School-year results show strong emotional safety, inclusion, and connection for youth — and high praise from families.

 

Picture of No School Day Camp camper smiling.

Camp Fire Central Oregon wrapped up its school-year programs mid-June with more than stories and smiles—now, the data around our quality programming is in, and it’s painting a powerful picture of impact!

From South County to Sisters, Camp Fire’s youth programs are proving not only essential but transformational. According to recent results from Hello Insight surveys, the Program Quality Assessment, and parent and caregiver feedback, families overwhelmingly value what Camp Fire brings to their children and communities. In fact, 100% of parents surveyed said Camp Fire is valuable to them and their communities, and 80% would recommend Camp Fire to a friend.

Camp Fire Afterschool youth around a game.“We know this year brought big changes, from staffing transitions to our rapid expansion into South County,” said Melanie Feltmate, Camp Fire Central Oregon’s Program Director. “But these results confirm what we’ve felt all along—that our team’s deep care and hard work truly paid off. Families noticed. Kids noticed. And the data shows real growth.”

Among the many bright spots:

• 87% of participants across Camp Fire Afterschool (CFA) sites showed gains in social-emotional learning

• 87% of youth felt staff took the time to understand their lives outside of the program, building meaningful, trusting relationships.

• 86% said Camp Fire helped them engage with people different from themselves, promoting empathy and belonging.

• 80% of parents said their child could be authentically themselves at a Camp Fire program.

• And 80% of parents said their child felt safe — both physically and emotionally — while at Camp Fire.

No School Day Camp camper talks with a Camp Fire staff member.That sense of safety and inclusion showed up in the comments, too.

One parent shared, “I’ve worked with a lot of afterschool programs, and Camp Fire is the first time I can actually trust what is happening.”

Another wrote, “I feel so supported by Camp Fire — it fills gaps in care not otherwise accessible to me.”

For Feltmate and the team, these results are a reminder of why they do the work. “Camp Fire isn’t just a program—it’s a relationship,” she said. “We’re so proud that in the face of challenge and change, we continued to create spaces where kids could be themselves, feel supported, and grow.”

Camp Fire Central Oregon commits to a very strategic approach in collecting valuable program quality data, with the goal being continuous, responsive improvement and high levels of satisfaction rates from the youth and families it serves. The collective school-year data comes from the following sources:Group of Camp Fire Afterschool youth playing with masks and other fun face decorations.

  • Hello Insight pre- and post-survey results at CFA all sites
  • Partial Program Quality Assessment score from CFA at all sites
  • Parent/Caregiver Survey results - all programs
  • School staff feedback survey - South County
  • Staff survey results