Kids’ camps are a great place for children as young as kindergarten to grow both socially and academically. When you manage a campground, there are many areas that can weigh down your overhead. We would like to share five ways you can reduce campground overhead costs for the kids’ benefit. Our goal is to allow you to put more towards educational resources and reinvest in the kids themselves.
Landscaping
With any type of commercial facility, landscaping is a huge part of the overhead. There’s the cost of water, the cost of lawn maintenance equipment, the cost of lawn maintenance services, and the cost of new plants when necessary. Reduce how much you spend on landscaping by opting for commercial artificial grass. It is a plush drought tolerant surface that looks and feels like grass without the heavy watering costs that come with traditional sod.
As an ideal safety surface solution, it’s safe for underneath playground equipment. You can also use it in any areas where kids may jump down, tumble or fall from camp games. The artificial turf available at Chicago Dream Grass meets many playground safety standards. You will also find our grasses to be much more reliable than wood chips and sand surfaces which requires constant refilling.
Meal Planning
Feeding kids at camp can be a large yet necessary expense. We understand some kids can be picky eaters. Avoid making meals on demand or a variety of foods. Cut down your costs by meal planning in bulk. It is ideal to choose one entrée per meal for the greatest cost savings. The cost per production will decrease, which brings down your overhead costs.
Recycling
Reinvent crafts by recycling materials used on the campgrounds. Why go buy reams of paper, when you can re-use newspaper, flyers and other printed materials? They can still produce the same look and function with just added texture! Consider doing a recycling program on-site for plastics and aluminum cans. This allows you to turn them in at recycling plants and get some money back to put back into your overhead costs.
Hiring Interns
Camps are a great opportunity for those interested in the educational and social services careers to get started. Give students the real on-the-job experience of working with kids. Consider making them unpaid interns with free room and board during your summer programs. This cuts down your need to hire additional staff and spending overhead towards wages.
While we are not experts in accounting, we hope that you found these four tips applicable to your campground. We know that there are many other ways you can reduce your overhead, and some may include higher up-front costs but can have long-lasting results.
Chicago Dream Grass is an installer of commercial artificial turf. We install our water-saving landscaping surfaces at homes and campgrounds throughout Northeastern IL. If you are interested in learning more about campground resources, check out: Summer Camps – CampPage guide to summer camps in the United States and Canada.