Leslie Science & Nature Center Embraces Technology
to Connect with Campers, Support Core Value

The Leslie Science & Nature Center sits on 50 acres of fields, woods and prairie in the heart of Ann Arbor and provides a natural science and environmental education opportunities for youth and their families. The education programs are outdoors, hands-on and discovery-based.

The center is a special place where people of all ages can explore 50 acres of land and Black Pond Woods. It’s also a home to many plants and animals. Other attractions include the Raptor Center and Critter House.

The Leslie Science and Nature Center is open for adventure on the trails and grounds from sun-up to sun-down.

The Challenge

Inclusivity is a core value of the Leslie Science & Nature Center and they believe that it should be reinforced at every opportunity. This can range from when adults are registering their children for camp, to supporting the mental, emotional, and social health needs of the campers they serve. Until 2019, Leslie Science & Nature Center was managing registration and gathering health information with paper forms. At the same time they were also experiencing rapid growth. As a result, staff were spending more time on paperwork than engaging campers, and they quickly recognized the risks associated with managing critical health information on paper.

“Prior to implementing CampDoc, we were still hand-keying information. We would mail paper forms out, completed forms were sent back to us, and we would transcribe the forms into a basic computer system. It was very inefficient,” said Julia Gwizdz, Program Director.

Simply put, the pen and paper needed to go.

The Solution

Why CampDoc?

Leslie Science & Nature Center implemented CampDoc and hasn’t looked back. With the help of the Electronic Health Record (EHR), staff can instantly access critical information such as the mental and emotional needs of campers, ensuring they stay true to their mission.

“CampDoc has been a really important tool to practice inclusion. For example, when an adult is filling out emergency contacts and needs to identify a caregiver, our form asks for ‘parent’ as opposed to ‘mother’ or ‘father’. We are able to tailor the questions we ask to be inclusive to all of our families,” said Gwizdz.

The value of the EHR was fully realized when camp staff were easily able to help a camper who was homesick and shy, a typical experience for new campers. This camper struggled to warm up to his fellow campers and educators. A staff member was able to leverage the background information from the camper’s health profile in CampDoc to understand what was likely upsetting him, and how staff could provide more effective support.

The Outcome

Enabled deeper connections with families and campers
Customizable forms enable staff to gather important health related information and ensure they are in-tune with each camper’s unique needs.

Allowed for program expansion
Efficiencies gained from CampDoc are large enough that in 2023, Leslie Science & Nature Center expanded their weekly programs and added more camp programming at its other site, the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum.

Provided more time for professional enrichment, camper engagement
With CampDoc, staff can dedicate more time to training, developing curriculum, and general camper support.

The Summary

Inclusivity is a core value of the Leslie Science & Nature Center, and it is reinforced at every opportunity. Prior to 2018, Leslie Science & Nature Center managed camper health information via paper forms, which were prone to human error and inefficient. CampDoc was implemented, highlighted by custom intake forms that enabled Leslie Science & Nature Center to honor its inclusivity core value.

The Electronic Health Record made the mental, emotional, and social health needs of campers available to those that need to know. Transitioning to digital forms also increased the security of camper data and enabled staff to spend more time doing what they love. “Before CampDoc, we used to put a lot of time, energy, and physical space into making sure our camper files were secure. It was really stressful,” said Gwizdz. “With CampDoc, we have peace of mind, as do our families, and our team can spend time doing other important things to make camp great!”