Letter from Kidcam President & CEO
May 15, 2020
Dear Kidcam Families,
I hope this email finds you well. Attached at the bottom of this letter is a parent letter outlining many operational processes for this summer. Your camp director will be in touch with more defined procedures.
We have spoken to many of you in the last few weeks, and we have sent a few emails, but I wanted to give you a quick update on the State of Kidcam, as of today.
The majority of our camp locations will open, as planned, on their original start date of May 26 or 27th.
We are waiting to hear more on the start date of Chappapeela in Hammond. This could be June 8. Also, Coquille in Covington will be June 1.
The biggest policy change for this year is paying for the weeks you need in advance – at least the first 2 or 3, if you’re able. While we are in a limited capacity phase, we reserve the right to close enrollment for a week at any point.
Our opening phase will include limited enrollment, strict group sizes, and very enforced policies and procedures. In the coming week, 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 is still coming together as we were delayed in what we can normally do during April and May, and we ask for your patience during this time. This is not our typical camp world or operation, and although we are running programs for Ochsner Health right now, we are still defining a lot of procedures.
We are going to do our best to set forth some very specific and required needs as it relates to what needs to happen before camp and upon arrival on your camper’s first day. We feel this will be very necessary to limit the number of bodies 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 changes Kidcam Camps is making to our summer camp program for 2020. Based on everything we have learned and implemented throughout our partnership with the Ochsner Health, we recognize what needs to change this year as we plan to open our doors this summer.
Amending Enrollment by Site Enrollment will be limited in the early weeks to meet the 25% capacity restrictions in many locations. 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.
You 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.
No Offsite Field Trips (at least in June; varies by location) 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. Given the extreme, cautionary measures we will still face going into summer, 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. We know this sounds extreme, and by June, we hope that it is, but we feel it’s important to maintain consistency of this operating procedure out of extreme caution for everyone.
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 will become part of our daily schedule. It has always been important, but it will now be part of our schedule. We will also have someone on staff responsible for daily sanitation at each site.
Masks At this time, masks will remain optional, but this may change based on the direction of our state. We encourage anyone who feels more comfortable doing so, to please wear a personal mask.
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 Thursday 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.
If you have any questions, please call our office at 504-274-1404 or email us at SummersRock@KidcamCamps.com.
Stay safe and be well,
Melissa Conner
President & CEO Kidcam Camps
