Contributors

Julie Ernst

Megan Allen

Megan Brown

Rebecca Bryan

Patricia Carpenter

Brinda Dewan

Christa Drake

Ryan Feldbrugge

Kate Henry

Bradley Little

Gregory Petry

Amy Wilcox

MandiWojciehowski

Table of Contents

Contents (KG has changed these to match ened 3400 sequence)

Introduction

Context and purpose of class

Description of EOE Program

Mission

Purpose

SWOT Analysis

Eval methods used in this eval

Data Analysis

Logic Model

Evaluation Purpose Statement...... 6

Evaluation Matrix and Table of Specifications...... 7

Tool Descriptions...... 9

Current Parent Pre Questionnaire

Youth Pret Questionnaire

Youth Post Questionnaire

Current Parent Post Questionnaire

Previous Parent Post Questionnaire...... 30

Evaluation Recommendations

For Youth:

For Parents:

Timeline:

Appendix A

Parent consent for their own participation

Child assent

Appendix B

Parent/guardian consent letter for youth participation

Logic Model

Evaluation Purpose Statement

The purpose of this formative evaluation of YMCA Camp Miller’s Summer Camp Program is to provide leadership staff and board members with data regarding the efficacy of their programming toward achieving desired learning-level outcomes.In addition, this evaluation will serve to provide data pertaining to factors that contribute to camper participation and continued camper participation. Collectively, this data will be used to guide decisions pertaining to programming and overall summer camp program focus for program improvement, accountability, and recruitment/retention purposes.

