Camp Staff Training Online - Features and Benefits

This page outlines the many features and benefits of our web-based camp staff training system, Leadership Essentials, including camp directors' favorite feature, the Director Dashboard. Before you subscribe, watch the video below for a sneak peek at some of the Dashboard's cool features. Then, scroll down to read more about how this premium online resource can vault your staff training to the next level.

Director Dashboard Sneak Peek

Have a look at the features of the Director Dashboard.

Overview

Leadership Essentials is a premium library of online materials that allows you to begin training staff as soon as you hire them. It is available exclusively by annual subscription. The library contains a carefully crafted array of 6-to-9-minute video modules that your staff view from the comfort of their own computer, followed by online quizzes to verify comprehension. The Leadership Essentials library offers a realistic look at the profound responsibilities of a youth development professional and provides in-depth preparation for both international and domestic staff at day and resident camps.

Features and Benefits

Key features and benefits you'll receive:

Innovative Expert Camp Staff Training

Leadership Essentials is the brain child of Dr. Christopher Thurber, a board-certified child psychologist with more than 30 years of camp experience. Chris has worked with hundreds of camps in the US and Canada and still serves as waterfront director at Camp Belknap. Read Chris's Bio.

The idea behind Leadership Essentials is to tap the expertise of one of the industry's leading professionals to provide camp staff with a rich, lively, and practical set of tools they can begin using at camp right away. Handcrafted supplemental materials, such as handouts and quizzes, accompany each professionally produced module and help solidify learning. Taken together, thorough exposure to the Leadership Essentials library helps you comply with key ACA and OCA standards in human resources. View Correspondence Chart.

Quiz Features:

Automatic marking: Multiple choice quizzes are instantly graded by the system.
See Quiz Statistics: See which staff have completed the quizzes, see their marks, and even see exactly which answers they selected.
Deadlines and maximum attempts: You can configure a deadline for each quiz and set the number of attempts staff can make.

Preemptive Mobile Education

The take-anywhere, worldwide web-based format sets Leadership Essentials apart from old-fashioned DVD-based training. Instead of video-taped lectures that put staff to sleep, Leadership Essentials showcases real counselors demonstrating practical skills with real campers. Not only can staff begin their education in child development as soon as they are hired, from anywhere in the world, they can take it with them to camp! Your yearly subscription allows all your staff to download the training modules to their mobile devices, such as the iPod Video, and re-watch the videos any time during the season. And because the content of the entire Leadership Essentials library endows staff with skills long before they arrive at camp, directors can cover greater depth than ever during staff training week.

More Training Options:

In addition to online, pre-camp training, you might also choose these options, included with your subscription. [Please see copyright notice below and read your "Terms of Use" carefully.]

Download and Project Videos on a Large Screen: You can download each of the video modules to your laptop and project them (full-screen, using an LCD) onto a large screen for your staff to view. You can then guide some engaging discussions on each topic presented in the videos, adding your own spin based on your camp's philosophy and protocols. Dr. Thurber's discussion questions (included in PDF form under "Supplementary Materials" with your subscription) are a great place to start.
Download to an iPod Video: You can also download each of the video modules (in MP4 video format, playable on your computer using Apple QuickTime Player) to mobile video players like the iPod Video. This is an especially popular option with camp staff, who can then watch the videos during the summer when they encounter a particular challenge with a particular cabin, or as a leadership refresher anytime during camp.

Please note, however, that your subscription grants you rights to use this material for one year only. It is illegal to download or use these materials after December 31st of the year of purchase. To continue playing these videos legally, you must renew your subscription. Videos are updated and the library is expanded annually, so your renewed subscription carries many benefits.

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Cost-effective Instruction

There will never be a substitute for inviting a dynamic professional to provide expert workshops on-site during staff training week. But now there's an economical way for your staff to have exposure to that same expert content. And as the Leadership Essentials library expands to include contributions from each of the industry's top professionals, your staff will have the unique experience of hearing diverse opinions on a greater range of topics than a single person might ever deliver in a one-day training. What's more, the per-staff price is just a fraction of what a CPR certification or a background check costs. Isn't the investment in well-trained staff worth it when you consider the potential costs of poorly-trained staff? See Pricing Table

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Dynamic Reporting

There are a host of dynamic reporting tools to keep you informed on your staff's activity and progress:

Reporting Features

Track staff logins: See exactly when and how many times each staff member has logged in.
Quiz scores: See which staff have completed the quizzes, see their marks, and even see exactly which answers they selected. When was the last time you had that kind of staff learning data at your fingertips?

It's time to hold your staff accountable, because we all know they don't read the staff manual from cover to cover.

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Helpful Tools

Still want more? Leadership Essentials gives you the tools and controls to make sure your staff are well-prepared for camp. The learning possibilities are endless with the tools in Leadership Essentials.

Tools and Controls

Easy account creation for Staff: You can create your staff's accounts by uploading a properly-formatted Excel file, or use the Staff Self-Registration feature to let them create their own accounts!
Provide documents: Upload your own camp's materials for your staff to download and view. Supplement the module on Staff Use of the Internet with a PDF of your camp's social networking policy or upload pictures so that your international staff can see how your camp landscape differs from what's pictured in the modules. You can even post your own discussion questions and have new staff e-mail you a brief essay in response.
Mass mail: Send mass e-mails to all your staff members.
Quiz deadlines and maximum attempts: You can configure a deadline for each quiz to be completed by, as well as setting the number of attempts they have to pass the quiz.
Disable materials: You can also disable the quizzes and resources if you choose.

If you have more questions, you can read our FAQ.