Running Brook Day Camp

I really feel compelled to write this review. I got introduced to Running Brook Day Camp almost 18 years ago. I was a social worker and I had just graduated nursing school. As a mother of 5 children, I accepted the position as their camp nurse. This gave me an opportunity to be close to my children as I enrolled my youngest child in camp and my older children applied for camp positions. I stayed at Running Brook for 4 summers. Therefore, not only did I get to experience being a camp parent, I was really able to see the day to day activities. . And it is now 18 years later and now its time for my grandaughter to attend camp. I have been exposed to more summer camp programs than I want to admit. My daughter worked as a camp counselor at a few local camps over the years and I have attended many open houses for parents. And I have to say, I could not find one camp that compares to Running Brook Day Camp. Not even close. See, my youngest was in the second grade and was just diagnosed with learning disabilities and ADHD. I was fortunate, as he did not have a lot of serious behavior problems, but I was concerned about his level of self esteem. He was really struggling at that time. He was having difficulty academically., due to having severe dyslexia. And my son today is a 25 year old young man that graduated 2 years ago from UMASS AMHERST with an engineering degree. He graduated from Malden Catholic High School. He has his black belt, is confident, just an overall great kid with a promising future. And I would like to take credit, but I honestly believe Running Brook Day Camp totally influenced the path my son chose to take. I am not sure if my son would have overcome his obstacles or found ways to compensate for having disabilities. Each year I saw him grow and become more confident. He started as a camper in grade 2, and 15 years later, although he had graduated college, he insisted on working as a counselor, "Just one more summer, Mom," On a lighter note, this last summer, I really was concerned he would leave his job as an engineer to return to Running Brook. The philosophy of this camp is to empower each child and focus only on the positive . And they believe in working with children that do have obstacles to overcome. And they never give up. They will find and bring out the strength in each child. And most of all, the campers have a wonderful, fun, summer. And I truly believe that my son is the man he is today because of Running Brook Day Camp. Today, he still works with children part time. And as working parents, we trust our children to others. And I want to assure any parent that not only will your child be safe, money could not pay for the gifts your child will receive from their experience at Running Brook. And for the child that needs a little more confidence, It can be life changing.