Evaluation Matrix and Table of Specifications

Evaluation Questions: / Instrument & Items corresponding with Evaluation Question / Design and Sampling
Learning-Level Outcomes / Youth:
Design: Single Group Pretest-Posttest Design (pre implemented toward beginning of first day of camp and post implemented last evening or last day of camp)
Sampling: All youth in traditional overnight, specialty, and leadership camps (Pathfinder ages and older) invited to participate (during initial summer of evaluation activities; sampling recommended for subsequent summers)
Current Parents:
Design: Single Group Pre-test Posttest Design (pre-questionnaire items incorporated into the registration process; posttest mailed or emailed using an online survey platform 1 month following their child’s participation at camp OR 1 month following end of Camp Season; the first option is preferred as it keeps the time in between participation and questionnaire completion consistent across all respondents; if that is not logistically a possible, then mailing/emailing all at the same time, early October, is the next best option)
Sampling:Parents of all traditional camp, specialty camp, and leadership camp participants invited to complete the questionnaire (including parents of Trekker youth)
Parents of Youth Who Attended in Previous 1-3 years
Design:
Single Group Posttest Only (mailed or emailed with a link to the online survey platform approximately one month after end of Camp season; if possible, it should go out to parents who had children at camp within the last three years, but who did not have children at camp this most recent summer, as those parents get the Current Parent Post Questionnaire; if record keeping doesn’t allow for sorting in that way, then the questionnaire can have as part of the instructions a note that if they had children at camp this summer, to just complete the questionnaire that is for current parents)
Sampling:
Parents who had children who attended at any of the traditional camp, specialty camp, and leadership camp participants in the last three years will be invited to complete the questionnaire (including parents of Trekker youth) *if parents also had children attend this most recent summer, then they should take the current parent instruments, not both
1. Does participation in Camp Miller’s Summer Camp Program support the development of the following in camp participants:
Outdoor/Environmental
-Enjoyment of participation in outdoor activities and adoption of a positive attitudetoward outdoor activity, challenge and adventure
-Skill development in a range of outdoor activities
-Environmental appreciation
-Skill development for understanding, exploring, and caring for the natural environment
Active/Healthy Living
-Skills and attitudes for lifelong physical activity
-Understanding of role of local foods in healthy eating and healthy environments
-Skills and attitudes for healthy eating
Youth Development
- Intrapersonal skills including:
Self-Reliance, Independence, Perseverance, Commitment, Initiative, Honesty, Self-Awareness, Self-Confidence, Self-Esteem
- Interpersonal skills including:
Social Awareness, Caring & Respect, Empathy, Making Friends, Positive Relationships, Belonging & Acceptance, Leadership, Teamwork, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Problem Solving / Outdoor/Environmental
-Youth (Post) 1, 4, 5a-d
-Current Parent (Post) 2, 3a-d
-Previous Parent (Post) 4
Active/Healthy Living
-Youth (Post) 1, 4, 5e-g
-Current Parent (Post) 2, 3e-g
-Previous Parent (Post) 1H-J, 4
Youth Development
-Youth (Post) Items 1, 4, 5h-o
-Current Parent (Post) 2, 3h-r, 6b, 6c, 6e, 6j
-Previous Parent (Post) 1K, 4
2. What are parents’ and youth’ perceptions as to what the youth are gaining through participation in camp? (What do they perceive as outcomes?) / Youth (Post) 1, 4, 5a-o, 6
Current Parent (Pre) 1j, 1k, 2a-o, 3
Current Parent (Post) 2, 3a-r, 5, 6a-f, 6j
Previous Parent (Post) 1H-K, 4
Factors that Contribute to Participation and Continued Participation
3. What outcomes do parents/guardians perceive as most important in their decisions regarding Camp Miller participation (and general participation in other summer activities) for their children? / Current Parent (Pre) 1j, 1k, 2a-o, 3
Current Parent (Post) 2, 3a-r, 5
Previous Parent (Post) 1H-K, 4, 5
4. What other factors, in addition to those relating to outcomes, influence parents’ decisions regarding Camp Miller (initial attendance and returning for a second or multiple times)? (What are positive influences on and what inhibits?) / Current Parent (Pre) 1a-i, 1L-Q, 3
Current Parent (Post) 1b, 2, 4, 5, 6a-k
Previous Parent (Post) 1A-G, 1L-Q, 3, 4, 5, 6
5. What are the primary influences on youth’ interest in attending and returning Camp Miller? (What matters to youth in terms of wanting or not wanting to go to Camp and wanting or not wanting to return to Camp for a second season?) / Youth (Pre) 1a, 1b, 2, 3
Youth (Post) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a-o, 6, 7
6. What influences youth’ reactions to their experience at camp? What do they perceive as a good Camp Miller experience? (What matters most about their time at Camp?) / Youth (Pre) 1b, 2, 3
Youth (Post) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5a-o, 6, 7
7. Do parents and youth have preferences/ opinions relating to Camp Miller’s current programming approach (range of activities v. a specialized focus)? / Current Parent (Pre) 1h, 1i
Current Parent (Post) 1a, 2, 5, 6e, 6f, 6i, 6k
Previous Parent (Post) 1H, 1i, 2, 4, 5
Youth (Pre) 1b, 2, 3
Youth (Post) 1, 2, 3, 6, 7

Tool Descriptions

Current Parent Pre Questionnaire

This pre-camp survey tool for parents of current campers is intended to be filled out electronically by parents at registration. It is designed to provide Camp Miller staff with valuable information from parents/guardians about their perceptions concerning the outcomes of their child’s experience. Staff members will be able to better understand the factors that influence parents’ decisions to choose Camp Miller versus another summer camp

It is intended that this survey be included in the electronic registration process. This is the first of two questionnaires for parents of current campers.This questionnaire intends to provide Camp Miller staff with meaningful and measurable information with which to make management decisions regarding future programming.

Implementation:

●This questionnaire will be distributed as part of an online registration process

●These questionnaire items can be built into the existing camper registration platform or the questionnaire can be administered through an online platform like SurveyMonkey ( or SurveyPlanet (

●The questionnaire will take approximately 5 minutes or less.

Data analysis:

In data analysis, for item 1, each response can be given the numbers 1-18 and then each response can be tallied. The responses with the highest tally can be used to determine the most influential aspects of Camp Miller and the Camp Miller experience that determine why parents chose to send their child to the summer camp. Similarly, for item 2, each response can be given the numbers 1-14 and then each response can be tallied. The responses with the highest tally can be used to determine what the most important outcomes are in regards to their child attending the camp. For item 3, responses can be placed into categories and analyzed for commonalities among parents about what would lead to the highest satisfaction about having their child attend camp.

