What's an appropriate gratuity for camp counsellors at a specialized camp for ADD kids?

Question

My 11-year old son is attending a six-week highly specialized summer camp for kids with ADD/ADHD and other social skills challenges. The camp isn't cheap ($3,900) because there are certified teachers, certified pysical education teachers, social skills therapists and a pyschologist on site at the camp. The ratio of campers to counsellors is very favorable (about 3 campers to 1 counsellor). What type of gift or gratuity should I give to the counsellor at the end of the six-week camp? Should I give anything to the 2 assistant counsellors? Thanks for your input.

Answer 1

Just give him medicine. ADHD is not a problem if you take care of it with medicine.

Answer 2

a nice thank you card to each of his counselors.

Answer 3

I have never heard of tipping a camp counselor. They are already getting paid for what they do. And at $3,900.00 I would say a thank you note is plenty.

Answer 4

I would maybe give him/her a gift card for somewhere along with a nice thank-you card.

Answer 5

I think that something that is useful instead of cute is always better.  As a school employee, I have plenty of apples, paperweights and sticky note holders.  The best things that I have received have been gift cards.  Maybe it's just me, but the old stand-by of a batch of cookies and a thank you card seem to always work.  I think that the most important component is definitely the card or letter.  Make sure it is sincere and honest.  For me, those are the important things, those are what I keep.  I would not think that it is necessary to get the assistant councilors anything as grand as you would the councilor but it would be nice to acknowledge their hard work.  Good Luck.

Answer 6

I have never heard of a gratuity for counselors. They are already paid a salary they accept out of your $3900 tuition. It may in fact be unethical for them to exchange money with parents feeling that they may pay more attention to kids whose parents can pay them a better tip.

So...my answer is nothing.

Answer 7

After working at many summer camps, I have been given many things.

My advice is if you are going to get for one get for all, in other words don't leave out the assistants as they do just as much as the lead.

I wouldn't go crazy, just a token of apperciation. I worked at one camp (lots of wealthy people) and they had a "tip chart" telling you how much to tip. It was too much

Maybe 40 for the lead and 20 each for the others

Wow, I'm shocked at reading some of the others answers, I have been in the child care field in some fashion for the last 15 years and at the end of every session/term whatever the parents give a gift of some sort as a thank you.

Yes, they get paid, do you realize how much they spend out of pocket to enhance the camp for the kids in their group? Do you realize most only get between 6 and 7 dollars an hour?

Granted tipping isn't mandatory, nor should it be but it's a very nice gesture and the cousnellors feel apperciated. I don't think it has to be anything special ( I used to get candles and loved them!) Something as simple as a gift card for a starbucks is apperciated.