HAYGROUND CAMP AND HAYGROUND SCHOOL

Hayground Camp and Hayground School are two sides of the same coin. We are unified in our vision to create an environment and a community that set the stage for authentic learning through doing. All of the profits each summer go directly to Hayground School’s operating budget. Hayground School counts on Hayground Camp to pay teacher salaries, to maintain buildings and grounds and to support a mission of diversity and inclusivity. 65% of Hayground School children are on some level of scholarship.

​Working at Hayground Camp is more than just a summer job. It's an investment in the education of children.

OUR DUAL MISSION - CAMPERS & STAFF

The most obvious part of our mission is to provide a safe and engaging environment for campers to find their passions and become a part of a family that values them for who they are. But that mission extends beyond campers. As one of the top employers of young people on the East End, we believe that our other mission is to provide young people with the tools they need to be successful in any job and any organization of which they are a part for the rest of their lives. Anyone who has ever worked here will tell you that this is more than a summer job. It is a job for as many years as you want it where you will learn about shared responsibility, tolerance for different approaches, teamwork, motivation and what it means to work in a place with a transcendent purpose. (Check out the video by Daniel Pink on motivation and transcendent purpose.) More on our philosophy on staff development later.

WHY WE WORK HERE

We have an 86% return rate for staff at Hayground. And many of our staff were once campers. Why is that? Part of the reason is that Hayground feels like family. Every year when you return, the same people are here to greet you, there is a consistency in our philosophy, we care about you as a person, not as a conduit to profit-making. Great programming matters. But the reason the kids come back year after year is because of the staff. They love their counselors. And their counselors love them.

THE CAMPER TO COUNSELOR BRIDGE

Our oldest group, the Gators, is made up of 13-year olds. And our youngest counselor group, the CITs is made up of 14-year olds. Why do we do that? Because we believe that the continuum from childhood to adulthood is all about gaining perspective, responsibility and a sense of selflessness. That is why we want to support our campers in transitioning to counselors and to show them that being a counselor is really a matter of being a camper who understands a bigger picture and is beginning to give back.