Youth Pre Questionnaire

This questionnaire is intended to be filled out by youth at the beginning of their time at camp (as early as possible). It is designed to determine what factors influence youth interest in attending Camp Miller, as well as if youth are interested in a wide range of activities or just a select few.Responses from the questionnaire will also indicate what activities and experiences youth perceive as being part of a positive camp experience and what activities and experiences youth perceive as being a negative camp experience.When used with the parent questionnaires, the responses to this youth pre-camp questionnaire will indicate why youth choose to come to camp.

The youth pretest is independent of the youth posttest questionnaire and items within the pretest and posttest do not need to be matched.All responses should be summarized to indicate which items youth choose the most as what they are excited about and least excited about. This information may be used to help make programming decisions based on what youth perceive as a good camp experience.

Implementation:

●This questionnaire will be distributed either on the first day of camp; potentially instead, it could be administered as part of an online registration process, where parents enroll their children, and the children are prompted to respond within that same registration system or through an online platform like SurveyMonkey ( or SurveyPlanet (

●Child assent and parent consent are needed; refer to Appendix

●The questionnaire will take approximately 5 minutes or less to complete.

Instrument Scoring:

  • Question 1:
  • A.) Yes = 1No = 0
  • B.) 1 point per item identified by youth camper.
  • Question 2 & 3:
  • 1 point per identified activity tallied to show which activities are most or least popular among campers.

Data analysis:

In data analysis, item 1 should be scored as an individual item, and each response can be tallied. Responses with the highest tallies will indicate the most factors that most influences youth to return to Camp Miller. Item 2 should be scored as an individual item. Responses can be coded 1-32 and all selected responses can be tallied. Responses with the highest tallies will indicate what youth perceive will be part of a positive Camp Miller experience. Similarly, item 3 should be scored as an individual item. Responses can be coded 1-32 and all selected responses can be tallied. Responses with the highest tallies will indicate what youth perceive to be part of a negative Camp Miller experience.

Youth Post Questionnaire

The youth post-camp questionnaire will be used to measure what youth perceive as outcomes of their camp miller experience in the areas of outdoor/environmental, active and healthy living, and youth development outcomes. The questionnaire will also measure youth reactions to their camp experience and perceptions of what they gained from their camp experience. Responses from the youth post-camp questionnaire can be used with Current Parent Posttest questionnaires to determine if Camp Miller is meeting its intended program outcomes and to determine what elements of a camp experience may lead to year-to-year youth retention.

Implementation:

●The questionnaire should be administered on the last day of each camp session.

●The questionnaire should be printed on paper and the youth should be provided with ample time and a place to sit and write while completing the questionnaire.

●The questionnaire should take 15-20 minutes to complete.

Instrument Scoring:

  • Question #1:
  • Not So good = 0 points
  • Ok = 1 pointGood = 2 pointsGreat = 3 points
  • Questions 1b, 2-4, 6 and 7 will be analyzed individually.
  • Question #5: Camp Miller helped me...
  • Not really at all = 1 pointA little = 2 pointsVery Much = 3 points

Data Analysis:

In data analysis, item 1 is scored an individual item. Responses from the first part of question 1 can be tallied to determine youths’ overall opinions about their week at Camp Miller. Responses for the second part of item 1 will be qualitative and can be coded according to responses provided to determine why youth had the opinion of their week at camp selected in the first part of item 1. Furthermore, responses to item 1 can be sorted according to the first part response choice to determine if there any trends between youth overall opinion and the reasons they provide. Item 2 is scored as an individual item. Qualitative responses for item 2 can be coded and tallied to determine youth opinions about what would make their Camp Miller experience better. Item 3 is scored as an individual item. Qualitative responses for item 3 can be coded and tallied to determine what youth perceive to be missing from Camp Miller programming options. Item 4 is scored an individual item. Qualitative responses for item 4 can be coded and tallied to determine what skills youth perceive that they learned while at Camp Miller.

