Summer Camp Series Parent/Guardian Guide

SUMMER CAMP SERIES

2021 parent/guardian guide

The Summer Camp Series offers something for every interest and ability, with 12 camp options for ages 5-15 years ranging from arts to science to nature. A fun, safe summer is our top priority.

A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR WELCOME TO CAMP! We are excited your child will be joining Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation’s 2021 Summer Camp Series! Summer is a magical time for children to enjoy the outdoors, learn something new, have fun and build friendships. But first and foremost, we know your child’s safety + well-being is your priority, it’s ours too. Throughout the Parent/ Guardian Guide we’ll answer frequently asked questions and share details about day-to-day camp activities and expectations. Our summer camps provide wonderful memories for your children and for you as parents/guardians.

We feel the time your child spends away from home each day is very important to their growth as an individual, and we want to make it special with long-lasting, positive memories.

Your camper will come home each day eager to discuss the day’s events, so get ready to hear about all the exciting stories from camp! Campers will be involved in a wide range of activities each day that make camp more than a daycare program. The various types of camp activities include • leadership development • team building • swimming • active play • academic enrichment • field trips • problem-solving • character education • service-learning • and more.

Our R.I.C.H.E.R. principles teach campers the character traits of RESPECT, INTEGRITY, CARING, HARMONY, EXCELLENCE and RESPONSIBILITY. We believe our campers’ lives will be “R.I.C.H.E.R.” if they can learn and live these principles.

We hope you’ll be delighted with our camp programs, and we look forward to working with you and your family.

Our supervisors and counselors have carefully crafted the weekly themes and activities to create the most enjoyable summer camp experience for your children. Although we don’t take the place of parents/guardians, we can be a positive influence and our staff looks forward to serving as positive role models.

Have a great summer!

Jennifer Brown Summer Camp Series Director

Jennifer Brown ESE Director 317.843.3864 jbrown@carmelclayparks.com

Carmel Clay Parks & Recreation Monon Community Center 1235 Central Park Drive East Carmel, IN 46032

THINGS TO BRING EACH DAY

Listed below are the items your child will need for camp.

Please LABEL ALL ITEMS with your camper’s full name to help to reduce lost items. Please note that your child’s camp supervisor will be in touch regarding additional camper needs for your child’s specific camp week • A healthy, non-perishable lunch with drink. Refrigerators and microwaves are not available for campers’ lunches, please use ice packs if needed. Note: Some field trips may require a 100% disposable sack lunch.

• A separate, designated snack for the afternoon. Note: Some camps ask you to pack two snacks per camp day.

• Leak-proof, unbreakable, refillable water bottle.

• Appropriate clothing which includes tennis shoes and socks. Since campers will be involved in active play throughout the camp day, we do not recommend sandals or open-toe shoes. In addition, dress to get messy!

Water games may be played on hot days so campers should NOT wear good clothes. Camp is held indoors and out, so dress for the weather! A jacket or sweater may be needed on cool mornings. A raincoat or poncho will be needed on rainy days.

• Bathing suit, towel, and a labeled bag for wet suit for swimming days at The Waterpark at Monon Community Center.

• Spray sunscreens and insect repellant! Children will be outdoors for a large portion of the day. Please apply sunscreen and bug repellent before arriving at camp. Please send extra sunscreen and insect repellant to camp every day. Please work with your child on how to reapply these applications. If your child has difficulties with this, please inform the Site Supervisor so staff can assist the child. Note: Staff can only assist with spray sunscreen.

• Backpack large enough to hold all items. CCPR is not responsible for any lost or stolen items.

Items to leave at home Our summer camps are fully equipped with activities and games suited for each age group. Please do not allow your child to bring toys from home, eliminating unnecessary problems. Campers may bring toys or items of special interest on sharing days or by special arrangement with camp staff. CCPR is not responsible for any lost, stolen, damaged, or traded items.

• We prohibit drugs, alcohol, guns, knives, weapons (real or fake), or other items relating to aggression and/or posing a potential safety concern.

• Please do not allow your child to bring in any electronic devices. Any electronic devices brought in by a child or family is the responsibility of the child and the child alone. It is the family’s responsibility to retrieve confiscated property at sign-out. This includes cell phones and personal or school-issued tablets.

• Please do not allow your child to carry money to camp unless it has been previously requested by written communication from the Site Supervisor for a specific program or field trip.

OUR SUMMER CAMP TEAM Our summer camp programs are committed to the safety and well-being of your camper. Our team of professional Site Supervisors oversee all day camp staff, who have been working in our Extended School Enrichment before- and after-school programs, as well as seasonal staff recruited for their enthusiasm, experience, and skill set. We place a serious emphasis on training efforts, requiring our Counselors to complete rigorous pre-camp training in the areas of working with children, deescalation techniques, group dynamics, communicable disease mitigation, safety and programming.

