Fantasm Mom

Review of Woodward Camp

NO SUPERVISION FOR 8+ HOURS!!!! My daughter went ...

NO SUPERVISION FOR 8+ HOURS!!!! My daughter went to this camp (in PA) and I volunteered and was on campus with her. I was astonished that my daughter had ONE mandatory gymnastics workout in the morning, and then was free afterwards until curfew at 10pm! That's right, she didn't have to be anywhere and NO counselor was in charge of where ANY of the gymnastics kids were at any point. This is true if your daughter or son is 9 years old or 17 years old.

While they had the "boys" side and the "girls" side of camp, the ropes course (about half mile walk and in the woods) was a long walk off the woods where anyone could be and NO ONE know where you are. The canteen area is co-ed which is fine, but at night, kids could just go off wherever!!!! You could leave camp and come back at curfew and NO ONE would be aware you left!!!! The kids were just free to float around, hang around and go where ever they pleased with ZERO accountability. They could just go hang out at the hippy-style coffee house where the ambience is a little dark and soothing... a 13 year-old could just hang out in the corner all day with a 17 year-old.. No problem!!!

Sure, there are lots of counselors, but you only see them if you CHOOSE to go to an activity like arts and crafts. There, you will find a counselor to teach you something. But, if you choose to just float around or walk off, or meet someone in the woods, no one would know. Also, as a volunteer mom, I was just appalled at what I saw.. many of the BMX teens (older ones) literally circling the tables of 12-13 year olds joking about "young meat." Also, kids would just come in and get their little cocktail of drinks (Red Bull + Gatoraide + the wonderful Juleps), down them and go off... BTW, the driving moms were busy... several had to take kids to the hospital in the middle of the night.. by middle I mean 3am trips to the ER. What's that about!!!!!!!

Seriously!!! If you plan to send your child there, call them and ask how they account for the kids throughout the day. There was not a SINGLE check in for my daughter after her morning workout until curfew!!!!! She was only 10 years old !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I drove in and out of the camp several times a day and NO one would have known if I had taken her off campus!!! .. Just cut across the lawn (not in site of the office) into a car-crowded parking lot. How scary is that!!!!! Its a large facility, very open, if no one has to be anywhere and no one is in charge of any head counts, how would they even know if someone disappears!????

Other past parents: Please, ask your kids what accountability they had.. Write about it! These are things the website doesn t make clear.