This NY Times op-ed, “How to Make Summer Camp Work,” by Aaron Carroll is not Newton specific, but it is certainly relevant to our local circumstances. A few excerpts, but worth reading the whole thing:
Summer is coming fast, and parents are beginning to panic about camp. They don’t know whether it’s safe for their kids to go. For many, it will be. But not for all.
Camps that want to be safer should consider the following advice. Parents can consider it to decide how dedicated a camp is to safety.
Local areas will have to decide whether testing has been adequate to ensure that the prevalence of infections is low enough to merit opening camp. They will also have to recognize that tests aren’t perfect. Repeated testing would be best. If they wanted to be extra careful, camps should test staff regularly.
Kids and staff should be screened regularly for disease, likely at drop-off outside.
But screening is imperfect. . . . It will reduce risk, but not eliminate it.
Outdoor activities appear to be much less likely to result in virus transmission than indoor activities. This means that camps should spend as much time as possible, if not all time, outdoors. Activities that used to be done indoors — like arts and crafts — should be moved outside. If it rains, camps might want to think about canceling unless they feel comfortable about their ability to socially distance kids inside with masks.
All-camp meetings should be avoided, as should dining halls. As much as possible, meals should be eaten outdoors, and hand washing should become a regular activity, especially before eating. Hand sanitizer should be available pretty much everywhere.
Even more than usual, camps will need to clean. . . . Identifying surfaces and areas that require continual care and then setting and following a schedule will make sure that the chance of infection is minimized.
Counselors and staff will need to be rigorously safe on off-hours so that they don’t bring danger in. The same applies to campers’ families.
On a related note, today the Wall Street Journal’s editorial, “The evidence on Kids and Covid,” and the New York Times’ Kristof op-ed, “Let’s remember, the coronarium is still a mystery,’ both made the case that we need to seriously reconsider bringing kids back to schools.
This morning on MSNBC, one of their health scientists (I think it was Zeke Emanuel) was arguing quite convincingly that it would be a lot safer to bring kids to open air this summer camps than to enclosed school rooms later in the fall.
FWIW, most overnight camps and day camps on the Cape have cancelled. Heard a bunch in Maine/NH too.
Our kid was looking forward to camp. It was going to be her escape from real life. 71 days at home without friends and alot more screen time is taking its toll on our kid.
With two working parents it isn’t going to be easy in our house. We are committed to six feet away, but in reality what is she going to do every day. We don’t have the ability to take 8 weeks off. We can’t send her to grandmas house, as grandma is over 75, Normally grandma helps alot, but both grandma and granddaughter are lonely and miserable an hour away from each other.
For a kid who doesn’t like screens, NCE isn’t going to cut it.
I totally understand why camp is cancelled. It is going to be a long summer of Camp Bored.
I hear you NewtonMom. Camp is regeneration and rejuvenation. My family desperately needs it. I’m trying my best to stay positive but Camp Dad is horrifying.
https://www.campbenfrankel.org/
Consider sending your child to camp on-line. CBF is a small Jewish camp in southern Illinois that’s been around for 70 years. Within weeks of making the heartbreaking decision to cancel in-person camp, they developed an on-line camp experience. Info sessions are happening at least weekly over Zoom, and there’s a $99 “try-it-out” code for the first week-long session.
I’m a transplant to Massachusetts, and attended this camp beginning at age 6. My son has attended for 3 years and will be going on-line this summer. I can’t recommend it enough.
Online camp sounds so depressing to me.