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40 brparents.com | march 2016 with so many different types of
camp
s out there that match the interests of just about every
child
, we?ve compiled a checklist of essentials worth considering to help you narrow the choices down. then before you sign up, the american
camp
association recommends you ask
camp
representatives some important questions about the quality of the
camp
. so grab a cup of coffee and kick back with this easy-to-follow checklist and question guide to make the search to finding the right
camp
for your
child
a whole lot easier. questions to ask your kid?s
camp
what is the
camp
?s philosophy? for ex- ample, some
camp
s
promote individual and/ or team competition, while others emphasize no- stress fun for all. make sure their emphasis is in line with yours. what training do counselors receive?
camp
staff should be trained in safety regu- lations, emergency pro- cedures and communica- tion, behavior management techniques,
child
abuse prevention, appropriate staff and
camp
er behavior, and specific procedures for supervision. is the
camp
ac- credited by the american
camp
association (aca)? the aca accredits more than 2,500 overnight
camp
s na- tionwide each year. ac- creditation visitors ask over 300 questions regarding health, safety and program quality issues. what?s the
camp
director?s back- ground? the aca recommends
camp
direc- tors hold a bachelor?s de- gree, have completed in- service training within the last three years, and have at least 16 weeks of
camp
administrative experience before becoming director. what is the coun- selor-to-
camp
er ratio? aca stan - dards require different ratios for varying ages of
camp
- ers and special needs. gen- erally, the ratios at resi- dent
camp
s range from one staff member for every six
camp
ers ages 7-8, one staff member for every eight
camp
ers ages 9-14, and one staff member for every 10
camp
ers ages 15-18. will there be su- pervision of my
child
at all times? does a counselor sleep in the same cabin with the
camp
ers? is there super- vision where the
child
ren change clothes, such as in locker rooms? 1 2 3 4 5 6 what makes a good
camp
? what to know before they go talk with your
child
. is there something they want to learn more about? talk to friends and neighbors about their
child
?s experiences at various
camp
s. attend the
camp
fair and summer vacation expo on saturday, april 2 at 10 a.m. at the mall of louisiana. gather brochures from
camp
fair?or from internet searches, the library, your
child
?s school, and local churches. find a
camp
checklist 40 brparents.com | march 2016
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