Camp Robin Hood

By Toronto4Kids

Camp Robin Hood, the oldest day camp in Canada, originated back in 1946 when a group of dedicated educators decided to create the first privately owned day camp. It opened in Sherwood Park (hence the name Camp Robin Hood), in the Mount Pleasant and Eglinton area of Toronto. Further expansions relocated the camp to the Woodbridge area and in the early 60’s, it settled in its current site of Markham. At that time, Larry and Pearl Bell owned Camp Robin Hood, and it’s been a family business ever since. Their daughter Sari and her husband Howie Grossinger have now taken over the business as owners/directors.

When Camp Robin Hood was established, its intent was to offer a unique recreational camp experience to local children different than that of “daycare” and set apart from the pace of everyday life. It had to provide unforgettable fun yet it needed to nurture the potential in children and their abundant curiosity and capacity for learning.

Camp Robin Hood has and continues to accomplish just that. Says Camp Owner/Director Howie Grossinger: “Camp is more than just fun! We strive to teach lifelong learnables… and skills that each child can incorporate in everyday life such as cooperation, sportsmanship, tolerance, etc.“

Now about that fun part... Campers can experience a wide variety of programs during their stay with access to an extensive selection of activities and sports including Basketball, Baseball, Golf, Tennis, Personal Challenge Sports (in-line hockey, climbing wall and mountain biking), Soccer, and Tennis. The camp also has an excellent swimming program that includes two Red Cross instructional swims per day. Moreover, Camp Robin Hood provides a traditional day camp experience in a country setting, with very unique activities such as Canoe and Archery. “It really feels like overnight camp”! The camp also offers door-to-door transportation - a huge benefit to working parents.

Sessions are available in two week intervals. The camp strives to include campers and staff of differing abilities. And there are challenges for older teens through leadership programs (for those who have completed grades 8 & 9).

Camp is a year-round profession for Robin Hood. Beyond summer camp, School programs are offered in the Spring and Fall, and over 200 GTA schools have experienced their team-building programs. The camp site is also open for Corporate, Not-for-profit, and Family picnics and events. Each year, their well-established alumni network (Summer Dreams Charitable organization) raises funds to send underprivileged kids to summer camps in Ontario.

Undoubtedly, what’s so distinctive about Camp Robin Hood is that they’ve been around for such a long time! Having been family owned and operated for many years, they've been able to maintain that “strong family feeling”. Their dedication to working closely with families to meet the growing and changing needs of their children, has earned them a special place within the community. And there is no major turnover at this camp. Their staff consists of mature professionals - teachers and special educators who work with children year-round. 70% return each season - many having grown up at Camp Robin Hood themselves!

So what’s in the future for Camp Robin Hood? Like everything else, camps are evolving. According to Grossinger,“It’s important to maintain a great reputation in our community. We want to continue incorporating innovative youth programming which can supplement our philosophy. We constantly re-evaluate our successes and develop new strategies to make camp experiences different and memorable each summer. Our enthusiastic staff work hard at making every camper’s experience fun and unforgettable”.

To support its philosophy of delivering innovative programs to families, the camp recently introduced its ”Camper-in-Training” program for kids aged 18 months to 3 years. This parent and child program allows children and their parents, caregivers or grandparents to enjoy the Camp experience together. “We feel that this type of introduction to camping will be a beneficial transition towards our full day program and will offer campers the opportunity to participate in a comfortable atmosphere in which positive play and meaningful socialization can take place”.

And through the years, Camp Robin Hood's goal has remained to deliver a safe and memorable camp experience to campers and their families while providing their staff with a valuable summer work experience.

Happy memories, life-changing experiences, character building, lasting friendships and loads of fun… it's all here at Camp Robin Hood!

For more information on Camp Robin Hood, visit their website at: www.camprobinhood.ca.