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2/25/21 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
5 |
4 |
My kids have been going to Barrie Camp for a number of summers. The staff are great and attentive to my kids. The activities are great, although I wish they had more STEM based programming. While they are a bit expensive, the connections that my kids have made with the staff have been great for them.
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8/7/14 |
2 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
I'm an ex-counselor, and let me just say this is an awful camp. We're overworked, the counselor ratio that they advertise is a lie, and the camp office doesn't communicate. I had not one, but three children in my group of 20 with obvious learning disabilities. The office gave me no warning or support in dealing with these kids. One of those kids had a severe light sensitivity with a risk of blindness. Even though the parents are required to fill out page after page of medical information, none of this reaches the counselors. If the parent hadn't told me directly (after three weeks of me not knowing) I could have been responsible for that little girl going blind. The organization of the camp is slipshod, especially given the money they charge.
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6/25/14 |
4 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
I've been attending barrie day camp since I was going into kindergarten, and I am a current staff member. I have seen many different perspectives of barrie. First of all, the campus itself is wonderful. The pond for boating, onsite pool, archery targets, etc are wonderful. There are so many different activities to suit every camper, and there are even specialty camps for sports, riding, karate, etc if your camper has a special interest. There are also overnights, on campus for grades 1-3 and off campus for grades 4-8. I have done both and they are a blast. Barrie hires staff that can be trusted with children. Of course, some staff members are better than others, and usually those that do not are not asked to return the next summer. There is a good amount of staff in each group. The office can get disorganized at times, but generally they are on top of things. Overall, the camp is a great camp for kids of all ages. I would recommend barrie any day.
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3/20/13 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
3 |
I withdrew my child because I thought she is not safe there. If anything happens, staff will not get responsibility. Their volunteer councelors seemed scared to tell parents what was going on. The director was the first one whom I will not trust a kid.
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SYSTEM: 2 positive duplicate or disallowed ratings automatically removed |
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9/25/12 |
1 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
Comments about poor organization and lousy staff are largely on the mark. The school does everything on the cheap, often relying on students as "volunteer" counselors. Everyone is underpaid, so it is hard to attract and retain the best qualified candidates. The school is struggling financially and the summer camp is very profitable. You'd think they'd have the foresight to put more resources into the camp.
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8/3/12 |
1 |
3 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
My son was bit by another camper, and the counselors told him that he would get in trouble if he reported the incident. Then they refused to let him see the nurse. The camp director told me that he supported his counselors and how they handled the situation.
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7/27/11 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
My 3.5 yr daughter is attending for 3 weeks right now. I would like to withdraw her but knowing there is no refund, it is very hard. We dropped her off and put her things in her cubby which was marked.By the afternoon, all her things had disappeared and no explanation from staff. Things keep disappearing and I send notes after notes. Labeling everything with painter's tape with her name, age and number. Never had to label things this boldly despite all of my 3 children in daycare. Finally on one week after went to the class. They had returned from swimming.It was utter chaos.Children throwing things everywhere, teachers (high school or older with no training) just putting things without giving any directions or organizations. No wonder they put someone else's clearly labeled towel in my daughter bag.When asked, no apologies just that wasn't that her towel. My rising 2nd grader loves his group but I will not recommend this camp for rising 4 and 5 ys olds. No accountability, training.
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5/31/11 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
We had awful experience with Barrie camp. For example, because the camp staff did not follow sanitary norms and made kids to share safety helmets, there was lice infestation last year. Kids were sent home with the note how to get rid of lice. According to one of their recommendations, the best way to get rid of lice is applying mayonnaise to hair. It is just one small example how “professional” these people are. The director of the horseback program should not be with kids. The remarks that she drops about kids right in front of them are “killing”. May be she knows a lot about horses; however she does not have any idea about how to handle kids. The camp office is disorganized; staff does not return calls, loose papers. The camp director is not able handle parents’ complains and loses his temper easily. All in general, the camp administration’s attitude is “if you do not like our camp, feel free to leave. However do not forget, you will not get your refund”.
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10/2/10 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
Our daughter has attended for six years: Barrie's Horse camp started her on a lifelong passion for horses. She has enjoyed every year and wants to join the staff. Lots of campers, lots going on. Traditional activities, pretty much the same as when camp started 50 years ago. Management does good job keeping campers safe. Indoor facilities available to escape summer storms.
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7/22/10 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
The office is disorganized, some councelors are rude with kids and parents. The director of the camp is dismissive of parents concerns. Nodody ever returns your calls. You pay your money before the camp starts, and after that you stuck there because their “refund” policy. This summer lice were the huge problem there.
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7/21/10 |
1 |
2 |
4 |
1 |
1 |
Staff was rude, some of should not work with kids.
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8/1/08 |
3 |
5 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
This is my child's second year at Barrie. On the plus side, the facilities are lovely; the kids have indoor activities when it's rainy or very hot; the older kids have overnights once a week; and the camp has been around for a long time and has a good reputation. On the down side, management seems disorganized and unresponsive at times, and the activities have remained the same over the past two years -- nothing new has been introduced to improve the current offerings. My child complains about boredom and about some of the male counselors not being particularly nice. On the whole, I feel that my child is safe at Barrie and has had a decent summer (the overnights were the favorite activity). However, I'm not sure about a third summer.
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11/26/07 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
4 |
I've sent my two girls to this camp since they were going into kindergarden and this summer will be their fifth year. There are 3-5 staff members in every group, so the campers get a lot of attention from the councelors and also from the activity specialists. I think the staff does a great job getting to know the kids and making the days enjoyable. There are so many activities including horses, boating, and karate! My girls never want to leave at the end of the day!
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8/7/07 |
1 |
5 |
5 |
1 |
1 |
While the facilities are very nice, and the bus service is terrific, I was very disappointed by the staff. Despite multiple phone calls and email messages indicating that I'd like to talk with somebody about a concern my daughter had, it took a full week for somebody to call me back. When they finally did call, the assigned staff was dismissive of my concerns. I then asked to speak with the head of the camp, who was initially helpful. However, once again there was no follow through. At the end of the conversation, he indicated that he would investigate the situation and have somebody call me back the following Tuesday or Wednesday. Wednesday passed and I still had not received a call back. Thursday I called again and left a message; still no return phone call. The following Monday, I officially withdrew my children from the program. To add fuel to the fire, the camp director refused to refund my money.
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12/20/06 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
I love Barrie!! So much fun between horse back riding, swimming, field trips, art...the list goes on and on!! :)
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