• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

12 Questions Parents Need to Ask Their Child’s Summer Camp

July 7, 2019 by KidSafe Foundation Leave a Comment

How do you know your child’s camp is SAFE? Have you asked the appropriate questions that would give you confidence in the camp?

When we questioned friends and family members who were sending their kids to camp, most parents – with a slight blush and timid smile – reported that their main concerns were:

  • Will my child have friends at the camp?
  • Expense
  • Location
  • Activities their children will be experiencing

Not one parent thought to ask about the camp’s risk assessment for safety, their safety record, how their counselors were trained, and what precautions have been put in place to ensure the safety of children who attend.

Wow – what an eye opener!

Have you EVER asked these questions to a director or even thought about them before? What would you do if you had prior knowledge that your child’s summer camp had numerous accidents, revolving door of counselors through the years and/or a counselor who had harmed a child. Obviously you would want to know!

If any of the above were true, I think we can all agree that most parents would choose to send their child to a different camp. But how do you know about a camp’s safety record if you don’t ask? You can’t always find all the information you need from Google.

It’s funny, most of us spend more time trying to find out the safety rating of the car we drive then the safety of the camp we are sending our precious children to. So we have a challenge for you – take the safety of your child to a new level by asking the director of the camp the following questions:

1. Are criminal background checks performed on all your employees?

2. Is each person checked through the National Sex offender registry?

3. Do you conduct interviews and reference checks on all employees (including teen counselors)?

4. How do you screen for possible sex offenders?

5. During your interview process do you discuss boundaries – appropriate or inappropriate touches? Bullying?

6. Do you offer your employees clear policies about sexual misconduct and consequences – and are these policies in writing in an employee handbook?

7. What steps are you taking to decrease the risk of sexual abuse at your camp?

8. What steps are you taking to decrease the risk of bullying at camp?

9. What type of training do you offer your staff?

10. Do you offer training to staff to prevent sexual abuse and bullying?

11. Are you licensed by the state?

12. Are you accredited by the ACA ? (http://www.acacamps.org/)

Your children deserve to go to a camp that takes their personal safety as seriously as you do. So please take the time to ask your camp director these questions, so you can be satisfied and confident that the camp you are sending your child to is doing everything they can to ensure your child’s safety.

But please don’t stop there – talk with your children about their personal safety. Talk with them about “what if” scenarios so you can see if they will come up with the safest and smartest choices when away from you. Let your children know they can talk to you about ANYTHING!!!

We owe it to our children to send them to a camp we feel confident has done its best to educate and train their staff on prevention education so that your child will have a safe and happy summer.

We owe it ourselves to allow our children the freedom to experience new things without us and feel that we have done everything we can to ensure their safety.

After all, don’t you think your children are worth it?

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Kids, Parenting

About KidSafe Foundation

KidSafe Foundation is a 501(c) nonprofit founded by Cherie Benjoseph is a LCSW and Sally Berenzweig, MEd, MA -Child Safety Experts, Mental Health Professionals, Educators, Public Speakers and Coauthor's of two award winning children's books "My Body is Special and Belongs To ME!" & "Jack Teaches His Friends To Be KidSafe!" and "KidSafe for Kids" -8 week curriculum for children ages 4 -12. KidSafe's mission is to provide education to children and adults to prevent child sexual abuse, bullying and internet dangers. For more information www.kidsafefoundation.org
Working together to keep KidSafe!Cherie Benjoseph, LCSW and Sally Berenzweig, MEd, MA

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Search

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

Brooke Burke: My Slim Down Secrets

Everywhere I look, I hear about a new fitness fad, a quick … [Read More...] about Brooke Burke: My Slim Down Secrets

Must Have

STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

April has arrived which means it’s time to pull out the food … [Read More...] about STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

Did you know?

What Can I Use as an Egg Substitute When Baking Corn Bread

What Can I Use as an Egg Substitute When Baking Corn Bread?

How to Bake Thin Sliced Turkey Cutlets

what type of vitamins help fertility

What Type of Vitamins Help Fertility?

pregnant while not ovulating

Can I Get Pregnant While Not Ovulating?

Child Seat Belt Laws for a Pickup Truck

Child Seat Belt Laws for a Pickup Truck

How to Ask a Guy You Are Seeing Where You Stand

How to Ask a Guy You Are Seeing Where You Stand

safe to color Your hair while breastfeeding

Is it Safe to Color Your Hair While Breastfeeding?

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2022 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.