The summer of 2026 is almost here, and so begins the season of summer jobs. The field of summer occupations is cutthroat for high school students, and there are many options to choose from, including coffee shops and internships. But the most daring of them all apply for this competitive, distinguished, and reputable occupation… summer day camp counselors.
But what makes the job of day camp counselor worth having? What do teenagers consider when applying to day camps?
Two distinguished day camps in the KC Jewish community can easily be pitted against each other: Summer at Barstow and J Camp.
These two summer camps are similar, yet so different. So logically, they attract separate working demographics.
J Camp, affiliated with the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, Kan., not only has an authentic family feel but also offers a multitude of activities and specialties, spanning from specific sports camps to LEGO camp, and even the classic, easy-going Barney Goodman day camp.
On the other hand, Summer at Barstow, in Kansas City, Mo., the academic summer program is structured around a morning and an afternoon camp. The A.M. and P.M. tracks offer different programs, each just as intense as the next. This is true even for unassuming tracks such as “Barbie Camp.”
Having leadership opportunities, especially in the summer, is important for many high school students approaching college, so depending on which camp they choose to work at, they are signing up for different experiences.
A top priority for high school students during the summer is flexibility. Rachel Jacobs, a senior at the Barstow School and a veteran counselor at Summer at Barstow, touched on her appreciation for the schedule laxity provided by the Barstow administration.
“I enjoyed the flexibility and variability of summer at Barstow,” says Jacobs. She elaborated that this flexibility gave her power over what her days and weeks looked like, an important factor for high school students searching for summer jobs. “I could work as little or as many weeks as I wanted,” said Jacobs.
Ella Perlemuter, junior at Shawnee Mission South and third-year returning J Camp counselor, said, “When deciding what to do, I factor in how much time I want to have.”
Perlemuter, like many other teenagers, balances summer jobs with other commitments such as other camps, internships, and family vacations. Perlemuter shared that when applying for jobs or leadership positions, she decides how to best allocate her time.
While flexibility is a top priority for summer jobs, in the summer camp scene, familiarity plays a large role as well.
Gabrielle Sosland, senior at HBHA and veteran counselor at Summer at Barstow camp, said, “When I was younger, my parents always sent me to Barstow summer camp.”
Sosland illustrated a kinship cultivated with the camp, having spent years of her childhood attending. So when she started searching for summer jobs, Sosland “just stuck to Barstow.”
Perlemuter also explains a similar experience of choosing to work at a day camp due to a sense of family and community. Perlemuter said, “It’s at the J, so I know a lot of the families and staff.”
The J community is structured like a family, Perlemuter says this is one of the reasons for her yearly return.
Flexibility and familiarity are deciding factors for many teens choosing summer jobs. J Camp and Summer at Barstow both offer experiences authentic to their brands. Intense academic focus and niche-oriented Summer at Barstow, and the family and fun feel of J Camp are two amazing opportunities in the Kansas City area for high school teenagers to get their first work experience. The key is finding what works for you!
