College School Summer Programs does a really good job at providing programs for kids of a variety of ages. So once kids have aged out of those traditional day camps, then they offer a lot of really unique programs at the farm or on site, such as the bushcraft camp or the culinary program, the seed to table program.

There's a lot of variety. And so your kid can kind of work with themselves through the program without feeling like they're getting the same thing every year and they are aging out. I think that really engages kids and families for a longer period of time, which is an awesome thing to do.

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