Items 5a-5o are a set of items, but can be scored individually to determine if youth made progress toward desired learning level outcomes while at Camp Miller. Responses should be coded as follows: “not really at all” = 1, “a little” = 2, and “very much” = 3. Response values for each item 5a-5o can each be averaged across all respondents to determine if progress was made toward each specific learning level outcome. Responses can also be grouped and scored across the three corresponding learning level outcome groups. Items 5a-5d correspond with outdoor and environmental learning level outcomes, and these responses can be tallied together and averaged to determine average progress toward outdoor and environmental outcomes. Items 5e-5g correspond with active and healthy living learning level outcomes, and these responses can be tallied together and averaged to determine average progress toward active and healthy living outcomes. Items 5h-5o correspond to youth development learning level outcomes, and these responses can be tallied together and averaged to determine average progress toward youth development outcomes.

Item 6 is an individual item to determine whether youth want to return to Camp Miller and determine factors that influenced that decision. Yes and no responses can be tallied and reasons can be coded and tallied to find the factors that youth choose for wanting to return to Camp Miller. Finally, item 7 is an individual item. Responses to item 7 can be coded and tallied to determine what youth perceive as the best possible thing to do during the summer. Responses can be used to determine if Camp Miller can make programming changes to reflect what youth are most interested in doing during the summer.

Current Parent Post Questionnaire

The Current Parent Posttest is designed to understand the motivations of parents to send their child to Camp Miller as well as document the parent’s observations of their child after participation in Camp Miller.Data gathered from parents includes their preference between a wide variety of camp programs versus a narrower, more specialized camp focus.Camp Miller staff can use this information to adjust program offerings and activities to increase youth retention.Other information includes reasons for continuing to send child to Camp Miller or why the parent will not be sending their child back.

This questionnaire will enable Camp Miller staff to analyze the parent’s observations on their child’s behavior and attitudes as it regards Camp Miller’s mission for continuing youth leadership and development.

Implementation:

●This questionnaire will be distributed through email to parents one month after their child’s camp experience or after all camp sessions are complete, depending on what is logistically feasible for camp staff.

●This electronic questionnaire can use an online platform like SurveyMonkey ( or SurveyPlanet (

●The questionnaire will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Data Analysis:

The responses in Item 1a can be tallied to determine the camps that campers are at Camp Miller and which are the more popular camps. Item 1b will determine if the campers are returning campers and will provide data on camp retention. Responses from Item 2 can be tallied for commonalities listed by respondents to determine the most common outcomes regarding child behavior and development. For item 3, responses are measured using a likert scale from strongly disagree (1 point) to strongly agree (5 points). Responses from individual items can be averaged across all respondents to determine perceptions as to if camp participation influenced those outcomes. Responses can also be grouped and scored across the three corresponding learning level outcome groups (environmental, healthy and active living, and youth development outcomes). Item 4 will measure the possible frequency of returning campers. For Item 5 responses can be analyzed to determine important factors for camp retention. Items 6a-k can be scored 1=yes, 0=no. The responses with highest number tally can be used to determine the most important factors in their decision to return to Camp Miller.

Previous Parent Post Questionnaire

The Previous Parent Posttest is designed to understand the motivations of parents who send their child to Camp Miller. Data gathered from parents includes their preference between a wide variety of camp programs versus a narrower, more specialized camp focus. Other information includes reasons for continuing to send child to Camp Miller or why the parent will not be sending their child back. Camp Miller staff can use this information to adjust program offerings and activities to increase youth retention.

Implementation:

  • This questionnaire can be distributed through email to parents whose child attended camp in previous years after the summer camp season has ended.
  • This electronic questionnaire can use an online platform like SurveyMonkey ( or SurveyPlanet (
  • The questionnaire will take approximately 10 minutes to complete.

Data Analysis:

The responses in Items 1a-q can be tallied. The responses with highest tally can be used to determine the most important factors for parents choosing Camp Miller for their child. The responses in Item 2 can be tallied to determine camps are attended at Camp Miller and which are the more popular camps. Responses from Item 3 can be recorded to determine the frequency of returning campers. Items 4 & 5 may be categorized and analyzed individually to determine the most common reasons for campers to return or not to return to Camp Miller. Item 6 responses can be tallied to determine what factor is most influential in parent decisions regarding summer activities.