How To Become A Day Camp Counselor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a day camp counselor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Juleen Buser Ph.D.,

Christopher Todd Belser Ph.D.

Day camp counselors are in charge of leading engaging camp activities and taking care of the safety of children under their supervision. They participate in designing and organizing camp events, making sure the environment is healthy and everybody enjoys the experience.

As a day camp counselor, you need to have a charismatic personality and an affinity for leadership. Your energy will greatly affect children, so you need to be bursting with it, being always positive, cheerful, and upbeat. You also have to be constantly on your toes and make quick decisions in a responsible manner.

Experience working with children will most likely be preferred when you apply for a day counselor position. No formal education will be necessary, though, a high school diploma is more than enough. Sometimes camp counselors are actually still enrolled in high school.

What general advice would you give to a day camp counselor?

Juleen Buser Ph.D.

Professor and Director, School Counseling and Coaching Programs, Rider University

Counseling Services (school counseling concentration) and an MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (we have a CMHC concentration and a Dance Movement Therapy concentration in this program). The general advice I would give to graduates starting positions in the counseling field would be to understand the critical importance of the work of helping professionals. Counselors optimally provide a safe space for clients to discuss their fears, worries, anxieties, joys, traumas, insecurities, accomplishments, etc. This ability to be an empathic, listening, accepting presence will be even more crucial for clients in our current situation.

ScoreDay Camp CounselorUS Average

Salary

2.3

Avg. Salary $29,384

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

9.1

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

9.9

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.67%

Asian 4.98%

Black or African American 12.93%

Hispanic or Latino 14.39%

Unknown 5.62%

White 61.41%

Gender

female 66.56%

male 33.44%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress level

9.1

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.9

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

7.5

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a day camp counselor

Explore day camp counselor education requirements

Most common day camp counselor degrees

Bachelor's

65.6 %

High School Diploma

12.8 %

Associate

9.9 %

Start to develop specific day camp counselor skills

Skills	Percentages
CPR	19.69%
Kids	14.78%
Cleanliness	6.78%
PET	5.87%
Leadership	5.30%

Complete relevant day camp counselor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New day camp counselors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a day camp counselor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real day camp counselor resumes.

Gain additional day camp counselor certifications

Day camp counselor certifications can show employers you have a baseline of knowledge expected for the position. Certifications can also make you a more competitive candidate. Even if employers don't require a specific day camp counselor certification, having one may help you stand out relative to other applicants.

The most common certifications for day camp counselors include First Aid, CPR and AED Instructor and Pastoral Counseling Certification.

More About Certifications

Research day camp counselor duties and responsibilities

Lead a successful group of kids by ensuring safety and behavioral expectations are met and providing structure and organize educational activities.
Administer medication and assist with ADL skills.
Transport patients to outside appointments and AA meetings.
Train in CPR, first-aid, and universal precautions.

Prepare your day camp counselor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your day camp counselor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a day camp counselor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable day camp counselor resume templates

Build a professional day camp counselor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your day camp counselor resume.

Apply for day camp counselor jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a day camp counselor job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do day camp counselors rate their job?

-/5

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Day camp counselor reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2019

Cons

The over documentation required by DHS that robs the quality time needed in intervention and treatment. This lopsided demand makes the term “best practices” mere bureaucratic lip service without the means to actually deliver quality hands on services.

Pros

Change agent when people are stuck and need support in the process of restoration. One on one and group processing is powerful.