2021 Summer Camps

Guidelines and Best Practices Related to COVID-19 For Parents and Caregivers

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Thank you for enrolling your child in Mountain Laurel Waldorf School’s Summer Camp 2021! We are thrilled you will be with us and we are committed to making this camp experience fun and engaging for your child. This camp is a wonderful opportunity for children to spend time exploring many of the wonders of nature. Meeting new friends along the way is an added bonus!

Our number one goal will be to maintain the health and safety of our campers and staff within the context of many fun and engaging activities. In order to do this, we have consulted with an Infectious Disease specialist and other medical professionals, studied the summer camp and day care guidelines set forth by the CDC and reaching out to other schools and organizations that are moving forward with summer camp for ideas on best practices. This document is the result of this research.

Please read this document completely and carefully. It contains important information on procedures you must follow regarding drop-off and pick-up as well as other important best practices we ask that you follow. If you have any questions please contact Jessica Young at 845-255-0033 or jyoung@mountainlaurel.org.

Supplies your camper should bring each day:

  • Personal backpack (labeled with your child’s name) should be used to carry all of your campers’ belongings:
  • Healthy snack and lunch
  • Full bottle of water
  • Sun hat
  • Cloth face covering
  • Sunscreen and any other non-prescription items
  • Bathing suit for the sprinkler (your child may choose to wear their bathing suit under their clothes upon arrival)
  • One full change of clothing
  • Sneakers or sandals (closed-toe sandals are preferred)
  • One towel
  • Pull-ups/diapers with wipes, as needed
  • Please apply sunscreen to your child prior to arrival each day. It can be reapplied, if you’d like, as needed.
  • Please have rainy day clothing and rubber boots always at the ready.
  • Please label everything with your child’s name. (We will have a Sharpie on hand)

Arrival
The day begins at 9:00 am and ends at 3:00pm. Promptness is appreciated. Beginning the day at the same time with other children will help establish rhythm, which is the foundation of our program and will prove helpful for a smooth transition from home. The child who is consistently late is at a considerable disadvantage to the other children as he or she tries to enter into play that has already taken form.  Remember that shorter good-byes usually make for easier transitions.

Daily Tick Checks
Please remember to check your children for ticks on a daily basis, since we are outside all day long and we play hard in the grass. It is a good idea to apply a natural tick repellent to your child each morning before camp. Camp staff can assist with re-applying later in the day.


Important Procedures for morning drop-off each day: As recommended by the CDC, we ask that you follow these instructions when arriving to camp each morning:

  • Please form one line of cars in front of the school. You and your camper should not exit your car. A staff member will approach the first car in line to do a morning check-in. The staff member will be wearing a protective plastic face covering, a face mask and gloves.
  • This morning check-in will take more time than usual, so we ask that you be patient.
  • You will be asked the following questions each morning:

-Have you been exposed to anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19?
-Have you been exposed to anyone awaiting test results for COVID-19?
If the answer is ‘YES’ to either of these questions, your child may not come to camp and should remain in the car.
If the answers are ‘No’, the staff member will proceed with a visual assessment of your camper:
-Does the camper have flushed cheeks, have a cough, have rapid breathing or difficulty breathing(without recent physical activity)? If so, the camper may not come to camp that day.
If the camper passes this visual assessment, the staff member will do a Temperature Check on the camper while he/she remains in the car:
-If the temperature is above 100, the camper may not come to camp that day and should remain in the car.
If the temperature is 100.4 or below, the camper may exit the car and attend camp.

  • If possible, we ask that you remain in your car and allow your child (with face covering on) to be escorted into the play yard by a staff member. Otherwise, you may bring your child into the play yard. We ask that parents/caregivers wear a face mask and not loiter.
  • We will have each camper wash their hands upon entering the play yard.

Procedure for afternoon pick-up each day:

  • Parents/caregivers will remain in their car and pull up to the school, as they did for morning drop-off.
  • A staff member, wearing face mask and gloves, will help the camper whose parent/caregiver is first in line, gather their belongings and walk them to your car. This will repeat for each car.
  • We will have each camper wash their hands before entering car.

