I disagree, but then, I've worked both. I can see how most day camps might seem like babysitting, but that is a generalization. The day camp I work at currently is a very good one, and the campers in my group last year I got to know just as well as the campers I had at my overnight camp.
The reason behind this is that I spent the entire time at the day camp with the one group of kids, from when they arrived to when they left. At overnight camp, I spent less overall time daily with the kids in my cabin than I did with the kids in my day camp group. I suppose you could say at overnight camp I got to know more kids equally well, but at day camp I got to know fewer kids very well. Then again, that is just how my day camp is structured- it really does depend.
Also for me this camp I work at now is just a better fit- I like the philosophy better, I like the staff better, and I like the facilities better overall. I won't deny that overnight camps take more out of a counselor and are more challenging to work at overall, and I still miss mine at times, but I'm quite happy where I've ended up now.
I will say the before I did experience the day camp I work at this past summer I very much believed that a day camp never could measure up. Being wrong was a pleasant surprise for me. A day camp can never give you the same type of experience as an overnight camp really, but it can prove to be equally rewarding if you find the right one and go in with the right attitude.
