PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Summer camps in and around the Delaware Valley are preparing for the start of the season, amid a shortage of workers that seems to be impacting seasonal jobs.
Andy Pritikin, the owner of Liberty Lake Day Camp in Burlington County, said seasonal camp employees are in high demand.
“It's a difficult year for finding employees if you're a bagel store or a pizzeria or anywhere,” Pritikin said. ”Camp is no different than anything else.”
He added that while demand for summer camp has returned, a camp’s ability to enroll campers depends on how many counselors they can hire.
“There are literally camps out there that are curtailing the amount of campers that they enroll because they are so worried about hiring enough staff," he said.
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Pritikin added that this year, many camps hit their capacity months ahead of previous years.
“I particularly sign up immediately at the end of camp in summer, so that's me,” said Shonta Collins of Fishtown, the mother of a camper.
“Being outdoors is just such a benefit because the natural endorphins are released, the kids are happy, and they're meeting new friends.”
Pritikin said that over the past several years, many kids have not been able to attend summer camp due to COVID-19-related closures and restrictions. He added that since most kids can now get vaccinated, he hopes that means more teens will apply for positions.
He said that camps are taking on more kids and getting better at mitigating COVID-19 risk.
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“I do see things turning around,” he explained. ”I do see optimism from parents and from kids.”
Pritikin also said that summer is a time to turn around some of the screen-using habits kids have picked up through no fault of their own.
“It just all became about their phones and their computers,” said Pritikin.
“Social skills are a muscle. They’ve got to get out there and do it. They’ve got to get up there and be frustrated because they have to relearn those skills.”
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But he also adds that anecdotally, it seems limited socialization because of COVID-19 may be taking a toll on some of his staffers.
“Never before have I had to hold a staff member having an anxiety attack and it happened to me three times last year with three different people,” Pritikin said. “It’s completely understandable if you understand what these kids have gone through.“
In the end, Pritikin asks for more help at his camp, and not just for more workers.
“We're all a little shellshocked from last year, where a lot of camps were understaffed,” he said. “We need parents helping us.”