Camp Health and COVID-19 Updates

Our top priority is the health and safety of our campers and staff. We work hard at camp to mitigate the spread of illness through our protocols and health policies. Families, you can help by being sure your camper is healthy and rested before arriving on Opening Day. Please continue to remind your child about good hand washing techniques and how to cover their mouth when coughing or sneezing. 

We plan to run our program as normal, returning to eating with our table groups so that we can make new friends at camp and singing in the Lodge after lunch with Debbie. We have missed these two traditions for the past three summers! We will still have individual choice activities in the mornings and sign-ups in the afternoons with a lot of time spent outdoors – that’s what camp is all about! We have been working hard to prepare for the 2023 summer: making plans, reviewing and updating protocols, hiring great staff, and planning a fun and meaningful program. 

The following protocols have been updated on 5/15/2023

Prior to Arrival

We highly recommend all campers and staff be vaccinated for COVID-19.

Before your sessions starts, please try to avoid large events where the risk of exposure to illness may be higher.

Testing:

We are not requiring a COVID test before your arrival at camp and will not test for screening purposes during camp. We do ask that should your camper be exposed to COVID-19, Flu, Strep, or a stomach bug within a week of attending camp, that you notify us so that we can watch your child for any symptoms.

Should your child become ill while at camp, our camp physician will decide about treatment and testing whether that would involve a COVID-19 test, Strep test, Flu test, etc. If your child spends the night at the Health Hut, needs a prescription, or outside testing, either the physician or one of the nurses will call you to give  an update and keep you informed about your child’s health.

Opening Day:

Arrival times for campers will be staggered between 9:30 and 11:30 am depending on your camper’s age and the program they are attending. We will email you the time prior to camp along with other helpful information. Upon arrival, your camper will go through a health screening before heading to the cabin. During the screening we will ask about any symptoms your child might have had during the last week or any exposures. If your child is feeling unwell before camp, please contact our office so we can make a plan for what is best for your child and camp.

If your child takes medication, you will have a brief consultation with the physician or nurse before walking your child to their cabin. After meeting the counselors, you will give your child a hug good-bye and can leave. Once at the cabin, your camper’s counselors will help them unpack and settle in.  

Bunks will be pre-assigned by the counselors; if your child prefers to have a bottom bunk, please update their application. 

We will transport your child’s luggage to their cabin. It is very important that all of their items be packed without loose items for easy transport. Good options for packing are:

• A trunk, a duffle, or both, or 2 duffles. We ask that you not send 2 trunks.
• A pillow – your child can carry this to their cabin if it isn’t packed.
• A day pack or backpack

You will turn in the following items upon arrival so don’t pack it in the trunk or duffle!

• Your camper’s Medications, in the original packaging, in a zip lock bag.  

It is very important that you update any medication changes or time to administer on your child’s health form before Opening Day. This will help us avoid a backup with our staggered opening. Thank you for your help with this!

Please refer to our Healthcare page for details about packing medications and requirements for over-the-counter medications: https://gwynnvalley.com/parents/healthcare/

Program

Campers will choose which activities they would like to participate in for their discovery classes in the mornings and for afternoon sign-ups.  

Dining Hall and Meals

We are thankful to have such a large, screened dining facility with large hand washing sinks right outside! Your child will have a table assignment during their session, sitting with other campers and staff. Table groups are a wonderful time to form connections, make new friends, and be a part of the larger Gwynn Valley community. As always, campers and staff will be required to wash their hands following proper hand washing techniques before entering the dining hall. 

Refunds

Should your child become ill at camp with COVID-19 or Flu, home is a more comfortable place to rest and recover. If a camper has to leave early due to COVID-19, illness, or injury, the family will receive 50% of a pro-rated refund for the remaining days of the session.

If a camper or family member tests positive before attending camp and has to be in isolation or quarantine, then the loss will be shared by the family and camp.

We encourage our families to purchase insurance similar to trip insurance in case of emergency or illness. 

Please read the full Cancellation Policy here: https://gwynnvalley.com/summer-camp/registration/#Cancellation

Probable or Positive Case

Camper

Camper – In the event that a camper is experiencing symptoms of illness, we will isolate them in the Health Hut where our medical team will care for them. Our physician will assess your child and determine whether your child should be tested for COVID-19 Strep, or Flu. We will communicate with you about your child’s condition and testing. If a test is positive for COVID, we will ask that you pick up your child as soon as reasonably possible.

Counselor or Staff

If a staff member tests positive for COVID, then they will move to a separate area of camp where we have single rooms and a separate bathroom set aside for isolation. The physician will assess them and we will follow guidelines about when they are able to return to work. 

Staff Training

Each summer, our staff go through a training at the Health Hut where they will learn about methods for keeping our camp community healthy. Camp is set up with many handwashing stations and we will encourage campers to wash hands often.

Closing Day

On Closing Day, pick-ups will be staggered in the morning between 9:30 and 11:00 am. Parents will park and pick up their camper at the cabin. After loading up their belongings, campers can then give their parents a tour of some outdoor program areas and share with them about some of the activities they participated in. 

We can’t wait to see you this summer!