Safety should be your first priority when choosing a summer camp. Does the camp have a written safety plan that is available for you to review? Do they have emergency procedures in place? What happens in the event of a tornado, flash floods, security threats (aggressive parents, etc.), child abductions, or health threats such as food poisoning or communicable disease outbreaks?
The counsellors live, eat, and watch your children 24 hours a day. What kind of training do the counsellors undergo? What is the camp’s screening process for their counsellors? Do they do background checks? Do they check their employment history? Do the counsellors understand the camp’s safety procedures? And what kind of training do they have? Do they need to have an up-to-date CPR certificate and other first-aid training? Do they know about West Nile Virus, Ozone Alert Days, sunburn, heat stroke, Lyme Disease, etc.? Ninety-four percent of camps in Canada require their staff to undergo special training or have specific qualifications.
Do the campers take any trips off the property? Do they go on field trips and such? If so, who drives them and how are the kids restrained in the vehicles? Does a trained medical professional accompany the children on outings? Are emergency contact numbers taken on field trips?
During these hot summer months, what does the camp do to ensure the children get enough water and rest during the hot, active days? What is the camp’s procedure for hydration?
Insurance
Does the camp you are interested in have insurance? If so, is it adequate? And should you take out insurance of your own? Many insurance companies have summer camp insurance. Check with your agent to find out more about insuring your camper.
Health Concerns
If your child takes medication, send it with your child to camp in its original container along with dosage instructions. Include a signed medical-release form and your child’s physician’s phone number. Send all potential medicines with your child; don’t assume the camp has an unlimited supply of Epi-pens or allergy drugs. Likewise, if your child has asthma, ask how that is handled and where the inhaler will be kept.
Also send to camp a detailed list of your child’s health history including allergies, recent injuries, current medical problems, etc.
Any food allergies should be clearly communicated to the staff. And if there are dietary limitations due to diabetes, weight, being a vegetarian, etc., will those concerns be properly tended to?
Some camps require all participants to be up-to-date on all vaccinations and to have had a recent health exam. Check their policies.
What Activities Will Your Child Participate In?
Will the campers be doing any water activities? Will they spend time boating or swimming? If so, ask about life jackets, the supervision policies in the water, and if all instructors are trained in CPR. Are the lifeguards NLS certified? Do they have proper emergency water equipment including a spine board and oxygen? Is the waterfront clearly marked and guarded?
If the campers will be doing sports, find out the sports safety rules and ask about or look at the equipment they use.
Dangerous Activities
What does the camp do in the event of abuse, bullying, and harassment? Has the staff been trained to handle such instances?
The “choking game” seems to be a popular pastime with some summer camp kids. Also called space monkey, the blackout game, the scarf game, and suffocation roulette, this game involves children being choked by themselves or others until passing out. A 12-year-old Ontario boy, Jesse Grant, died in April 2005 after choking on a computer cord; he learned the game at summer camp the previous year.
Have a chat with your children before they go to reinforce what they should do if others are encouraging them to do something they aren’t comfortable with.
Homesickness
As SMARTRISK, a Canadian charity dedicated to preventing injuries and saving lives, points out, “Preventing the onset of homesickness by planning activities that help campers get to know each other and make them feel more at home should be a priority for any camp looking to be accredited. Despite a camp’s best effort to prevent homesickness, some campers may experience it. At this point, camps should provide care and set goals to help the camper adjust.”
There are many safety issues that need to be addressed when you are considering sending your children to camp. Taking the time to get answers will give you peace of mind when you drop your camper off.
Toby Welch - Toby is a full-time freelance writer who specializes in magazine articles, online writing, e-books, and manuscript editing.
Join the Conversation