All staff go through background checks and complete a drug screening before hiring. CPR/AED and First Aid certification is required of all staff members as well as Stewards of Children (a child sexual abuse recognition and prevention program) and Crisis Prevention Intervention. We take pride in the high expectations we set for our summer camp staff each year and evaluate them regularly.

REQUESTING MODIFICATIONS CCPR’s Summer Camp Series is committed to being an inclusive program. We are dedicated to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). By making reasonable modifications, our inclusion model allows participants of many ability levels to join our SCS programs. Please visit our website to view our full inclusion statement and request a reasonable modification for your camper.

For general questions about our program process and inclusive services, please contact Aimee Rich, Inclusion Supervisor, at 317.843.3866 or arich@carmelclayparks.com.

KEEPING MY CAMPER SAFE + SECURE At Camp Our campers’ safety is always our top priority. Camp staff is trained for 100% supervision, which means all campers are 100% under the supervision of staff, unless they are in the restroom. While using the restroom, staff will monitor from the entrance/exit to ensure only one child is in a stall and that campers are using the facilities in a timely fashion. All camps are staffed with a 1:15 staff-to-child ratio, which supersedes the recommendation from the State of Indiana.

Staff and campers will review emergency procedures the first day of every camp week, including fire, lockdown and severe weather.

At The Waterpark Before your camper’s designated swimming day, you will communicate your child’s swimming level to the camp Site Supervisor. The choices include beginner (red band), intermediate (yellow band), and advanced (green band). Based upon the color of the camper’s wrist band, they will be allowed to enter designated parts of The Waterpark. Red bands are limited to shallow activity areas whereas green bands can enter any area of The Waterpark. If you have any questions as to which pool areas your child can enter based upon their band color, please consult your child’s Site Supervisor. Parents/guardians can change their child’s color band throughout the summer. All Waterpark lifeguards and camp staff are trained on which band colors can enter which areas and staff are positioned throughout The Waterpark to ensure campers are only entering areas in which their band color permits.

COMMUNICATION • Prior to your camper’s enrolled camp week, the Site Supervisor for that camp will reach out to you with highlights and reminders regarding what to expect during your camper’s camp week.

• Staff will email communication regarding any minor injuries requiring a band-aid or ice pack. More serious injuries will be communicated by phone call.

• Communication regarding positive behavior or behavior reports for improvement will be emailed.

• Prior to your child’s first day of camp, we strongly recommend that you confirm your phone number and email address with your child’s camp supervisor to ensure accuracy.

• Parents/guardians may reach out at any time by phone to their child’s camp location. Emails are also a great way to communicate, although Site Supervisors have limited time while children are present to check email.

The site cell phone will receive text messages, and many of our families like to communicate that way.

• Please feel free to call the camp site phone at any time to speak to your camper (contact information can be found on the last page). Please note that campers might be busy with an activity or outside playing, so they might need to give the parent/guardian a call back. Staff are always happy to relay any information to the camper as well, if preferred.

HOT WEATHER, SUNSCREEN + WATER BREAKS

Hot Weather: Outdoor play is an important part of our daily schedule. Please dress your children appropriately for weather conditions. All children will go outside daily, weather permitting. If your child is not well enough to participate in outdoor play, please keep them at home. Please note on extremely hot days, outdoor time will be limited, and campers will be monitored for signs of heat-related illness. Staff will ensure adequate hydration and provide plenty of opportunities for campers to cool off indoors or in a shady area.

Sunscreen: We are committed to keeping your child safe from the sun. To help prevent sunburn, we recommend applying a base layer of sunscreen prior to arriving at camp. Campers spend a large amount of time in outdoor activities. Please apply 8-hour sunscreen that will last all day before arriving at camp. Please provide your camper with spray sunscreen in a bottle labeled with the camper’s full name to be kept with them throughout the day.

Staff is only able to apply spray sunscreen. As needed, staff will aid children in applying sunscreen.

Water Breaks: It’s important that campers stay hydrated this summer! Staff will offer regular, scheduled water breaks for all campers. We expect campers to bring a labeled, refillable water bottle to camp. Water will be onsite for campers who break or forget their water bottle. Staff is trained to monitor campers for signs of heat-related illness, and staff will take immediate first aid action if any camper presents with this condition.

