Camp Fire Heart of Iowa

“Campfire is awesome! So great for the kids and the programs are wonderful!”

“Absolutely LOVE campfire camps. This is our second summer with the camps, we moved two hours away and are bringing our son back to DSM for two weeks this summer so he can attend again!!”

“Our son takes medication in the afternoon. He continually got his medication at lunchtime, even though it is written on the prescription bottle that he is to be given the meds at 3 PM. So he was essentially over medicated for 2-3 hours out of he day. We talked to numerous counselors at drop off about this issue and were promised it would be taken care of, only to find out from my son that he was still given the meds at lunch. We finally called the head of camp fire and had a great conversation and the problem was resolved. But only for a few weeks when he started getting the meds at lunch again. We tried talking to counselors again, with sub par results. They flat forgot to give them to him two days out of the last week he was there, which they admitted to but no apology. Just a shrug and letting us know they gave them to him the other days- like they should get a pat on the back. After this, we took him out of camp and sent him to Y-Camp, which was night and day better. I would suggest looking into and sending your child there if possible. So much more caring about the kids and seemed to really enjoy interacting with the kids and being there. Campfire counselors seemed to really enjoy talking to each other. If you are going to give meds at a camp and take on that responsibility, they need to be given as prescribed, not just when it works for the counselor. If this is too much, don’t agree to do it. These are prescribed medications and it’s dangerous to be overdosing kids in your care. It’s a pretty basic thing. We won’t be back to campfire again.”

“My 9-year old son has been to Campfire every summer since he was 5. The counselors become good friends of his. We will definitely do next summer.”

“Initially we were excited to discover Camp Canwita's day camp program just a few blocks from our home, but our experience in June 2017 was unacceptable. From what we could see during pick-up and drop-off times, the camp was disorganized, with a handful of counselors often struggling to manage all of the kids while the rest of the counselors sat around chatting amongst themselves. The counselors did not seem to have appropriate training or experience to address problems proactively. The child-to-child relationships were cliquish and aggressively competitive, especially in the gaga pit. Our 8 year old experienced many instances of name-calling and excessively rough play that did not seem to be dealt with. On hot days he would come home dehydrated. Most importantly, he felt he was not respected by the counselors. One day in late June one of his peers was injured in a rock-throwing incident with "blood gushing everywhere." The next day our child came home crying about what appeared to be bullying by a counselor, and told us he never wanted to go back to Camp Canwita. We switched to a day camp in Boone, which turned out to be an entirely pleasant and trouble-free experience. One important difference between the two camps is that each counselor at the camp in Boone is responsible for a specific group of children, while it was all a jumble at Camp Canwita. I certainly hope that Campfire takes a close look at the way Canwita is organized and managed so they can get things back on track for 2018.”

“This is my 13 year old son's 3rd year in a row attending Camp Outrageous and he loves it! Comes home everyday in a great mood with great things to say, adventures he's had, and new and old friends he's made or seen again. I highly recommend Camp Fire and their programs.”

“I would HIGHLY recommend you NEVER send your child to camp with this organization! My child was punched and whipped with a jump rope on two different days! The first day I had NO communication from direct line staff, supervisors or administration. The second day I was re-assured that my child would be kept safe so I sent him to camp-should have trusted my motherly instincts and kept him home. Not only was the instigator there but he did it again! When the supervisor called me to inform me about the incident he reported it as "an accident" on multiple different occasions. The supervisor's focus of concern appeared to be on the other child and the behavior plan they had in place to make camp successful for him. He was subsequently dismissed from camp. Nothing was offered for my child, no direct apology from staff/supervisors etc. I requested my money back due to unsatisfactory care/supervision/safety/communication provided to my child and my family during the week of August 3-7. However the director would only offer one day's reimbursement "because they are a non-profit" and provided care all week. My children will never return to this camp and I would recommend you never send yours. There are many many other day camps to choose from, ones who provide an environment for safe fun and good communication”