I've worked at a couple camps that do both day and overnight camps, and they shared counselors and program areas though the day campers brought their own sack lunch (the staff put their sack lunch sandwich requests into the kitchen so the person who put together the cookout food reqs just put theirs together) and they didn't interact much with each other, just kind of coexisted (the day campers and res campers, the staff were just in DC for a week or two and then back in res camp, though the day camp unit coordinator was in DC all summer)
The only thing that I found that really doesn't work well with having both combined so much but not is that the DC and RC staff didn't ever really interact throughout the day because the DC staff ate breakfast before the RC kids and staff, ate sack lunches around camp somewhere with the kids, and were busy with their groups until dinner time when the DC kids were at home so the staff came to eat dinner with the kids and head tables and such, and then went on their 2 hr TO from 7-9. So the beginning weeks of the summer I'd be in RC and see a DC staff at the end of the week and think to myself that I'd forgotten that that person existed. I think that there are ways around this, especially if the DC kids eat lunch in the dining hall with the RCers or if there is a way to do an all camp activity or something with the DC and RCers of the same age group together. The other minor concern with the DC was that they ate sandwiches, an easy fruit (apple, banana, orange) and some chips for lunch every day. The sandwich type could be switched up a bit but was basically the same thing every day.
However, other than that, I think that it works great! The RC kids come on Sunday afternoon, scheduling happens Sunday evening for 1 time for each activity area. Monday morning the DC groups plan what they want to do and the DC coordinator schedules that for them, and then Monday afternoon it's open to any counselor from either R or D to come to the office to schedule any extra times their group wants to go to an activity. Day Camp runs similar to a regular resident camp unit so it really just happens quite well. The DC staff go down to the parking lot from 7:30-9 to be there for the kids who come for extended hours, at 9 they go to their covered "unit" area where there is space for their backpacks, picnic tables, a little stage and fire place, bathrooms, an area to play games and such. They do a welcome with some songs and excitement and announcements about our day, some time to play games with other groups or to get straight to any activities they need to go to. The groups go to the activities they scheduled for that is all within the same schedule as the res campers (arts and crafts at the craft house with the craft specialist that the res campers use) and all. The day camp groups pick a place to eat their sack lunch, do more activities, do the kapers assigned to their group (cleaning their "unit"s bathrooms, picking up litter on the ground, sweeping their unit space) and having snack. Then they do a closing where we sing some songs, do any reminders for the next day, get the kids who travel by the camp bus to the bus, and the parent pick up kids to the bus or to the parking lot (we have an undercover welcome pavillion with some picnic tables, games, balls, and an area that is blocked off for no car traffic so we can play there) for extended hours from 4-5:30. The DC staff are sent to do any finishing up cleaning or prep work as the kids start to head home, and then the staff get ready for dinner with res camp, go on their 2 hour TO, and then help out in their living units with bedtime if needed. Then they join in on the nights in an out with the res staff, sometimes covering in a different unit than they live since typically all the DC staff live in one cabin.
On Sunday and Saturday the DC staff help by doing things like parking lot duty, luggage runs, and camp store jobs to help get the res campers in and out smoothly.
Feel free to ask any questions you've got! You can always PM me too. I haven't done the directing side of it all, but I have seen it in action for many many years as a Day Camp Assistant (13-17 year old volunteer assistants who can lead games, help with crafts, help with behavior, etc, but aren't staff or even CITs with level of responsibility) which I can tell you how that works too! and as a CIT and a counselor.