FIELD TRIPS: TRANSPORTATION + EXPECTATIONS

CCPR contracts with a transportation company to provide school bus transportation for all field and swimming trips. Campers are expected to behave on these school buses as they would on their bus during the school year. Staff will regularly remind campers of the bus expectations and will hold campers accountable to those expectations.

On field trips, staff will conduct regular headcounts to ensure all campers are present and accounted for during the entirety of the trip. Campers are expected to wear their provided camper t-shirt on field trip days so they are easily identifiable as CCPR campers. Staff will front-load campers with field trip expectations before the trip, so campers are well-aware of all expectations at their field trip destination.

BEHAVIOR EXPECTATIONS We expect staff and campers alike to demonstrate the R.I.C.H.E.R. principles of RESPECT, INTEGRITY, CARING, HARMONY, EXCELLENCE and RESPONSIBILITY. Campers who fail to exhibit these character traits will be counseled by our staff. We have trained all employees to use positive discipline approaches to modify behavior including redirection, personal reflection time, mindfulness exercises, and removal from activity until more positive choices can be displayed. We deeply respect children and will never participate in any forms of physical or corporal punishment, including spanking, hitting, using exercise as a punishment, etc.

Our goal is to keep you informed of your camper’s behavior choices, both positive and areas for improvement.

When a camper makes a positive choice, they will receive a R.I.C.H.E.R. “Right”-up and you will receive an email with details. Chronic or severe behaviors that require improvement to safely participate in camp programs will also be shared through an emailed behavior report and subsequent phone call, if warranted.

Please see our Behavior Consequence Rubric for a more thorough explanation of how we hold campers accountable for their actions.

RESTROOM NEEDS Campers will take regularly scheduled restroom breaks. Restroom breaks are always monitored by camp staff, and participants will never be put in a one-to-one situation. Campers will only use restrooms inspected for safety by camp staff.

Our expectation is that campers are able to take care of their respective restroom needs.

SIGN-IN/SIGN-OUT PROCEDURES Pick up/drop off Outside of the Designated Times: • Drop Off: Camp leadership staff will be available from the start time of camp until 8:30 a.m. to facilitate the curbside drop-off process. We begin planned activities at 8:30a, so we ask that all campers be dropped off before this time. During drop off, staff will have rosters to sign in your child and you may be asked a few questions about your child’s health. To accommodate camp drop off after 8:30 a.m., please call the site cell phone to arrange the drop off location and time with the leadership team. You will be kept informed of the times the camp will be off-site for swimming and/or field trips. If your camper arrives after the bus leaves, then you will need to drop your camper off at the field trip destination or wait until the camp is back on-site to drop off.

• Pick Up: Camp leadership will conduct curbside pick-up beginning at 4:30 p.m.. To accommodate camp pick up prior to 4:30 p.m., please call the site cell phone to arrange the pick-up location and time with the leadership team. CCPR recognizes the need to provide a safe and secure site for all children in our summer camp programs.

As a result, CCPR will only release a child to an adult who is listed on the “Authorized Pick-up List” provided on EZChildTrack. Please ask your child’s Site Supervisor if you need to make any changes to your authorized pickup list. All requests must be made through the EZChildTrack system. Authorized adults picking up children must provide picture identification that matches the name in the EZChildTrack system.

Pick-up and Return to Camp during Camp Hours: • Please see pick-up procedures above. We cannot allow a parent/guardian to remain on-site with their camper once they have been signed out of camp. If the child is picked up mid-day, they may be signed back into camp except for illness or undesired behaviors.

• Please note that you are free to pick up and drop off your camper at any point in time during hours of operation. Be aware of times during the week when the camp will be off-site, as there will not be a staff member present to facilitate pick-up or drop-off when the camp is off-site.

If Late Picking up your Child • Our staff appreciate as much communication as possible should you run late in picking up your camper. Please note there is a late pick-up fee of $1 per minute, per camper for any pick-ups past the designated end time of camp hours of operation. Camper attendance may be impacted by unpaid late pick-up fees. If the parent/ guardian is over an hour late for pick-up and staff have exhausted the child’s authorized pick-up list, the authorities may be contacted to assist.

LOST + FOUND

If you suspect your camper lost an item, please contact your Site Supervisor with a description of the lost item as soon as possible. We will make every effort to return lost and found items while your child is at camp. Please mark all items with the child’s full name so they can easily be returned. If something is missing please contact us to check lost and found immediately. All unclaimed items will be donated to charity at the end of the month.

