SUMMER FAMILY CAMP HANDBOOK

Communication

You are welcome to visit your child’s camp and participate in activities. We ask that you just let your child’s teachers know ahead of time so we can coordinate with you as we go on daily hikes. All adults in the classroom are required to follow COVID-19 safety measures and to complete a class volunteer form.

Your teacher will provide their phone number on the first day of class, please put them into your phone. Our staff carries each child’s emergency contact and allergy info in their backpacks.

In an emergency, when late, or if you will be absent, contact BOTH of your teachers via text AND you can call or text our office (360) 461-7169 if no one responds in a timely manner.

What to Bring

1. A child-sized backpack large enough to hold all essentials listed below. Familiarizing your child with the contents of their backpack before school begins helps staff support your child better.
2. A water bottle (filled with water 8-12oz of water) labeled with your child’s name.
3. Appropriate weather-related clothing layers: see section below.
4. A large lunch. Pack enough food for them to eat lunch and a snack. Use small, light or easily portable containers as your child will carry lunch and water bottle in their backpack all day. Use child friendly containers your child can open and close themselves.
5. For children wearing masks- bring two additional masks and let your teacher know your child will be wearing a mask for the day at drop off.

Clothing

Here are our packing essentials for clothing:

• Have an extra layers, top to bottom including socks & gloves (when applicable) inside your child’s backpack.
• Put all clothes in a plastic bag, inside the backpack. This will keep the clothes dry if it is raining or their backpacks get muddy.
• Pack rain gear in your child’s backpack if they aren’t wearing it. It acts as a windproof and warming layer when it’s not raining.
• Any clothes or shoes sent to school may get wet or dirty, make sure you do not send them in something special that must stay clean.
• For younger children, stretchy waist bands are ideal for easy and fast use of the restroom.
• Make sure clothes allow lots of movement.
• Layers, layers, layers! Many thin layers can be more comfortable than one thick layer and is more flexible for heat regulation.
• Check your child’s backpack regularly for dirty clothes that need to be swapped out.

We have gear to lend! Contact our office to find out more about our gear library if your child is attending a camp and needs to borrow rain gear, winter clothing, or clothes that can get dirty.

Need to purchase gear? We have partnered with Outdoor School Shop. They are giving our parents 15% off when you shop the items in our school store. Use CODE: OLYMPIC whenever you checkout- unlimited uses.

Food Allergies and Medication

If your child has dangerous allergies or otherwise requires medication you will need to provide a written note from your healthcare provider on how to administer medication or other allergy care.

If there is a severe food allergy in your class, we will alert you at the beginning of the program. Please make every effort to refrain from packing these foods in your student’s lunch box.

Pick Up and Drop Off

• Do not arrive before class “start time” so teachers can complete their setup. 
• Upon arrival, sanitize your child’s hands with provided sanitizer and complete a COVID-19 health screening when bringing your child to school each day. 
• If you know you are going to be late, contact both teachers immediately.
• If you pick your child up after our 10 min grace period you will be charged $5 for each additional 5 minutes. 
• Please take charge of your children upon your arrival for pickup at the end of the day.
• After students have been picked up our teachers need to continue their work of breaking down the classroom in order to leave on time. Once the majority of the students have been signed out the teachers will verbally let all parents know that they are leaving so it is clear they are no longer monitoring safety.

Health & Wellness

Symptoms that indicate the need for your child to stay home: 

• COVID-19 Related Symptoms: Fever of 100 degrees F or higher, diarrhea or vomiting, earache, headache, signs of irritability or confusion, sore throat, rash or fatigue that limits participation in daily activities. The child’s temperature must return to normal (98.6°F) for at least 24 hours before coming back to school. 
• Vomiting: in the past 24 hours. 
• Diarrhea: 2 or more watery stools in the past 24 hours or any bloody stool. 
• Eye Discharge or Pink Eye (conjunctivitis): conjunctivitis is highly contagious. Students may only return to school when eyes are clear or after 24 hours of antibiotic treatment. 
• Lice or Scabies: Children who are found to have lice will need to stay home until all lice and nits have been removed. Please let us know if your child has lice. Students with scabies may return after treatment. 
• Skin Rash/Lesions: especially with fever or itching. 
• Open or oozing sores: unless properly covered and 24 hours has passed since starting antibiotic treatment, if antibiotic treatment is necessary. 
• Sick appearance, not feeling well, and/or not able to keep up with program activities. 

Toileting

It is our policy that children have largely independent bathroom skills.  Children will be using the “facili-trees” or “nature potty” while at school. This means they will pee in the bushes and dig a hole using backcountry toileting procedures for solid waste. When possible, we hike children to the on-site port-a-potty for solid waste.

If a child does not know how to use the nature potty, we will teach them. If necessary, we can also hike them to a restroom or port-a-potty much of the time.

Code of Conduct

We strive for the success and inclusion of all our students. Children will receive a range of Positive Discipline guidance from staff that prioritize inclusion and social emotional learning.

Hurting another child or using materials in an unsafe way leads to taking “safe space” away from the group until calm is regained. Repeated or unprovoked hurting of others, using objects as weapons, or behavior that compromises the class’s overall safety will result in the child going home early for the day. 

Follow up actions may include: parent/teacher conferences, a written plan of action, referral for support, and/or termination of enrollment.

We will do our best to accommodate and serve all students, and we will be honest when we are outside our professional capacity. 

Wild Edibles

We teach foraging and follow these rules. We will ONLY teach edibles that:

⦁    Are easy to identify

⦁    Have NO poisonous look a-likes

⦁    That are abundant and therefore hard to avoid 

⦁    That are listed on the Wild Edibles Handbook.

⦁    Children must check with a grown up EVERY time they eat a foraged edible (even if the plant has been identified correctly, there may be other dangers the child didn’t notice) and the grown up must know if the plant is safe to eat. 

⦁    Teach children the hazards and look alike plants so they can learn how to be safe (this helps for those times when you aren’t around)

Registration & Tuition Policies

Olympic Nature Experience offers tuition assistance. To apply for tuition assistance, register your child for the program you are interested in and once registration is confirmed fill out an application in our Jovial Family Portal under Forms.    

Tuition: Upon registering for Summer Programs and Single-Day Camps, 25% of your program fee is due at the time of registration to
secure your spot. This 25% payment is the deposit and is non-refundable.
The remaining summer program balance is due by June 1, 2023. If you register for a program after the Balance Due Date, then full payment is due.

Cancellation: If you choose to cancel or leave a course for any reason:

• 15 or more days prior to the course starting date; you are entitled to a full refund, minus the 25% deposit. 
• 14 days or less prior to the course starting date and once the course has begun, we are unable to offer any refunds or credits.

To cancel an existing registration, please email our office at Office@olympicnatureexperience.org.

If a program is canceled due to low enrollment, tuition will be fully refundable or transferable. 

We are unable to pro-rate tuition or offer make-up days. 

Withdrawal Policy: It is required that families fulfill the responsibilities outlined in this handbook. As problems arise, be sure to communicate with staff. When teachers are informed of the situation, most problems can be overcome as staff and families work together.