What we are doing to reduce risk each day:

  • We will follow the CDC’s schedule for cleaning, as applicable: cleaning and disinfecting will occur at the beginning and end of each day: all door knobs, sink knobs and gate latches; swing set and other play structures between uses; if forced indoors because of weather, all surfaces and toys used will be cleaned and disinfected each day.
  • Hand washing stations will be set up outside so that children can clean their hands before they enter the play yard.
  • Direct contact with parents will be limited as much as possible.
  • Parents/caregivers doing drop off and pick up will be asked to remain in their car, if possible.
  • If a parent needs to escort their child into camp, they will be asked to wear a mask and maintain 6 feet from all other individuals.
  • Parents/caregivers who leave their car to assist in drop off will be asked not to linger.
  • Physical guides, such as tape on floors or sidewalks, signs on walls and markings in the play yard will be used, to ensure that staff and campers are encouraged to remain at least 6 feet apart.
  • Each camper will have a ‘circle’ under our canopied areas that will be designated for their use only. Their belongings will stay there, and their nap/rest time will occur there as well.
  • Designated camper ‘circles’ will be six feet apart, to maintain social distancing.
  • Campers will remain outdoors unless weather does not permit. If indoors, campers will be delegated to the nursery and kindergarten classrooms.
  • Handwashing will be reinforced with increased monitoring to ensure adherence among campers and staff: with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol can be used (for staff and older children who can safely use hand sanitizer).
  • Staff and campers will be encouraged to cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue. Used tissues should be thrown in the trash and hands washed immediately with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol can be used (for staff and older campers who can safely use hand sanitizer).
  • Face coverings should be worn by staff and campers (particularly older campers) as feasible and are most essential in times when physical distancing is difficult (indoors).
  • Cloth face coverings are meant to protect other people in case the wearer is unknowingly infected but does not have symptoms. Cloth face coverings are not surgical masks, respirators, or other medical personal protective equipment.

Indoor Camp

If weather does not allow campers to be outside, then camp will happen in the kindergarten and nursery rooms. This will require vigilance and more guided play so children can maintain social distancing. In addition:

  • Staff and campers will handwash upon entering the room
  • Shoes will be removed and placed outside the room
  • Face masks will be worn by staff while indoors and encouraged for campers.
  • 6 feet distance between campers will be encouraged
  • Toys that cannot be cleaned and sanitized will be removed from the rooms
  • Linens, blankets, silks and lambies will be either removed from the classroom or assigned to a single child and laundered at the end of each week.
  • Toys that children have inadvertently placed in their mouths or that are otherwise contaminated by body secretions or excretions will be set aside until they are cleaned by hand by a person wearing gloves.
  • Children’s books, like other paper-based materials such as mail or envelopes, are not considered a high risk for transmission and can be used by one camper at a time and do not need additional cleaning or disinfection procedures.
  • It is recommended that activities that do not require touching or sharing be encouraged (Simon Says, Red Light, Green Light, any guided crafting, clay work, woodwork, handwork, sewing, storytime, etc.)
    Singing indoors will only occur if all participants are wearing face coverings. (Outdoor singing is okay).

Bathroom Use
Whether camp occurs outdoors or indoors, children and staff will use the indoor bathroom. Each camper will be escorted into the bathroom and only one camper at a time will be allowed to enter. Staff will ensure camper washes their hands before exiting the bathroom.

Recognizing Signs and Symptoms of COVID-19:

  • Your child should not come to camp, and you should notify the Administration, if they become sick with COVID-19 symptoms, test positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone with symptoms or a confirmed or suspected case.
  • If a camper or staff begins to exhibit COVID-19 symptoms, they will be isolated in a quarantine room immediately.
  • In accordance with state and local laws and regulations, Administration will notify local health officials, staff, and all families immediately of any case of COVID-19 while maintaining confidentiality in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Returning to Camp if Camper becomes ill

  • If a camper exhibits symptoms for COVID-19 (including temperature over 100.4 or any other symptoms consistent by CDC definition), does not test positive and has an alternate diagnosis from a doctor, they may return to camp after being symptom-free for three days with a note from the doctor.
  • If a camper exhibits symptoms for COVID-19, does not test positive and an alternate diagnosis has NOT been established by a doctor, they must wait two weeks and be symptom-free for three days before returning to camp with a note from the doctor.
  • There will be a designated room for any campers who begin to show symptoms for COVID-19. The sick camper will be quarantined in this room until a parent or caregiver picks them up. Pick up must occur immediately.
  • Any staff who begin to show symptoms for COVID-19 will go home immediately.
  • The quarantine room will be cleaned and disinfected after use.
  • If a camper tests positive for COVID-10 the Department of Health will be notified and MLWS will abide by the protocol set forth by DOH, which could include shutting down.