MEDICATION PROCEDURE Whether a camper needs to take a medication regularly at camp or needs their emergency medicine close at hand during the summer, our staff have it covered. We will request a parent/guardian to complete our Medication Permission Log which will serve as the parent’s permission to give the medication as well as serve as a log for when staff administer the medication. Any medication campers need while enrolled in camp should be provided in the original container. Unless the medication is utilized for quick-relief, emergency purposes, the medication will be locked and stored on-site at camp. Emergency medications will stay with the adults supervising the child for whom the medication belongs. With the parent’s permission, older campers may self-carry emergency medications.

Camper allergies are disclosed by the parent/guardian at the time of enrollment. Staff keep a running list of all campers with allergies and are diligent in keeping these campers safe by monitoring them and all their camp activities.

Please contact the Site Supervisor if your camper has any outstanding medical needs and/or allergies. We work with each family on a case-by-case basis to ensure safe participation.

RECOGNIZING + POLICY ON COMMUNICABLE DISEASES Communicable diseases are diseases that are transmitted from one individual to another and easily spread among children. Common communicable diseases among children are head lice/nits, pink eye, ringworm, and chickenpox.

You will be contacted immediately in the event your child shows signs or symptoms of communicable disease. A doctor’s note may be required for the camper to resume camp participation.

If camp staff suspect a child has contracted head lice, an immediate call for pick up will be placed to the parent/ guardian to treat the infected child and protect all other students, staff, and parents.

• In the event nits/head lice are found among your child, a parent/guardian must pick up the child within one hour of the notification.

• The Site Supervisor will notify all parents/guardians of all head lice/nits cases when found or reported. If nits/head lice are found outside of camp and the child has recently attended camp, parents/guardians must contact the Site Supervisor immediately so other parents/guardians can be properly notified. CCPR staff will never release the name of the affected camper.

• Students with nits/head lice must not return to camp until 24 hours after the first treatment is complete.

REPORTING CHILD ABUSE OR NEGLECT

Staff are trained to look out for the signs and symptoms of child abuse or neglect. If abuse or neglect is suspected, CCPR staff are required to call the Department of Child Services to make a report.

REFUND POLICY Cancellations for a camp week must be requested a minimum of two weeks prior to the start date to receive a full refund, less a $10 service charge per participant, per camp week.

All refunds are subject to the State Board of Accounts claim procedure and may take 3-5 weeks.

To request a refund, please contact Jackie Lazdins, Administrative Assistant, at 317.843.3865 or jlazdins@carmelclayparks.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Feel free to reach out to your child’s Site Supervisor at any time throughout the summer.

Adventures in Art

Move to Improve

Success on Stage

• Monon Community Center East

• Clay Middle School (weeks 1-6)

• Monon Community Center East

• 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (planned activity time from 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.)

• Monon Community Center West (weeks 7-9)

• 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (planned activity time from 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.)

• 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (planned activity time from 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.)

• Site Supervisor: Monica Haddock • 317.698.6576

• Site Supervisor: Valeska Simmonds

• mhaddock@carmelclayparks.com

• 317.258.6504

Camp Wayback • Jill Perelman Pavilion • 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (planned activity time from 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.)

• vsimmonds@carmelclayparks.com Outdoor Explorers • Jill Perelman Pavilion • 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (planned activity time from 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.)

• Site Supervisor: Elijah Bullard • 317.258.8266 • ebullard@carmelclayparks.com Chillville • Jill Perelman Pavilion • 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (planned activity time from 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.)

• jgray@carmelclayparks.com EnRoute • Clay Middle School • 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (planned activity time from 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.)

• jhammons@carmelclayparks.com STEAM Team • Wilfong Pavilion • 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (planned activity time from 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.)

• Site Supervisor: Cyndi Canada • 317.418.8475

• 317.679.9867

• ccanada@carmelclayparks.com

Science of Summer

• 317.418.1396

• 317.698.4966

• Site Supervisor: Alyssa Holsten • aholsten@carmelclayparks.com

• Site Supervisor: Jennifer Gray

• Site Supervisor: Jennifer Hammons

• Monon Community Center East • 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. (planned activity time from 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.)

The Summer Experience • College Wood Elementary • 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (planned activity time from 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.)

• Site Supervisor: Audrey Cooper

• Site Supervisor: Joey Castillo

• 317.418.5267

• 317.698.0816

• acooper@carmelclayparks.com

• jcastillo@carmelclayparks.com

Under the Sun • Carmel Middle School

• Site Supervisor: Amanda Gillim

• 7 a.m.-6 p.m. (planned activity time from 8:30 a.m.4:30 p.m.)

• 317.698.7950

• Site Supervisor: Graham Cecil

• agillim@carmelclayparks.com

• 317.418.6917 • gcecil@carmelclayparks.com

FEDERAL TAX ID # (EIN) 35-6000972