The Park Slope Day Camp

I worked at the camp as a counselor back in 2004, and it was probably the favorite job I’ve ever had. Great kids, nice coworkers, and an overall great environment to be in. It was tons of fun and really stimulating for the campers, and I would have no hesitation in suggesting the camp to a parent. This is the kind of place where the experience will stay with a child for the rest of their life. Don’t let your kid just stay at home playing video games! Making friends, having fun and seeing nature are what being a kid should be about.

I’ve heard very positive things about the camp experience, but my experience with the administration was less than stellar – hence, this review.
It all seemed very promising. When we were registering for the camp, everyone was prompt, called me back, gave detailed information, and were all very helpful.
Unfortunately, my daughter got sick the first day of camp and did not return for the rest of the two-​week session.
Although they offer camp insurance, we hadn’t purchased it. Because of this, I didn’t expect a refund. But I was slightly taken aback that I never heard from the camp again – we’d left a voicemail saying she was in the hospital and wouldn’t be there, no one ever followed up with us afterwards – until September, when I started to be barraged with emails and marketing calls begging me to sign up for the next season. At this point, at first nicely, and then not-​so-​nicely, I pointed out that we hadn’t actually attended Cirque D’Ete, that no one had ever bothered to follow up on how my daughter was doing, and that, although I hadn’t asked for a refund, some acknowledgement or concession would go a long way to making us feel better about spending $ 1100 for our daughter not to attend camp. And that if they expected me to register her again, they should at least NOTICE that she hadn’t been there. At the very least, I asked them to take us OFF of the mailings.
Unfortunately, this did not happen until November and several more calls.
What prompts this review: yesterday, I got a happy call from Park Slope Day Camp, asking if my daughter (they used the nickname I’d given them), had enjoyed camp last year, and would she like to come back?
I think it’s the use of her nickname that pushed me over the edge. The fact that they have a note in their records about that, but not about how she didn’t actually go to the summer camp. Look, I get it. It’s hard to keep everything organized. But I can’t help but wonder, since the camp staff doesn’t seem to know she wasn’t there… how much would they have noticed if she was?