Letter from Kidcam President & CEO
January 7, 2021
Dear Kidcam Families,
Happy New Year, Rockstars. I hope you all are staying well and looking forward to what’s to come in 2021.
The countdown to summer is on, and Kidcam Camps is excitedly planning for our 47th summer. Summer camp might have looked a bit different last year, but Kidcam Camps is proud to have set the standard for keeping our campers safe during the age of Covid-19.
We held a special, 10-week camp session for Ochsner Health, Louisiana’s largest healthcare system, with up to 1,500 campers across 15 sites, no Covid cases or incidents, and all while keeping with our mission: To bring the Spirit of Summer to life by creating memorable moments and lasting relationships, through a powerful summer camp experience that inspires greatness and brings smiles to faces. Kidcam then continued operating all Louisiana and Alabama summer day camp locations for the 10-weeks during summer.
We don’t know exactly what our operations will look like in 6 months, but for now we are planning for a summer similar to last year with limited enrollment numbers, consistent groups, and the wearing of face masks. But on the fun side, a guarantee of exciting new programs, Kidcam’s highly trained staff, best demonstrated practices from our time operating the Ochsner Childcare programs, as well as our own 2020 camps, and as always bringing the Spirit of Summer to life through the power of camp. We are working with our local health officials to determine what makes the most sense for our use of busses and external trips for field trips and swimming, and this will most likely be a decision that is made as we get closer to the start of summer and have a better picture of our world at that time. Ideally, we will still plan to swim each week.
But for now, I wanted you to be the first to know that enrollment is open, and we encourage you to register online to secure your campers place at Kidcam. Purchasing the weeks you need is not a requirement but is recommended in a year where we might still be asked to limit the number of campers we can enroll each week. We suggest purchasing at least the first 3 weeks you might need now to save 10% on tuition. If you purchase all 10 weeks before February 28, you will save 20%. And, if anything changes, you have until May 26 for a refund.
Use code REG21 to save $10 on your first registration in January. Siblings automatically save $15.
Below, I outline many operational processes that were in place at Kidcam for 2020 and will remain part of our operations this summer. Your camp director will be in touch with more defined procedures closer to the start of the summer months.
Our opening phase will include limited enrollment, strict group sizes, and very enforced policies and procedures. In the coming months, registered parents will be receiving a phone call or Zoom invitation from a staff member with more defined policies and procedures, as well as questions and requirements regarding your specific camp location, and how things like t-shirt delivery, health forms, The First Day, pre-camp health checks, arrival and departures guidelines, group assignments and things we need you and your child to know prior to coming to camp.
A lot will come together as our state guidelines continue to change. We ask for your patience during this time.
We are going to set forth some very specific and required needs as it relates to what must happen before camp and upon arrival on your camper’s first day. We feel this will be very necessary to limit the number of people we have on site, exposure to anything unnecessary, and ease the stress, questions, and craziness that sometimes come with a camper’s first day.
If dates should change regarding the start of your camp program, we will email you and call you. If any week does not start on time, we will either refund or move that money towards food or aftercare if you choose.
Below are the modifications Kidcam Camps is implementing again for our summer camp program for 2021.
Amending Enrollment by Site Enrollment will be limited and will follow that current phase of each state. We are hopeful we might be at 75% by June. Groups will be limited to no more than 10 people. Groups will move around together, eat lunch together and stay as a ‘family’ throughout the day.
Consistent Faces The more consistent we are with the same campers and staff throughout the summer, the better our chances are to help limit the spread of any communicable disease at camp. Your registration is confirmed for the weeks you have already purchased. If you know the weeks you need now, we ask you to please let us know so we can hold your space.
Offsite Field Trips The importance of keeping campers & staff as “close to home” as possible helps limit the exposure to things that are out of our control. We can manage the safety and sanitation of our camp worlds as best we can, but when we go outside of our environment, the increased risk multiplies. We will monitor the current state of Covid each week, and determine if we feel going off-site for trips or swimming makes sense. We will work to bring more exciting things to camp, and stay on site as much as possible.
We will still plan to go off-site to swim once a week for camp locations that do not have a swimming pool at their location, if this remains an approved activity.
Daily Temperature Checks Campers and staff will receive temperature checks coming into camp each morning. Anyone with a temperature of 100+ degrees, will not be allowed at camp. There will also be standard operating questions that will be asked each week as it relates to the current health of campers and their families.
Sanitation Hand Washing and sanitation always remains part of our daily schedule. We will also have someone on staff responsible for daily sanitation at each site.
Masks At this time, masks will be required for campers and staff, but this may change, by age group, based on the direction of our state and local officials.
Securing Weeks and Making Payments
• If you have already secured what you need, either full summer sessions, or individual weeks, please know that you’re all set.
• If you still need to purchase your weeks, we recommend buying at least the first 2-3 weeks your camper will attend. We will close weekly enrollment once the phased capacity limitations are met.
• We are encouraging families to purchase the full summer session. The less movement we all have between camp programs, the safer we create our camp environment.
• There will be no Monday morning registrations. All tuition payments must happen no later than the Friday prior to any given week a camper will attend…we encourage paying for what you need in full to avoid closure of a week.
We thank you for the understanding of all this. I hope you know that as an industry leader in summer camps, we felt it was necessary to put these policies and procedures in place now so we are prepared for what’s likely to come, and you can plan as best as you can for your family’s summer care needs.
We are planning & anticipating for the best this summer, and if you have any questions or needs from us, please email us for now at Rocky@KidcamCamps.com to ensure you get a quick response. You can also call us at 504-274-1404.
Keep wearing those masks, stay safe and be well. We will be in touch soon with more exciting camp and program details at Kidcam this summer.
Stay safe and be well,
Melissa Conner
President & CEO Kidcam Camps
