COVID Guidelines - Summer 2021

Please Note: These are the COVID safety protocols we used in Summer 2021. See current year protocols.

Commitment to Safety

 

Roughing It Day Camp has been providing safe outdoor experiences for children since 1972. For the 48 years we have been running our programs, safety has always been our top priority as our excellent safety record demonstrates. We are committed to making Roughing It Day Camp the safest program possible. We will continue to evaluate current health conditions, work with state and local officials, and will make modifications to our program as needed.

 
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An Even Safer Camp Environment

Roughing It Day Camp will follow all safety guidelines as defined by the state, county, and EBMUD Lafayette Reservoir. We will continue to evaluate current health conditions, work with local officials and will make modifications to our program as needed.

Safety Protocols for 2021 Camp Programs: 

  • All Outdoors
  • Small Groups / Stable Cohorts that Stay Together Everyday
  • Face Coverings & Physical Distancing
  • Teach & Reinforce Handwashing
  • Modified Camp Program & Camp Activities
  • Increased Staff Training
  • Daily Screening & Temp Checks of All Staff & Campers
  • Limited Sharing of Equipment & Supplies
  • Clean & Disinfect Regularly

Our Regulatory Agencies

 

Roughing It Day Camp follows the most current federal, state, and county guidelines with regards to best practices for preventing, identifying, and managing COVID-19. We partner with the following agencies and adhere to their requirements and protocols in full. 

California Department of Public Health Guidelines 

Contra Costa County Health Department  

Roughing It Day Camp is proud to be accredited by the American Camp Association. Our current procedures have been developed in accordance with ACA’s detailed Field Guide for Camps on Implementation of CDC Guidance, prepared by Environmental Health & Engineering, Inc.

 

Community Safety

 
 

In order to keep everyone in our camp community as safe as possible, we ask that all campers, staff, and camp families follow CDC and Contra Costa County health and safety guidelines before and during sessions at Roughing It Day Camp. This includes requirements for travel, physical distancing, and quarantining as determined needed.

Camp Procedures

 
 

Due to the nature of camp and close contact within a camp community, we have implemented new protocols and procedures to minimize exposure and mitigate risks as best we can while at camp. We require all campers, staff, and camp families to adhere to all safety procedures including but not limited to these mentioned for the safety of everyone at camp.

Stable Groups (Cohorts)

 

Campers will be assigned to stable (cohort) camper groups of no more than 14 similar-aged campers with one or two dedicated adult counselors. This group of campers and staff stay together all day, every day, for the duration of the camp session. Camper groups will follow their own schedule of camp activities specific to their stable camper group.

Physical Distancing

 

Stable groups will maintain physical distance from other groups and people outside their cohort group at all times. Campers within a cohort group will be encouraged to keep hands to themselves and will be spaced with appropriate physical distance, whenever possible, while at camp and during activities. However, campers may not be 6’ apart at all times within their cohort group. 

Masks & Face Coverings

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All staff, bus drivers/personnel, and campers will wear face masks/face coverings at all times while at camp except when eating, drinking, or swimming. Please send your child to camp with a clean, properly fitted face covering each day.

Examples of recommended (acceptable) face coverings can be found from the CDC: Your Guide To Masks

Hand Washing & Sanitization

 

Campers and staff will wash hands and use hand sanitizer frequently throughout the day while at camp. Hand sanitizer will contain 60% or more alcohol as recommended by the CDC to kill Covid-19.  Campers and staff will sanitize/wash hands upon arrival at camp as well as before and after activities, eating, and after using the restroom. Any shared camp equipment and supplies will be cleaned and sanitized after each camper group and daily before/after camp.

Daily Temperature Checks & Screening

 

Daily temperature checks and screening questions will be required for each camper and staff member every day before coming to camp or stepping on the bus.

Testing & Vaccines

 

We will continue to evaluate the availability of testing options and COVID-19 vaccines. We may consider making a recent negative COVID test a condition of participation. Our vaccine requirements will follow the state and county school requirements for children.

Bus Transportation

 
 

We will offer limited bus transportation to/from camp from central locations (SF, East Bay, Lamorinda, Tri-Valley.)  Campers will be in a camp bus with other campers that are not in their cohort group and will be part of a set bus group for the session. All campers will be transported in large school buses that allows for physical distancing of one camper / family per bench (siblings sit together). Masks must be worn at all times by all campers, staff, and bus drivers. Windows will stay down at all times to maximize ventilation and air flow. Buses will be sanitized daily and frequently between groups.

We are excited to continue offering bus transportation for 2021. Due to COVID guidelines for 2021, transportation will be in large school buses with limited capacity that allows for safe physical distancing. For this reason there are fewer central bus stops and home pick up is not available.

