FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
CANCELLATION OF CAMP POLICY
No refunds issued for force majeure, including heavy rain, dangerous winds, smoke, an unhealthy Air Quality Index, wildfires, and/or other natural, unexpected, unforeseen, and uncontrollable environmental events.
HOW DO YOU HANDLE PARTIAL WEEKS, DAILY DROP-INS AND HALF DAY DROP-INS?
Scheduling your child(ren) for a smaller duration of time during a two and three week session is available if space permits. Please highlight this request on your child’s registration form and we will send you a confirmation with a pro-rated fee amount. Daily drop-ins (8:45 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) are $125.00 per day. Half-day drop-ins (8:45 a.m.-12:30 p.m.) are $60 per day.
WHAT IS YOUR REFUND POLICY FOR SICKNESS/MISSED DAYS?
We can coordinate "makeups" for missed days due to an unexpected family emergency, and serious extended illness. You may recover those days by joining us for an different weekly session, assuming that space is still available for that specific summer only. No refunds will be issued for missed days due to last minute day trips, extended travel arrangements, playdates, special invitations, etc. Full session payments, and prepaid extended day payments are also not refundable due to last minute schedule changes.
WHAT IS YOUR GENERAL POLICY FOR AIR QUALITY AND SMOKE?
We will monitor air quality each day camp is in session, especially if smoke is present from distant wildfires. We ask that you provide your child with a N-95 or another smoke filtering mask on days that smoke impacts air quality and reaches unhealthy levels. If air quality is Moderate (AQI of 51-100), we will limit physical activities and exertion. If air quality reaches Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups levels, (AQI of 101-150), we will restrict physical activities and exertion, especially for campers with asthma and/or other respiratory health issues. If air quality reaches Unhealthy levels (AQI of 151-200), we will contact parents and ask for pickup to occur within a few hours. The safety of your children is our highest priority. Please have your cell phones charged and close by in case we need to reach you on days that dangerous smoke is present in the atmosphere.
WHAT ABOUT SWIMMING?
Due to algae, water quality readings, and health and safety concerns, swimming at Lake Anza will be offered at the discretion of the Program Director. We have not offered swimming for the past six summers due to unhealthy water quality, and general lack of interest. *Specific information regarding safety and supervision is listed below.
We swim at Lake Anza once a week from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The group is required to attend a safety talk facilitated by a trained and certified lifeguard to revisit swim safety and lake etiquette. The youngest children are only allowed to swim between the first and second rope where it's very shallow. Experienced swimmers can swim further out after they perform and pass a swim test facilitated by one of the on duty lifeguards. The swim test takes place in chest to shoulder deep water.
During our allocated swim time, there are a handful of lifeguards sitting in towers. In addition, the Co-Director and I are required to observe the children at all times. We request that the children stay between the two lifeguard towers for easiest supervision, as opposed to roaming out of sight down the beach. We also have counselors assisting with the supervision. Historically, most of the kids spend 90% of the time playing in the wet sand, building miniature landforms, and digging for clay. They also enjoy relaxing on the grassy area above the beach where we store our towels, backpacks, and belongings.
Swimming is an optional activity. Instead of lake swimming, most of our campers opt to play in the Earthwork Grove where we build fairy houses and gnome homes. Some weeks it's just too cold and windy to swim!
IS MY PROGRAM A GOOD FIT FOR CHILDREN ON THE SPECTRUM, AND NEURODIVERGENT YOUTH’S AND TEENS?
Sometimes a child may need a program different than ours, with either more or less structure, specific age groups, more staff, and/or specific activities and time indoors.
At time of registration, we require full disclosure of any challenges and helpful tools to provide support for your child. If your child receives special arrangements in school, or has an ABA therapist, we ask you to check in to learn if we can provide the same accommodations for your child at camp. If your child is on medication, and they will need to be so at camp, please note that staff cannot dispense those medications.
If it turns out that we thought camp would work following registration, and your child has needs we cannot accommodate and manage with our staffing ratios once his/her/their camp session begins, and if your child is requiring additional attention to keep camp safe for everyone, we will set up a meeting, and establish and mutually agree upon rules to resolve this. At that time, you may be asked to shorten the length of the camp day, take days off from camp, or not return to camp without a refund.
We realize that it can be challenging to adjust your schedule if Sees the Day Summer Program doesn’t work well for your child, so please think things through ahead of time, conferring with a therapist, teacher, your child’s doctor, or other trusted professional. Even if you are extremely confident that our camp will be a good fit, please coordinate a back-up plan to support your child and family in case it is not.
In the case that the camp is not a good fit, and your child is asked not to return to camp, there are no refunds.
Here are the registration steps.
On the Registration Form, I ask each family to note allergies, physical, medical, attention related, and/or behavioral diagnosis.
Please be certain to disclose this information, and immediately schedule a phone call with Kirk Cooper before sending in your registration materials.
During the phone call, we will discuss whether Sees the Day Summer Program is the right match for your child. This is also an opportunity to learn about the daily schedule, transitions, Kirk’s teaching and leadership style, and his staffing model. A pre-camp conversation is crucial to ensure that your child’s individual needs will be supported, and that they have a joyful, positive, and successful experience at camp.
During the call, you will be asked how your child does in a large, mixed age group of 6-16 years old’s, aptitude on trails while transitioning to different environs in the park, and if they can manage to sit in a circle for extended periods of time. In addition, we’ll need to learn which external stimuli may trigger your child, if your child requires an ABA therapist, specific schedules and routines, and language you utilize at home and school.
*Please note: Any information withheld on the Emergency Form will be grounds for dismissal from camp without refund.
Hope this information helps!
Please contact me with any additional questions and/or concerns you might have.