b Parent’s Camp Handbook 2015
b Parent’s Camp Handbook 2015
Adventureland Day Camp
find your true north 6401 Hulmeville Road Bensalem, PA 19020 www.adventurelanddaycamp.com
Dear Parents and Kids, Welcome to Adventureland Day Camp 2015!
Thank you for choosing Adventureland for your summer day camp! As part of our efforts to make your summer
camp experience as enjoyable and smooth running as possible, we’ve put together the following Parent Handbook. Whether you are a new member of the Adventureland family or a longtime friend, please take a few moments to look through this guide. You may also want to refer to it throughout the summer, as this handbook will answer many questions that you may have. For additional information visit www.adventurelanddaycamp.com for our 2015 Camp FAQ’s. Yours in camping, The DeVicaris Family & Staff of Adventureland Day Camp
What To Bring to Camp: Campers and parents are always concerned about what’s needed for camp.
In general the philosophy of “Less is more” applies when packing your bag for camp. The following is a list of items that will help your child have an enjoyable summer: • Clothing that can get dirty. • Sneakers or other comfortable shoes for hiking, adventure course climbing, sports playing, etc. • Old sneakers for exploring creeks and streams. • Campers may wear flip-flops but must bring sneakers every day too. • Wear weather appropriate clothing like raincoats and sweatshirts for rainy weather. • Bathing suit along with plastic bag for packing up wet bathing suit in the afternoon. Your child can wear his/her bathing suit to camp. • Towel. Please put your child’s name on all items. • Sunscreen. Please apply before coming to camp. • Large backpack or duffel bag You may wish to pack other items such as hats or water bottles depending on your child’s needs, however please remember that Adventureland provides water, juice and an afternoon snack. Adventureland also provides sports equipment, but if your children wish to bring in their own equipment, like a fishing rod, they may do so. please clearly label everything with indelible marker. Include on the labeling your child’s name and group so we can return any lost items to you as soon as possible. Our lost and found is located in our equipment room.
What Not to Bring: One thing to remember is that the more your child brings to camp, the more they are capable of losing, and Adventureland Day Camp will not be held responsible for any items lost, stolen or damaged while involved with camp.With that in mind, there are some items which are not needed and will not be tolerated at camp. Please do not allow your child to bring the following items to camp: • CD Players, ipods, mp3 players or portable radios of any kind • Cell phones • Gameboys or electronic games • Toys • *Magic or Pokemon cards *Magic or Pokemon cards will be allowed at camp when there are rainy days. In that situation, we ask that you make sure the cards are in a clearly labeled box or rubber band and immediately turned into your counselor for storage in the office.
• Knives or weapons of any kind
First Week of Camp: While we do our best to make sure everything runs smoothly, inevitably minor issues will arise
the first few days. Transportation usually runs a little slowly during the first week of camp, as children and staff become familiar with this process. Please don’t worry, drop-offs and pick-ups will become more routine as the weeks go by.
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb Regular Camp Hours 9:30 a.m. till 3:45 (Drop-off begins at 9:00 a.m. Pick-up starts at 4:00 p.m.) Extended Day 7:30 a.m. till 5:30 p.m. ( Read Extended Hours rates and options here: issuu.com/adventurelanddaycamp/docs/2015datesratesguide Regular Arrival and Dismissal Procedures for Base Camp & Mini Camp:
All campers must be picked up by 4:30 pm or be charged a late pickup fee of $10.00. For drop-off and pick-up you will drive slowly down the driveway and stop under our main building’s overhang where you will be approached by a staff member who will get your child out of the car in the morning and will ask for identification and ask who you are picking up when you are here to pick up in the afternoon.. We will then bring your child to you. There is no need to park or get out of your car unless, of course, you want to.
If you wish to park for any reason, please use the visitor parking spaces located directly across from the underpass. We ask that you do not use staff parking because our staff come in early each day for training and need those spaces.
Late Drop-off or Early Pick-up: All late drop-offs (after 9:30 p.m) park in the visitor parking area and report
immediately to the main office. For early pick-up (before 4:00 p.m.) come to the office where your child will be paged for you. Please don’t attempt to find your child or have them wait for you by the parked cars. We must account for EACH AND EVERY CAMPER before dismissal, and if your child leaves their group or the property without our knowledge, we can’t do that. There is also the safety issue to be concerned about. Many cars travel down our driveway, and we want to make sure no unsupervised child accidentally gets hit.
