Okay I think I've figured out what you all are getting at.
Most of you have not heard of "real" day camps. These are day camps that offer much the same things as resident camps.
I think what you all are talking about are these things that call themselves day camps but are actually just childcare services that go to like The Mall on Monday, the Pool on Tuesday, the Movies on Wednesday, etc. The counselors are only there to supervise the kids. They don't get involved with them, don't really have much of a challenge, etc. That's not real camp. That's glorified babysitting.
"Real" day camps are much like resident camps from what I've read in various places. Really, a lot of day camps offer basically everything that resident camps offer, except for staying overnight. For instance, at my camp, our older groups (7-12) don't go inside at all during the day. They have forts they stay in. We also have a climbing tower and woods and other stuff much like a resident camp, and our program is excellent! We even have 3 overnights during the summer. You get to know the kids just as well as you would if you were at a resident camp. It's just as rewarding and just as difficult too. Instead of having a week to work on a recurring problem with a camper such as at a resident camp, you only have until the parent arrives at the end of the day to fix the problem, making it that much more difficult.
Now I'm not saying that you can have the same experience of an overnight camp at a day camp. Nothing can replace the experience of an overnight camp. However, a day camp can be equally fun and rewarding in it's own way, and the staff at both types of camp work equally hard. That's my take on it!
