camp
Making Camp Work
We spoke to five camps that operated successfully and safely last summer—with no COVID-19. By Melissa Wickes
F
Courtesy Rockland County YMCA
amilies throughout New York have been through the ringer— and every kid is in need of a little fun. Fortunately, summer is around the corner when camp can come to the rescue. And because so many camps throughout the New York metro area were able to operate safely last summer, it looks like they will be able to open again this year. We talked to five camps about what precautions they took last year—and how they plan to do the same in 2021. (Spoiler alert: All of these camps saw zero transmission of COVID-19.)
LEARNING AND PREPARING The most important first step for camps was to buff up on all essential COVID-19 information. Most followed safety measures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state and local health departments, and the American Camp Association. “We took a very proactive approach, meeting weekly with our CEO, aquatics, registered nurse, specialists, and directors virtually, sharing any information someone may have received in their respective fields,” explains John Dillon, Rockland County YMCA youth program director. “Lisa [Coughlin, Rockland County YMCA program director] and I would attend virtual camp discussions with YMCA camps across the United States to see what they were doing, what was working, and what wasn’t working. All of this collaboration made it easier to prepare for the unexpected.” Every staff member at Camps ‘R’ Us, which operates several camps on Long Island, received extensive training about COVID. All group leaders, program staff, and directors were thoroughly educated on health procedures and received contact-tracer training through Johns Hopkins University. The camp also had health professionals on-call and available for guidance and consultation. Campuses were fully equipped with personal protective equipment and their infirmaries were revamped to add isolated areas. 14
February/March 2021 | nymetroparents.com
The Rockland YMCA operated two successful camps throughout the summer of 2020, one in Nyack and one in Pomona, with not one COVID-19 case.
HEALTH SCREENING Many camps set up procedures to track temperatures and monitor symptoms for 14 days before camp started. Park Shore Country Day Camp in Dix Hills, Ann & Andy’s Acres of Adventure in Elmsford, and the YMCA of Rockland, for example, required a health-screen form to be filled out by every camper and every member of the staff. At Camps ‘R’ Us, comprehensive daily health checks were already part of the norm—even prior to COVID-19—but they added elements like monitoring signs and symptoms of COVID-19 for 14 days prior to camp, daily temperature checks, and staff COVID-19 tests every 2 weeks. Camps ‘R’ Us also distributed important information to parents over email and ZOOM webinars.
