Trackers Earth Portland

"We have one of our daughters here for aftercare and we are so, so happy with it. The staff are wonderful and foster an imaginative and joyous atmosphere for the kids. The facility is super cool and we love that they encourage kids to engage with nature and introduce them to some "non-standard" things like archery and things along those lines. We weren't sure what to expect going in but we feel very grateful to be a part of the program."

"Ugh. Trackers camps are so hit-or-miss! The instructors are definitely overworked and probably underpaid. Things have gone downhill a fair bit since the early days. My recommendations for potential families: June and July are generally much better than August, when the counsellors are experiencing some burn-out. Also, watch out for the camps with a broad age range: my 10-year old got stuck in one camp with only other 7-year olds and had no fun at all. Some camps were enjoyable, but this one was a total disappointment. Relative to other 1-week camps around the city, you pay more at Trackers and usually get less. If they were charging less, I would say they mostly met my expectations, but they don't really understand that for about $500/week the expectations are higher. (This summer my kid had an equally good experience at 1-week camps run by Portland Parks and Rec - for $200 less. Not that they were amazing, either, but at least they keep expectations reasonable for the price, and they were fine. I had no complaints.) Despite the camp descriptions, usually what you get at Trackers is this: your kid will be occupied for the time they are there. If your kid is more self-contained than other kids who need more attention, your kid might be left alone to do whatever requires less work from the instructor while they take care of the squeakier wheels. Despite the cool descriptions, there sadly isn't enough quality instruction to feel confident your kid will actually learn any new skills. And I guess the individual instructors probably feel that they aren't paid enough to be great, or good... They are... okay. If Trackers really was what it tries to be, it would be super cool. The rhetoric is awesome. The delivery is spotty. (When I complained about a particular camp, they did listen, and then addressed it nominally, but not substantially, nor sufficiently to get me to sign my kid up for camps in the future. They just don't abide by the notion that they need kids or families to feel satisfied in order to succeed. You and your kids are expendable... if you don't have a good experience: too bad... Someone else will come along. ) UPDATE (IN RESPONSE TO REPLY): 1) We did have several conversations, and while I appreciate that I was listened to, at the end of the day they did not decide to resolve the matter satisfactorily, even after agreeing with most of what I said. (So, you kind of knew a less stellar review was coming - in fact you opted for it.) They spend plenty of time responding and defending yourselves rather than just saying "how can we keep this long-time returning customer happy?" They could have pretty easily made this right and chose not to. (You know exactly how to get my five stars.) 2) Before they pat themselves on the back too much for $21-$35/hour being "good pay"... it really kind of depends on how many of them are at the $21 rate! (And, just for the sake of math, it sounds like the counselor may take home $630/week.. of the nearly $5000 generated by 10 kids attending. Of course Trackers should have a profitable business, but that doesn't change the fact that Trackers camps cost a fair bit more than comparable area camps and thus should be subject to higher expectations.) Some of the Trackers camps my kid did this summer were enjoyable, and weren't problematic in any way... but even in those camps I can't say they learned a lot. A little, yes. Not a lot. Those were the good ones: not amazing, but no complaints. 3) Maybe take a gander at nearly all the other recent poor reviews and look for the common denominator. It ain't me."

"When I was looking for a place to send my child this summer, I read many of the previous reviews of Trackers camp, and I have to admit, I was a bit uneasy about the whole thing prior to the first day of drop off. However, when we arrived and I met my child's guide, all of my concerns disappeared. All the guides that my son had for the 4 weeks he attended were professional, enthusiastic, and great with kids. My son had a blast at each camp, and was always excited to go back each day. He was never bored, and always said that he had fun. There were some complaints in previous reviews about the bus rides being long, but for my son, the bus rides were part of the experience, and did not detract from his enjoyment at all. I could also see how parents of really young children, like 5 years, might be concerned about the chaos of the drop off situation, but for my son who is 7.5 it felt well monitored and safe. Trackers camp was a great experience for my outgoing son, and I am glad that we tried it out. One day he even came home caked in mud, so I knew he was getting some good outside time running around with other kids playing and having fun."

"My kids attended the Martial Arts and Wizard camps this summer and both had a blast (ages 6 & 8). The adventure camp brought them home excited to tell all the tales of what they did and learned and Martial Arts gave them some new cool moves to try on their siblings. Great, friendly staff members who were able to assist at each of their development levels. New NE location was super convenient to our home and with so much space to enjoy all the activities. Will definitely look into summer camps for next year and possibly some after school activities once sports are done."

"Really awesome programming. My kids come home from camp with a twinkle in their eye and tons of stories. Gives urban kids a nature outlet and helps them gain confidence in themselves through skill building. Love Trackers!"