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What does a camp assistant do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
Quoted expert
Tom Rosenberg
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Camp assistant responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real camp assistant resumes:

  • Guide and nurture campers by accompanying them to and assisting with camp activities, and lead hiking and canoe trips
  • Administer immediate first aid and CPR when necessary.
  • Insure the safety of the children being CPR certify.
  • Organize and run skill-building group sessions and individual instruction sessions.
  • excel, powerpoint, word), Photoshop, InDesign, and CorrelDraw.
  • Organize activities with the campers; run a court with drills and tennis games.
  • Lead groups if children in bible studies and recreational activities on site of the facilities
  • Plan and facilitate small group activities -Group leadership -Field trip supervision
  • Learned to effectively cope with stressful situations while assuming leadership by assigning other delivery drivers to specific routes.
  • Attend manifestation and IEP meetings whenever necessary.

Camp assistant skills and personality traits

We calculated that 36% of Camp Assistants are proficient in Child Care, Kids, and CPR. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Flexibility, and Leadership skills.

We break down the percentage of Camp Assistants that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Child Care, 36%

    Provide child care service to youths, by assisting in activities, organizing performances, field trips assists and tutoring services.

  • Kids, 19%

    Planned and executed lesson plans to effectively run a day camp of 35 kids ranging from 5 to 14 years old

  • CPR, 10%

    Attended monthly in-services to keep my CPR license.

  • Check-In, 10%

    Served the client in an effort to meet their needs Check-in and check-out procedures to ensure items were returned, inventory control

  • Role Model, 3%

    Manage children's behavior and act as a role model and mentor model constructive participation in all daily activities.

  • Safety Rules, 3%

    Followed all safety rules as instructed.

Common skills that a camp assistant uses to do their job include "child care," "kids," and "cpr." You can find details on the most important camp assistant responsibilities below.

Communication skills. One of the key soft skills for a camp assistant to have is communication skills. You can see how this relates to what camp assistants do because "recreation workers must be able to communicate well." Additionally, a camp assistant resume shows how camp assistants use communication skills: "mentored children in grades 5-8 every summer for 5 years -taught skills in leadership, communication, collaboration, and public speaking"

Flexibility. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling camp assistant duties is flexibility. The role rewards competence in this skill because "recreation workers must be flexible when planning activities." According to a camp assistant resume, here's how camp assistants can utilize flexibility in their job responsibilities: "provide strategies for conflict resolution, self-regulation, flexibility, anxiety and problem solving. "

Leadership skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of camp assistants is leadership skills. This skill is critical to many everyday camp assistant duties, as "recreation workers should be able to lead both large and small groups." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "learned to effectively cope with stressful situations while assuming leadership by assigning other delivery drivers to specific routes. "

Physical strength. For certain camp assistant responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "physical strength." The day-to-day duties of a camp assistant rely on this skill, as "most recreation workers should be physically fit." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what camp assistants do: "worked with children of various ages and physical disabilities as an assistant basketball coach. "

Problem-solving skills. Another common skill required for camp assistant responsibilities is "problem-solving skills." This skill comes up in the duties of camp assistants all the time, as "recreation workers need strong problem-solving skills." An excerpt from a real camp assistant resume shows how this skill is central to what a camp assistant does: "resolved campers' issues through conflict resolution. "

See the full list of camp assistant skills

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Compare different camp assistants

Camp assistant vs. Activities leader

An activity leader's main duty is to offer sports programs and exercises that are riveting in a positive manner. The activities typically assigned to leaders are the ones they understand for the smooth promotion and planning of events. Usually, hotel resorts and summer camps seasonally employ activity leaders to make time for different exercises throughout the year. Working as an activities leader can also be viewed as a way to practically enhance a person's teaching or coaching skills, leadership and communication skills, and marketing skills when it comes to publicizing upcoming events.

We looked at the average camp assistant salary and compared it with the wages of an activities leader. Generally speaking, activities leaders are paid $3,698 higher than camp assistants per year.While their salaries may differ, the common ground between camp assistants and activities leaders are a few of the skills required in each roleacirc;euro;trade;s responsibilities. In both careers, employee duties involve skills like cpr, role model, and incident reports.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a camp assistant are more likely to require skills like "child care," "kids," "check-in," and "safety rules." On the other hand, a job as an activities leader requires skills like "direct supervision," "homework assistance," "physical stamina," and "safety procedures." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Activities leaders tend to make the most money working in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $28,776. In contrast, camp assistants make the biggest average salary, $37,661, in the finance industry.The education levels that activities leaders earn slightly differ from camp assistants. In particular, activities leaders are 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a camp assistant. Additionally, they're 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Camp assistant vs. Site leader

A site leader is responsible for managing the staff's performance, ensuring the smooth delivery of daily operations, and guiding the successful project completion by maximizing the staff's productivity within the specified timeframe and budget goals. Site leaders work closely with the clients, together with the site manager, to identify their specifications and requirements, as well as providing progress updates and suggesting design adjustments as needed. A site leader also performs safety inspections, making sure that all the staff follows the required operational procedures and regulations to prevent hazards and delays in project deliverables.