Arrival and Dismissal for Extended Hours* (Before and After Care) For Base Camp & Mini Camp:
Many working parents take advantage of our Extended Hours program. If you have chosen to make use of this wonderful program, please use the following guidelines to ensure a smooth-running process: Eatly Morning Drop-Offs (7:30 – 9:00 a.m.) When dropping your child off in the morning, please pull into the underpass at the front of the building. There will be a staff member there to help your child out of your car and direct them where to go. If you wish to park for any reason, please use the visitor parking spaces located directly across from the underpass. We ask that you do not use staff parking because our staff come in early each day for training and need a space to park. Late Afternoon Pick Up (4:30 – 5:30 p.m.) All campers must be picked up by 5:30 pm or be charged a late pickup fee of $25.00 for every 15 minutes you are late. You may pick your child up at any time after 4:30 p.m. and before 5:30 p.m.. Report to the staff member at the underpass, where your child will be paged and signed out. Adventureland is extremely safety conscious, and will ask to see your identification when you are picking up your children. When a situation arises where someone else must pick up your child, please send a note with a phone number where you can be reached. If you have to pick your child up early between 4:00 and 4:30 you will have to park in the visitor parking area and report immediately to the main office. From there, your child will be paged for you to take home. Please don’t attempt to find your child or have them wait for you by the cars each day. We must account for EACH AND EVERY CAMPER before dismissal, and if your child leaves their group or the property without our knowledge it will interfere with this important process. PLEASE NOTE: There is an additional fee for the Extended Hours Program. Click on this link : issuu.com/adventurelanddaycamp/docs/2015datesratesguide to see Extended Hours rates.
Lunch Information:
Parents must pack their child’s lunch. We will collect and refrigerate all bag lunches until lunchtime. Please package well and label your child’s lunch carefully. Adventureland will provide an afternoon snack and plenty of iced cold water throughout the day. We will also be providing Lemonade and Iced Tea at Lunch Time. There is a snack machine on site for lunch time and snack time for additional choices.
bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb Medical Information:
We require all campers enrolled in all our camps and courses to provide us with current health forms along with permission slips for the giving of Tylenol. They can be downloaded from our website: www.adventurelanddaycamp.com We have a registered Nurse on staff. She is present at camp from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily. She will manage and dispense any medications your child needs. Please place the medication, and instructions for dosage and time to administer in a clearly labeled plastic bag. Instruct your child to give the bag to their counselor so they can turn it into the nurse or drop it off yourself to the office.
Counselor Phone Calls
Enclosed with your child’s grouping information, you will find the name and phone number of your child’s’ counselor. Please save this information. Your child’s counselor will make every effort to contact you prior to the first day of camp. However, you are more than welcome to call them. This is a wonderful opportunity to begin getting to know each other as well as discuss any special concerns regarding your child. You may also feel free to call your child’s counselor at any time throughout the summer to discuss any issues you may have, or just to see how things are going. Nine times out of ten, the counselor would be the first person you’d call when a problem arrises since they have the most contact with your child. We also provide a meet the parents night before the start of camp. This is a good time for you and your child to get acquainted with their counselor. The date will be announced in May.
WHAT TO ASK YOUR CHILD ABOUT CAMP
We want you to know what a fun time your child is having at Adventureland, so we encourage you to ask your children about their day. Often times so many things happen during a camp day, it’s hard for children to separate everything out and tell you about camp. Here are a few sample questions to help focus your child, and give you an idea of what happened each day: • What was the best thing you did at camp today? • Did you try anything new today? • What’s coming up at camp? • Do you need anything for tomorrow?
VISITORS TO CAMP
Adventureland has an open door visiting policy, and we welcome parents to stop by. With that in mind, we are extremely safety conscious about who is on the property during camp hours. When visiting camp, you will be stopped at the entrance by our Door Person who will ask you to sign in, and will radio the office to let them know of your arrival. Next you will be instructed where to park and will sign in again at the office. Once signed in, you will be given a visitor badge, and escorted to your child’s group. Upon leaving, we ask that you stop back by the office to drop off your badge, and sign out. You are also invited each Wednesday to attend our weekly Family Night beginning the 2nd week of camp. Come join us from 6 to 8 p.m. for swimming, boating and fishing. This is a great time to meet your fellow camp parents and their children. And to all share in the Adventureland camp experience.
Contact Information & Important Links: Adventureland Day Camp 6401 Hulmeville Road Bensalem, PA 19020 In-season phone: 215-757-9142 email: adaycamp@aol.com web: www.adventurelanddaycamp.com Newsletters and other digital publications: issuu.com/adventurelanddaycamp