Camper Care
Along with “staffing,” interviews of parents sending their child to camp at Bradford Woods turned up “camper care” as the second highest area of concern for families. Sending your child to camp can be an intimidating process for any family as it requires a great deal of trust in the program, the staff, and the overall organization. When special medical needs are added into this mix, we know the prospect can seem doubly daunting. There are some specific questions we recommend you ask when assessing a camp’s ability to meet your child’s specialized needs.
- Who trains your staff in personal care?
- For those camps that provide personal care (assistance in toileting, eating, showering, etc.) internally this is a particularly important question. As stated in the previous section on staffing, training is a critical and vital component to setting a solid foundation for quality camper care. Ask the director how the staff are trained in these areas. It is recommended that professionals in the areas of disability awareness, accessibility, and adaptive programming be utilized to insure your child receives the highest degree of services to which they are entitled.
Return to top - How do you enforce behavior management?
- Since it is not only the physical safety of your child that is important, but also the emotional and social safety this is also an important question. Some children will have diagnosed behavioral disorders and will go to camp with clearly defined behavioral objectives and plans. Ask the director how these plans will be made known and followed through with. It is also important to ask the director how “undesirable” behavior is managed; through verbal reprimands? Timeouts? How are these techniques documented? It is important here, just as it is with personal care and staff to camper ratios, to be sure the philosophies of the camp match your child’s needs and your wishes as a parent/guardian. Camps should have clearly stated eligibility requirements, which define behaviors that cannot be accepted or tolerated. For example, many camps have stated eligibility requirements that if the child attempts to physically harm another staff or camper while they are at camp, they may need to be dismissed from the program.
Return to top - Am I allowed to visit or call my child while at camp?
This is probably one of the most frequently asked questions to camp directors from parents. While policies and protocols vary from camp to camp, typically the answer is “no,” unless, of course, it is for a specialized program or event arranged in advance. The reason for this is that kids tend to adapt to camp very well within the first day or two, especially once they get more comfortable and begin making friends and engaging in camp activities. When parents/guardians call, they are often “kid-sick” (missing their child). The child who was well adjusted to the experience will interact with you (via phone or in person) and will typically be thrust back into homesickness themselves. One of things you can do to help prepare yourself and your child for an overnight camp stay is to “practice” before hand with short trips to other family and friends for example. Also ask the camp director if their camp has any pre-camp opportunities that enables a night or two away at the camp before embarking on a full week or two weeks. This can really help acclimate everyone. It also enables you as parents and guardians to meet the staff in advance, see the facilities, and assess the programs. If no overnight opportunities are available, at the very least ask the director if they have any open house opportunities and/or arrange for a personal tour. These are all well within your rights as a family and camp directors should be happy to oblige.
Return to top- How does your camp handle homesickness and other adjustment issues?
- Campers, especially first-time campers, may initially go through a short period of homesickness. For most kids this sets in the first night of camp. As for many children with disabilities, camp is often their first experience away from home, their family, and their own bed. Typically once the kids become engaged in activities the homesickness subsides and the kids settle in. However, ask the director what the process is if the kids don’t seem to be settling in. Will they call you? When or at what point? It is important that the camper’s first stay at camp be a successful one so that they want to continue going to camp in the future. Sometimes this may mean cutting their first visit or two short until they become more confident and comfortable. Despite the family’s need for respite and the camp’s ideal of campers staying a complete session, it is important that both families and camp staff be open to the idea of “flexing” to meet the individual needs of the child to help ensure the camp experience remains an exciting and positive one for later years.
Return to top - Are there medical services or a health center on site?
With disabilities, chronic illnesses, and medical needs being a concern, this is often at the forefront of parent inquiries about facilities, staffing, and camper care. Ask the director what type of medical support staff they have such as EMT’s, RN’s, Nurse Practitioners. Are the medical support staff on-site and for how long each day? For many camps, especially camps serving primarily children without special needs, it is not unusual for there to be a designated First Aid person while the medical staff check in once a day. Specialty camps may have medical staff on-site the full duration of your child’s stay. Choosing the best camp for your child will include assessing what type of medical support is needed while they are attending camp. For camps that serve primarily persons with special needs, the ACA recommends that there be a licensed physician or registered nurse on site.
Return to top- How and when will I be notified about an illness or injury?
- This is often of particular concern in overnight/residential camps where families do not see their child at the end of each day to personally assess their health and overall well-being. Camps should have clearly written policies on when parents will be notified. For example many camps will automatically call families if a child has a certain temperature or hits their head while at camp. These procedures will vary by camp, so again it is important to inquire about this practice with the camp director. The bottom line is that parents should be viewed as partners in the camp experience and information should never be intentionally kept from you.
Return to top - How will information about my child’s care be in-taken and disseminated to the staff?
- In our discussions with families who were new to the camp experience they expressed worries that their child’s care needs would not be passed on to all staff that “needed to know.” It is critical that camps have a communication system in place where the information that the staff needs to know is completed during intake procedures such as your child’s application, completed waivers, and personal check-ins at camp. It is important that families take the time needed to share all their information and ensure that this information is as accurate and as honest as possible. As stated earlier, not sharing all information could inadvertently place your child in an unsafe situation. The camp staff then has the responsibility to read and understand your child’s needs, clarify any questions or concerns, and pass this information on to all who need to know. “Need to know” is highlighted here as camps have a dual ethical and moral responsibility to share pertinent information while also maintaining confidentiality of you and your child’s personal information. Ask the camp director how all of this information is processed, shared, and handled.
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