On average, site leaders earn a $38,255 higher salary than camp assistants a year.Only some things about these jobs are the same. Take their skills, for example. Camp assistants and site leaders both require similar skills like "cpr," "incident reports," and "powerpoint" to carry out their responsibilities.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, camp assistant responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "child care," "kids," "check-in," and "role model." Meanwhile, a site leader has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "project management," "logistics," and "patients." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

In general, site leaders achieve similar levels of education than camp assistants. They're 4.2% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for camp assistants in the next 3-5 years?

Tom RosenbergTom Rosenberg LinkedIn profile

President and CEO, The American Camp Association’s

In COVID-19, camp parents and camp staff are expected to undergo additional pre-camp screening, as well as frequent testing (where applicable), and daily monitoring and surveillance. Camps have been employing innovative technologies to assist with communicable disease prevention and management, and we see this trend continuing and expanding. In summer 2021, the improvement of PCR, antigen and antibody tests will increase in their efficacy, availability, and pricing; making them a very helpful nonpharmaceutical intervention. The ACA Field Guide for Operating Day and Overnight Camps in COVID-19 has a new chapter on Technology and Controls, as well as a new chapter on Testing. For many of these nonpharmaceutical interventions (or layers of protection), there continues to be new research on relative efficacies, technologies that will influence the development of innovations.
Environmental Health, Industrial Hygiene, medical technology and public health research science helped in the development of the ACA Field Guide for summer camp operations - available to all!
Computer programmers and tech professionals for virtual camps (especially among camps who serve immunity compromised camper populations). Between sessions of camps, we see camps continuing to offer supervised connected online programming for camp friends to enjoy together during the off-season. We expect to see considerable improvements in safety and security components of these platforms, as well as program innovations. Just today, I was on the phone with a VR technologist who is interested in helping camps creating VR experiences to help prospective campers taste camp activity experiences.
We have seen our camps who needed to operate their programs online or in a virtual format really make impressive innovations. Zoom, YouTube, social media and more, were just a few of the ways that camps were able to interact with their camper communities in unique ways. This was especially the case for camps in states and localities where their in-person camp programs were not permitted to operate due to public health official ruling OR for camps who served immune compromised camper populations. While most camps will likely shift back to in-person programs (albeit covid-19 adapted) in summer 2021, we see camps continuing to employ various online connectivity platforms to engage campers, families, and staff members in additive, year-round community building and learning through the use of these technologies for years to come.

Camp assistant vs. Unit leader

A unit leader is responsible for managing logistics and route efficiency to increase territory profits. Responsibilities include leading operational projects in manufacturing, coordinating daily cash reconciliation, and reviewing analytical reports before submission to QA. Additionally, you will be responsible for compiling reports for management and developing department communication strategies. As a unit leader, you will be assessing clients for a variety of entitlement programs and performing vendor management and administrative duties related to facilitation, special projects, and web-based training.

An average unit leader eans a higher salary compared to the average salary of camp assistants. The difference in salaries amounts to unit leaders earning a $16,290 higher average salary than camp assistants.camp assistants and unit leaders both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "kids," "cpr," and "role model," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a camp assistant is likely to be skilled in "child care," "check-in," "safety rules," and "incident reports," while a typical unit leader is skilled in "customer service," "cash handling," "staff training," and "patients."

When it comes to education, unit leaders tend to earn similar degree levels compared to camp assistants. In fact, they're 4.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Camp assistant vs. Senior counselor

The responsibilities of a senior counselor will depend on one's line of work or industry of employment. Most of the time, a senior counselor works with the youth, particularly children. They focus on facilitating recreational programs, ensuring a safe and fun experience for them. They may also assess the children's condition and needs, providing them with the necessary assistance and guidance. Furthermore, when a senior counselor must reach out to parents and guardians, they may inform them of any concerns or progress.

Senior counselors typically earn higher pay than camp assistants. On average, senior counselors earn a $100,774 higher salary per year.While both camp assistants and senior counselors complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like cpr, role model, and conflict resolution, the two careers vary in some skills.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between camp assistants and senior counselors, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a camp assistant might have more use for skills like "child care," "kids," "check-in," and "safety rules." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of senior counselors require skills like "litigation," "legal advice," "legal issues," and "excellent interpersonal. "

In general, senior counselors hold higher degree levels compared to camp assistants. Senior counselors are 7.7% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 17.8% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of camp assistant

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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