2013 Summer Camp Welcome Guide - YMCA of Greater Toronto

2013 Summer Camp Welcome Guide - YMCA of Greater Toronto 2013 Summer Camp Welcome Guide - YMCA of Greater Toronto

12.07.2015 Views

Health and Safety at CampAn enjoyable experience begins with a healthy participant.Your child’s good health — physical, social and emotional — isvery important to us. Our programs emphasize careful planningto ensure high safety standards are in place.Staff are trained to respond to emergencies. All staff hold current CPR andFirst Aid Certifications while most staff possess additional qualificationsdepending on their role at camp. All counsellors and waterfront staff are certifiedlifeguards (NLS).24 hour supervisionYMCA Camp Pine Crest provides what we call “24/7” supervision of all ourcampers. Pairs of counsellors ensure a high level of supervision throughout thesession. Counsellors divide duties during the session to attend staff meetings,deliver skill instruction and take time off while ensuring that the cabin group issupervised with a consistent leader. All counsellors sleep in the cabin with thecamper group and are available day and night for emergency situations.Wellness CentreOur Wellness Centre serves the health needs of everyone at camp. The wellnessstaff are in charge of the day-to-day routine of camper health checks before andafter canoe trips, delivering medications and handling incidents and accidentson site.The wellness coordinator is joined each session by a volunteer nurse or doctorwho provides appropriate medical attention for our camp population. Allparticipants visit with the wellness staff upon arrival to camp, before and afterout-trips and again before going home.We advise families to have their children examined by a physician annually;however, a physician’s signature is not required on the Health History Form.The Wellness Centre staff will keep you informed about your child’s health,especially in the case of a change in health or emergency. If you have anyconcerns or questions regarding your child’s health while they are at camp, ourwellness staff will call you back directly to discuss your concerns. In order for usto provide the best care possible for your child, please make sure to be as specificas possible on your child’s health forms.Illness while at campIt’s our camp practice to treat injury, illness and infectious diseases as perrecommendation of the local health unit. If your child happens to have head lice,impetigo or any other highly contagious illness, you will be contacted and askedto pick up your child until they have been cleared by a doctor to return.12

MealsMost meals during the session are together in our main dining halls Kekindewinor the Winter Lodge. Each cabin eats together, family style, with plenty of food.Some cabins like to plan a lunch excursion during the session where the kitchenprovides healthy meals to go for the group. Our kitchen staff prepares nutritious,tasty meals and snacks that follow the Canada Food Guide.Individuals who have special dietary needs can enjoy a supplemental menumodified to suit her/his needs. These special requests are to be noted on theCamper Information Form or prior to arrival at camp.. Both the wellness coordinatorand the food services supervisor will be on hand during Family Day and throughoutthe session if you have any particular concerns about food allergies or dietaryquestions. To help us keep a camp that is safe for campers with various allergies, weask all parents, friends and relatives of campers not to send parcels of food to camp.Nut sensitivityWhile we cannot guarantee a completely nut-free site, we do take every action possibleto ensure that children and staff with nut allergies are protected. All meals are preparedwithout any kind of nut products and we make sure that all campers are aware of productsthat may have been manufactured in the same factory as other nut products. To help withthis effort, we ask that no food will be sent to participants during their stay at camp.EmergenciesDuring our pre-camp training week all staff are trained to deal with all emergencysituations that could occur during our camp programs. All counselling staff and themajority of non-counselling staff have their National Lifesaving Society Lifeguardingqualification (NLS) and are trained in the event of a waterfront or off-site emergency.All YMCA camp staff are required to hold a current Standard First Aid, WHMIStraining and CPR-C and many staff hold higher qualifications in other safety areas.Active lifestyleCamp is a very active place. We make sure that all of our campers and staff stayhealthy by promoting regular application of sunscreen, adapt our outdooractivities in the case of extreme weather, provide regular water breaks and ensurethat healthy snacks are available throughout the day.Lost and foundOur counsellors do their best to help campers keep their belongings together butoccasionally, items get misplaced. Throughout the camp session, lost and founditems are displayed for campers to identify and claim. We will make every effort toreturn unclaimed items to their respective owners.However, the camp is not responsible for the loss or theft of these items. The bestway to avoid disappointment is to leave all valuable items at home and clearlylabel each piece of clothing and personal equipment with the child’s first andlast name. Parents can view lost and found items on the last day at camp, prior todeparture. Unclaimed personal items are donated to a local charity in the fall.13

Health and Safety at <strong>Camp</strong>An enjoyable experience begins with a healthy participant.Your child’s good health — physical, social and emotional — isvery important to us. Our programs emphasize careful planningto ensure high safety standards are in place.Staff are trained to respond to emergencies. All staff hold current CPR andFirst Aid Certifications while most staff possess additional qualificationsdepending on their role at camp. All counsellors and waterfront staff are certifiedlifeguards (NLS).24 hour supervision<strong>YMCA</strong> <strong>Camp</strong> Pine Crest provides what we call “24/7” supervision <strong>of</strong> all ourcampers. Pairs <strong>of</strong> counsellors ensure a high level <strong>of</strong> supervision throughout thesession. Counsellors divide duties during the session to attend staff meetings,deliver skill instruction and take time <strong>of</strong>f while ensuring that the cabin group issupervised with a consistent leader. All counsellors sleep in the cabin with thecamper group and are available day and night for emergency situations.Wellness CentreOur Wellness Centre serves the health needs <strong>of</strong> everyone at camp. The wellnessstaff are in charge <strong>of</strong> the day-to-day routine <strong>of</strong> camper health checks before andafter canoe trips, delivering medications and handling incidents and accidentson site.The wellness coordinator is joined each session by a volunteer nurse or doctorwho provides appropriate medical attention for our camp population. Allparticipants visit with the wellness staff upon arrival to camp, before and afterout-trips and again before going home.We advise families to have their children examined by a physician annually;however, a physician’s signature is not required on the Health History Form.The Wellness Centre staff will keep you informed about your child’s health,especially in the case <strong>of</strong> a change in health or emergency. If you have anyconcerns or questions regarding your child’s health while they are at camp, ourwellness staff will call you back directly to discuss your concerns. In order for usto provide the best care possible for your child, please make sure to be as specificas possible on your child’s health forms.Illness while at campIt’s our camp practice to treat injury, illness and infectious diseases as perrecommendation <strong>of</strong> the local health unit. If your child happens to have head lice,impetigo or any other highly contagious illness, you will be contacted and askedto pick up your child until they have been cleared by a doctor to return.12

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!