Prospective Families Mission and Values
Our mission statement is CRESTWOOD – Where Acceptance, Respect, and Individuality Empower Children to be Creative, Collaborate with Others, Develop Independence and Cultivate Lifelong Friendships.
In simple terms, it’s our goal to make a difference in the life of every child who spends a summer at Crestwood. We create a community based on acceptance that is safe and nurturing for campers, where they are encouraged to try new things, take risks, challenge themselves and break out of the ordinary. Our staff works hard to get to know your child as an individual and help them find the extraordinary person within.
In addition to our Mission, we have developed a core set of values called, The Super 6, that we promote in our camp, teach at appropriate times within the camp day, and recognize and celebrate when our campers put these values into practice.
Our SUPER 6 values are:
- Acceptance - Seeing another human being, a new friend, as unique as you are. Being tolerant of differences.
- Sportsmanship - Playing by the rules, discipline, respect and self-control. A good sport has fun because they enjoy playing the game more than the final outcome.
- Individuality - A distinctive or unique character or personality. Encouraging kids to be individuals and to be themselves.
- Praise the Effort over the Accomplishment - Trying hard and effort are what is most important. Understanding that we learn from trial and error. Children who are not afraid of making mistakes or failing are more likely to challenge themselves.
- Independence - Freedom from the control, influence, support or aid of others.
- Respect - Honoring other people and treating them with care and courtesy. Treat others the way you wish to be treated.
Whichever label you prefer, 21st Century Skills, Non-cognitive Skills, Character Skills or Social Skills, we have been teaching them all at Crestwood since 1956. And while these skills were important when we were kids (for parents reading this), there is a much greater urgency for them now. Times have clearly changed and Crestwood is prepared to do even more. As a parent, it’s important for you to seek out and provide your children as many opportunities as possible to learn these skills. These skills not only lead to a more successful future but to a happier childhood. Camp and a summer at Crestwood is an investment in your child’s total education and the best place to learn these vital social skills.
We are being pro-active and intentional to create opportunities for our campers to practice certain competencies – our SUPER 6. At our staff trainings, we spend hours reviewing the goals, skills, and values that we want to teach our campers. We teach our staff to help campers practice these skills and find teachable moments within the camp day. Whether they realize it or not, we push every child to grow in confidence and independence while at camp. Most of all, we keep camp fun and stress free, the actual environment where children learn best.
We make a point to emphasize our Super 6 every day at Crestwood. We use a variety of methods to teach these values and skills, such as: using examples and stories; engaging campers in new and challenging tasks; encouraging exploration and discovery; and connecting new experiences to the camper’s interests or personal life. What is most effective and most fun for us, however, is publicly recognizing and celebrating campers who demonstrate these skills and values.
- Giving a shout-out to the child who is first to befriend a new camper
- Pointing out a group of campers who congratulated the team they just lost a game to.
- Giving a round of applause to a child who tried to climb the tower for the first time, even though she only made it half way up
- Giving your normally shy and reserved camper a ride on your shoulders because he wore the craziest costume for dress-up day
Recognition and a kind word from a camp counselor can have a profound positive influence on a child. In addition, we will be send home progress reports and communicate with parents about your child’s development as a positive reinforcement tool and so that parents can share in their child’s proud achievements during the summer.
Crestwood is uniquely positioned to fill in the gaps left by a ten month education. The two months spent at camp are vital to having a full and complete education that provides the social and non-cognitive learning so crucial for success in today’s world. At Crestwood, we only hire mature adults and teachers as Group Leaders for each group. We also only hire college students and older as staff. We do not have CIT’s , Jr. Counselors, or High School age counselors. Our specialists are top teachers, coaches and professionals. We believe that a mature staff filled with professionals is best suited to carry out our mission, teach these skills, keep camp fun, and make a difference in the life of your child. We look forward to seeing your child grow with us at Crestwood.
More than ever, camp plays a vital role in giving children a complete education. In combination with a great school and a loving family, camp will provide the “non-cognitive” social skills that children need to be successful later in life.
Camp is a place where kids learn:
Collaboration and Teamwork – to work well with others; to a be a good leader and to be a good follower; to respect other people and their opinions; to play by the rules and practice good sportsmanship
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving – to learn from the world around them and their environment; develop their own ideas and thoughts; gain independence and self-esteem
Communication – to express oneself and one’s feelings; to make and develop lifelong friendships
Creativity – to be themselves; to try new things; to be carefree; to take risks
