What you learn
Four skills every staff member needs
How children grow
What campers need at each age, from 7-year-olds at HDYC to teens at Camp Setebaid.
How to help with homesickness, worries and the first night away from home.
Fair, simple cabin rules, and what to do when a camper is having a hard day.
Working with and teaching children
How to teach at each age, with short steps and lots of practice.
How to lead an activity safely and include every camper.
Diabetes skills are caught, not taught. You coach campers in the moment, between the swim and the campfire.
The diabetes care we use at camp
How campers check blood sugar and plan each dose with the medical and dietary team.
Pumps, CGMs and what their alarms mean.
Carb counts at meals and snacks, and why the snacks matter on busy days.
When to bring a camper to the medical team, and how to reach them fast.
Spotting and treating a low
The signs of low blood sugar: shaky, sweaty, pale, grumpy or confused. Some campers show none.
What to do right away: fast-acting sugar, then a recheck, using the camp's own steps.
When to get the medical team at once, and what to do while you wait.
Why lows can come after a long swim or a big game, and at night.
Who teaches you
The Medical Director and Camp Dietitian teach diabetes care and how to treat lows.
Camp Directors and experienced staff teach child development, teaching and the camp routines.
Who does what
You, the counselor
You know your campers best. You remind them to check, notice when something seems wrong, and walk them to the medical team. (Setebaid to confirm)
The medical team
Doctors, nurses and dietitians make the medical decisions: doses, treatments, and pump and sensor changes. (Setebaid to confirm)
At night
You sleep in the cabin with your campers. If a camper needs help, you wake the medical team, who watch CGMs overnight.
New to camp?
You will not be the new one for long
Many of our staff come back every summer, and they all remember their first one. Training is where you meet your cabin team and learn the routines together, before the first camper arrives.
- A buddy who has worked at camp before answers your questions in the first days. (Setebaid to confirm)
- Each cabin has a Senior Counselor who has worked at camp before and helps the cabin work as a team. (Setebaid to confirm)
- Team games and meals together during training, so names turn into friends. (Setebaid to confirm)
- Your Head Counselor supports you and your cabin all week.
“Everyone that volunteers at this camp wants to be there. Everyone puts 110% towards the campers placed with them.” — A former counselor-in-training