Camper Pick Up & Drop Off At Camp

 

For Summer 2021, we are normally not able to accommodate special pick up and drop off for campers during the camp day (9:15 am-3:00 pm) due to new check-in and health screening procedures. If a camper needs to arrive or depart from camp due to an appointment, parents will need to contact our office in advance to make special arrangements to pick up/drop off during the scheduled drop off and pick up times, 8:00 – 9:15 am and 3:00 – 4:00 pm. We will do our best to work with camp families on special requests however, we may not be able to accommodate special pick up/drop off outside of these times.

Camp Visitors

 

For Summer 2021, Roughing It will not be able to welcome parents, family members or visitors at camp. Roughing It will not be hosting family visiting days and we are not able to accommodate special pick-ups or drop-offs at camp this summer.

Extended Care / Camp Plus

 
 

Roughing It is running a modified extended care program for Summer 2021. To comply with cohort safety guidelines, CampPlus has limited enrollment and campers will need to enroll for the entire session. There is no CampPlus bus transportation for 2021.  Parents will need to pick up and drop off at the Reservoir Drop between 8:00-8:45am and 3:15-4:00 pm. See more information on our Extended Care program 

Extended Care Hours

 
 
 

For Summer 2021 – Extended Care Hours are limited to Before Camp from: 8:00 – 8:45 am and After Camp: 3:15pm – 4:00 pm. Parents who use Extended Care need to be timely and arrive between these hours. Camp closes at 4:00 pm each day. If you are going to be arriving later than 4 pm, please call the camp office to arrange a family member / authorized adult to pick up of your camper(s). If we do not hear from you and are not able to contact you by 4:15 p.m., we will begin calling the numbers listed on your emergency form. Parents who are regularly late and unable to pick up their children by 4 p.m.; will not be allowed to use extended care.  

Camp Activities

 

Roughing it Day Camp is known for our outdoor programs where children build life skills, great friendships, and have fun! Our team has worked hard to keep camp programs looking and feeling like the Roughing It experience we all know and love, with slight modifications, as needed, to make Camp the safest place possible. We will continue to evaluate health and safety guidelines and will make modifications to our programs as needed and cancel activities if necessary.

 

When Campers/Staff Get Sick

 

Camp Families are expected to monitor their camper(s) for symptoms of and exposure to COVID-19 for 14 days prior to the start of camp and throughout their session(s) at Roughing It.

If a camper/staff begin exhibiting symptoms after arriving at camp, the individual will be separated from others in an isolation area, and arrangements made for the individual to go home immediately.

If a Camper or Staff member exhibits COVID-19 symptoms (away from camp), the camp office should be contacted immediately and the camper/staff should not come to Camp, should arrange to be tested for COVID, and follow procedures below.

Campers or Staff who test positive for COVID-19 may return to camp when:

  • It has been at least 10 days since the first onset of symptoms (and)

  • Fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication (and)

  • 24 hours since all symptoms have improved

     OR

  • Two negative COVID-19 tests, more than 24 hours apart (and)

  • Resolution of fever without fever-reducing medication (and)

  • Improvement in symptoms

Communicating Covid Exposure

Roughing It Day Camp will maintain the confidentiality of all reported positive COVID-19 tests.

  • Positive cases will be reported in accordance with county requirements and, if necessary, follow up will be done at the direction of county representatives.

  • Camp families and staff who may have been exposed will be notified immediately

  • All facilities that the individual came in contact with will be cleaned and disinfected per county recommendations

  • Roughing It will determine if further isolation and/or quarantine of campers/staff is needed based on county guidelines.

Campers or Staff who have been exposed to COVID-19 should:

  • Stay home and quarantine for 14 days after your last contact/exposure with COVID-19

  • Follow directions on returning to camp (When Campers/Staff Get Sick)

Acknowledgment of Risk

 

We will do everything in our power to control what we can, but even with procedures and protocols in place we cannot control every risk. The very nature of personal interactions that take place at camp contain risks for spreading and contracting diseases and infections such as COVID-19. We will use our best efforts to keep your child safe from all illnesses, including the COVID-19 virus, while at camp. However, we want to make clear that we cannot promise or guarantee that this or any other pathogen will not enter our camp. We want you to be fully aware of this risk in making the decision to send your child to camp this summer and that you are willing to assume and accept this risk on your child’s behalf.

Additional Questions

If you have questions or concerns, please contact us! We are happy to discuss our safety policies and procedures for Summer 2021 and answer your questions to help determine if camp is a good fit for you and your child this summer. 

Thank you for working with us to make camp the safest possible experience for your campers and our camp community this summer.

As conditions in our community continue to evolve so will our planning and response. We will continue to update our camp families and post additional safety information on our website.