General Information:
Regular camp hours 9am – 3:00 pm
Drop off time is no earlier
than 8:45 am for those campers not registered for extended care.
Pick up time is no later
than 3:15 pm for those campers not registered for extended care.
Extended care hours 8 am – 8:45 am
3:15pm – 5:30pm
Transportation hours 7:45 am – 8:30am
3:15pm – 4pm
These are the “windows of time in which our buses will be available for drop off / pick
up. Actual pick up / drop off times will vary but once set, will be consistent. (example:
Oakland@7:45am, Orinda Safeway @ 8:00 etc.)
What to bring:
Campers should bring the following each day.
A bag lunch
Water bottle
A towel
Bathing suit
Sunscreen we
will have available but camper should come already screened
Snacks fruit, crackers, juice box etc
Clothing appropriate and modest summer clothes with shoes for activity
and sports. Flip flops are o.k to bring but appropriate active sports type shoes
are necessary
Game Boys or personal electronic entertainment are not allowed. We hope to keep your camper busy
and active enough so that these are not needed. We will also encourage the social
interaction and friendships between campers and these items will detract from that purpose.
Cell phones are allowed for emergency but may not be used at any time for other than emergency purposes.
Energy drinks (Red Bull etc.) are not allowed at camp. Campers may not bring, buy or consumne these
items while at camp.
Campers may have cell phones in their possession for emergency purposes but they must be
turned off while at camp except in case of emergency. This applies to Teen Leadership Campers also.
Only those who are authorized to pick up your child will be able to do so. If someone other than you or the
authorized individuals will be picking up your child you must provide authorization in writing. This is to protect your child, not to make life difficult. Please
make sure you make arrangements to authorize any person who will be picking up your child.
Please check your camper upon pick up or as soon as possible afterwards. We do participate in nature hikes and explore
local natural areas. Ticks are commonplace in our area and should be removed
as soon as possible. To remove ticks, use tweezers (not your fingers) and grasp
the tick as close to the camper’s skin as possible and pull gently, straight back until the tick releases. Apply antiseptic and watch the area over next few days. If
redness appears consult your camper’s doctor immediately. The most common
area for ticks on our campers is in the hair.
Sign IN/ OUT
Parents are required to sign in at beginning of camp day and to sign out at end of the camp day. Please
DO NOT leave or pick up your camper without signing in or out. To not do so is dangerous and causes undue worry.
LOST AND FOUND
We offer the best in summer fun and adventure to over 150 campers per week. We can not be responsible
for lost items although we strive to return these items to their owner. Please help us by labeling your camper's possesions
with their name. We maintain a lost and found for unlabeled property for two weeks and discard these items if not picked
up by that time. We make every attempt to return labeled items if found however we can not and will not be responsible
for any items that are lost.
Frequently Asked Questions
My child needs to take medication during the day, how do you handle this?
We have a head counselor who is responsible for all medication distribution. we keep all information
on file with this staff member and they are specifically delegated to this duty.
How do you ensure the safety of my child on field trips and outings?
On field trips and outings, the camper to counselor ratio for ages up to age 8 is a maximum
of 4:1 with younger children even set at 2:1 or 3:1 depending on the child's activity and attention level. 9-12 year
olds are given a little more autonomy to enjoy their experience with a ratio of a maximum of 6:1. All outings include
these camper to counselor ratios and an additional 1 - 4 camp directors or senior staff that remain unassigned to a group
whose responsibility it is to "roam" and supervise, monitor exits etc. Additionally, all campers are issued a brightly
and uniquely colored slip on "pinnie" jersey to wear during the outing with the camp name and contact phone number permanently
affixed to the jersey.
Other camps include transportation and extended care in their price.
Why don't you? We try our best to keep the base costs of our camps as affordable as possible. Transportation
and extended care are added as a user fee so that only those campers utilizing those services pay for them.
Do you accept children with ADHD, Autism and other Special Needs? All
campers must be able to function at the minimum level of behaviour necessary to ensure the safety and enjoyment of all campers.
For the safety of your camper and others all campers must be able to listen, exhibit minimum levels of good behaviour
and respect for staff and follow directions. A child's inability to perform to minimum standards of behaviour primarily
where their safety or the safety of others is concerned, are subject to disciplinary action as described below or
other appropiate measures deemed necessary to ensure safety and a good summer experience for all.
What is your policy on discipline?
We believe that all kids will have good days and bad days. Our counselors and support staff will balance
these "good times, bad times" with the needs of the group as a whole and base their response accordingly.
We believe in our campers and their inherent goodness, however in order to maintain a fun and enjoyable experience for the
group we have a graduated discipline policy that is as follows:
1) Verbally remind camper of rules and standard of behavior.
2) Verbal reminder and "time out" time
3) Stronger verbal reminder and additional time out
4) Camper will call parent and notify parent of his/her behavior
5) Parent will be asked to pick up their camper
6) If camper finds it too difficult to modify their behavior after these steps camper will be sent home
for two days.
7) Persistent negative behavior and unwillingess to improve will result in discharge of camper from the
program.
We have found that for most issues with campers the graduation of discipline does not extend beyond
#2 and sometimes #3. With the few that move beyond #3 most modify their behavior by #4. Rare is the case where a camper
moves to #5, extremely rare is #6 and #7 has not yet been necessary.
We do have a zero tolerance policy for foul language or hitting or striking another camper
or staff in any manner. For these offenses the camper usually goes directly to #3 and #4. If
a recurring problem camper will go directly to #5.
Possesion of or use of weapons of any kind or use of or possesion of any illegal substance will
result in immediate graduation to # 5 and depending on the severity of the offense could move directly to #7.
For the safety of your camper and others all campers must be able to listen, exhibit minimum levels of good behaviour
and respect for staff and follow directions. A child's inability to perform to minimum standards of behaviour primarily
where their safety or the safety of others is concerned, are subject to disciplinary action as described above or other
appropiate measures deemed necessary to ensure safety and a good summer experience for all.
There is no refund as a result of disciplinary actions.
What is your plan for days of extreme heat ?
On the normal range of summer temperatures we plan our activities so that the morning is the more strenuous
times and the afternoons are spent in cooler and wet fun. Campers should come to camp with a generous lather
of sunscreen already applied. We will have additonal sunscreen available for refreshment during the course of the day.
On days of triple digit and extreme triple digit temperatures, our regular activities are scaled back accordingly
and campers spend much of their time in shaded areas, playing board and other non - strenuous games. Our camp
plan will be modified to include indoor field trips like the Exploratorium, movies, bowling, trips to Black Diamond
mines etc. We will not sacrifice the safety of your camper for the sake of the planned program.
What is your procedure for a medical emergency ?
For minor first aid issues, qualified first aid is administered.
For those very rare cases where professional medical help is required, a camper medical profile, insurance information
and treatment authorization form accompanies a camper wherever he/she goes. Staff will take appropiate measure (call
911, take to nearest medical facility etc.) and make sure the camper is taken care of. At the earliest possible opportunity
staff will contact the camper's parent or guardian.
What is your refund policy?
Due to fixed expenses incurred upon registration and projected future costs we do not offer refunds after June
1st. We may offer credit towards future programs. Schedules do change however and registered weeks can be moved with
7 days notice of change.
Insure your campers tuition in the event of sickness or other emergency. Visit
