Each summer, thousands of New York children go today and overnight camp. But with the COVID-19 pandemic this year, many sleepaway camps have announced they’ll be closed this summer, and parents are left wondering whether day camps will open. There is no doubt that children need camp now more than ever after being out of the school setting for so long. Summer camp provides children with an outdoor learning environment, a break from screens, and the opportunity to socialize with friends face to face. Without camp, children will be out of a structured environment for nearly six months before school potentially starts up again in the fall and many working parents will be left without child care during the summer months.
Over the past few weeks, as states have been planning the reopening of the economy, summer camp owners and directors have been awaiting guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Camp Association, and state and local governments about best practices for operating camp safely this summer. These guidelines were just released and are being reviewed by camps, families, and state and local governments. The decision to allow camps to operate this summer will ultimately be made by state and local officials. While some camps have already made the difficult decision to not open this summer, other camps are waiting to hear from their state governments in the next few weeks.
Camp Safety Guidelines from The American Camp Association and YMCA of the USA
On Monday, the American Camp Association and YMCA of the USA released educational resources to help camps and state officials make informed decisions about camp this summer. The ACA and Y-USA engaged Environmental Health & Engineering Inc., a Boston-based consulting firm specializing in environmental health, to convene an independent expert panel of specialists to create this educational resource. The panel included support from the Association of Camp Nursing and specialists in pediatric medicine, epidemiology, infectious disease management, biological safety, industrial hygiene, organizational design, and other technical specialties. Recommendations from the ACA’s summer camp 2020 resources include things such as:
- Prescreening of campers and staff before camp
- Ongoing screening throughout summer
- Increased hand washing and sanitizing
- Fewer children in bunks at overnight camps
- Frequent cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces daily throughout facilities
- Holding activities outside as often as possible
- Organizing campers into small group “households” with limited mixing of groups
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Summer Camp Safety Guidelines
The CDC also released guidelines this week on how camps can operate during the coronavirus pandemic with some similar recommendations as the resources released by ACA and Y-USA. Camps should:
- Educate campers, staff, and their families on when they should stay home from camp
- Teach and reinforce handwashing with soap and water
- Keep small groups of campers together all day (cohorting)
- Have campers bring their own lunch and sit in separate areas as opposed to a dining hall
- Stagger arrival and dismissal times by cohort
- Avoid field trips and large camp group gatherings
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and equipment
