• Safety Tips:
• Kid's Safety Part I:Picking a Safe Summer Camp
• Kid's Safety Part II:Is Your Child Ready for Camp?
• Statistics:A Camping We Will Go

Summer Camp Safety

With summer fast approaching, kids of all ages will be soon heading to summer camps. For some children, the beginning of summer camp is one of the most highly anticipated events of the year. Even so, whether your child will be packing their bags and heading to sleep-away camp or attending a day camp in your local town, there are some important safety considerations you should be aware of. This monthís newsletter will offer some guidance regarding what you should look for.

Kid's Safety I:

One of the first things a parent should look for when evaluating summer camps for their child is the camp's certification. While there are several accrediting agencies, The American Camp Association is, by far, the most widely known and respected.

Hardly a newcomer to the summer camp circuit, The American Camp Association has been helping to ensure the safety of summer campers for nearly 100 years. In order to earn accreditation, camps must meet 300 health and safety standards. And, once accreditation is given, camps are still subject to visits every three years to ensure that they are remaining in compliance with the required standards, laws and regulations. In addition to accreditation from a professional organization such as The American Camp Association, camps should also have a permit from the Board of Health of the community in which it is located.

Medical Concerns

Camps are required to have a "health supervisor" - a person trained in first aid and CPR - available at all times. In addition to the "health supervisor" camps are required to have either a doctor or nurse practitioner who can provide guidance on specific medical situations as the need arises. While it is not necessary that this person be on premise at all times, it is important that they can be reached when needed. Further, all camps should have written policies in place that describe how different injuries should be treated.

If your child needs to take any type of medication while at camp, the medication should be stored in a locked cabinet and dispensed only by the "health supervisor". Similarly, there should be a formal mechanism in place for you to provide any medical information relating to allergies, pre-existing conditions or chronic conditions that may be needed during your child's stay.

Other Considerations

The New York State Department of Health website has an excellent list of questions and considerations for parents evaluating summer camps for their children. While the statistics quoted in the accompanying article are specific to New York State, the list of questions that parents should ask camp directors is applicable to camps in any location. In addition to the questions, the site contains the recommended guidelines for staff ratios, experience, and training under a variety of scenarios.

Kid's Safety II:

Before you even begin visiting potential camps for your child, you need to be sure that he or she is ready to go. While some experts feel that most children are ready for sleep-away camp by the age of seven, the fact is, every child is different. As a result, it is important that you take the time to assess whether or not your child is ready for the experience. If your child has never been away from home before, you may want to arrange for them to spend a night or two at a trusted friend or relative's house. If they have trouble with this, then it's probably a sure bet that they won't be ready to spend a week or more away at camp.

If your child has been away, it's still possible that they may have some anxiety about going to camp. Sharing some of your own fun camp experiences is one way to help ease your child into the experience. It is also important that you do not schedule any major or fun family events during the time when your child will be gone to camp; this may be just thing to push a child over the brink of homesickness.

If your child mentions specific fears or reservations about going to camp, it may be helpful for you to discuss them in the weeks leading to their departure. Talking through their fears may help your child come to terms with what is bothering them and make their camping experience more enjoyable.

Finally, as you prepare your child for their first sleep-away camp experience, it is just as important that you prepare yourself as well. While many parents consume themselves with making sure that their child is ready for the experience, few take the time to consider how it will affect them. As a result, when the big day finally arrives, these parents find themselves becoming emotional as they prepare to leave their child. And chances are, your child's entire experience will get off to a better start if you are not crying as you leave.

Statistics:

Here are some statistics from The American Camp Association:

• Of the nearly 10,000 camps in the U.S., 60% are sleep-away camps.
• Over 6 million children attend camp each summer.
• Over 70% of camps are privately owned family businesses, 25% are run by not-for-profit organizations and 5% are run by private corporations.
• Summer camps are a $11 billion dollar industry with an average tuition of $2500 for a four week stay.
• The average cost to operate a camp is between $750,000 and $1,000,000.

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