The More Things Change The More They…..
Over 4 decades have passed since Day Camp In The Park was born. Yes, our
infrastructure has changed greatly. For example, a meadow that deer would
sleep on at night has now become a state of the art ball field where our campers
play softball, soccer, and football. Children that once feared swimming have a
specially designed pool to help them learn to swim; and now, they can test their
new swimming abilities in a magnificent water park on majestic Lake Tiorati!
Much has changed physically at DCITP. But, we have always been faithful to our
guiding principles.
1) To create a safe haven for our campers to grow physically, emotionally and
socially. To this end we were the first camp in the metropolitan area, over
35 years ago to employ a licensed social worker to help our campers
acclimate to their new camp setting or a possible change in their own
family situation (death of a loved one, divorce, etc.). Also almost 3 decades
ago we committed our resources to hire certified teachers to run every
group and activity to ensure the integrity of the program and the safety of
our children.
2) To create opportunities for our campers to learn new skills, make wise
choices and have fun at the same time. That is why our camp offers a
myriad of activities from soccer to skateboarding and art to archery. With
teachers supervising each activity the learning process can be monitored,
and campers can feel safe to take chances (we learn often by our mistakes)
because our children know that a caring, competent counselor is present at
all times. In addition, when campers feel safe, friendships can foster.
To ensure the learning of skills and giving children the opportunities to make
choices, our clustering program was initiated. Simply stated, camp activities
per period are scheduled by a geographical area. For example, in a given
period, campers can choose basketball, softball, archery or the climbing
wall because they are all adjacent to each other. Since we have one
counselor per 4 or 5 children, this type of special programming can be
achieved.
3) To create a camp environment that would become a camper’s family away
from their family. Our small size enables all administrators to know our
children and staff on a very personal basis. This allows us to match up the
children’s needs with the right type of counselor.
I was the youngest camp director in the history of New York (maybe in the
The United States). I was 19 years old when I directed my first-day camp in
1973. I also directed sports camps. So, my dream was to create a camp in a
Garden of Eden setting that would have a complete sports program, a
wonderful natural environment for children to learn how to boat, canoe,
kayak, hike, and fish, and ample cabins to learn music, art, drama, ceramics,
karate, and gymnastics. In essence, a camp for children to become well-rounded
individuals and learning life long skills. In 1979, my dream became
a reality.
In my journey, I have worked with an incredibly talented administrative
team (members are still with me, some over 38 years) completed
committed to the goals of our organization. With their help, I was able to
write the only fully accredited masters program in camp
leadership/supervision paid for by the insurance industry and the NY
section of the American Camp Association. I also wrote a guide book for
parents called There is No Place Like Camp to help parents learn how to
choose a camp, wisely, for their children. We even created the only school
day camp in NYC history gaining accolades from CNN and Channel 7 news.
In addition, over the years we invited hundreds of children throughout the
world to be part of our camp community.
For all of our efforts to improve the quality of life for families and children
we were given a lifetime achievement award from the National American
Camp Association.
Working in a Garden of Eden setting with well-trained professionals to help
children learn, grow and be happy is a great labor of love. I can promise
every parent that we will do everything humanly possible to ensure your
child’s success at DCITP. My team has 4 decades of experience with two
great, young camp directors in Karl Najork and Paul Glotzer to make this
happen.
Let DCITP be your child’s safe haven to have fun, be happy and learn new
skills. It would be an honor to serve your family. I trust that our principles
on serving families and children will never change over the next 4 decades!
Always,
Ken