Before we get too deep into this, I want to be totally honest about two points.
First, I’m an optimist. The glass has always been not only half full of water, but totally full. (Because it’s got air in it.)
Sure, I’ll see the realistic side of things, too. That’s a big reason why we did not open last summer. Could we have hosted camp? Yes. But the unknown was too great at that point. Which leads me to the second point.
Our three boys have been in face to face schooling since middle August. One of the boys was ‘contact-traced’ for a week but, otherwise, we’ve had no problems with COVID-19. In a school district with more than 8,000 students, the highest weekly positivity rate has been .49%. We’ve averaged closer to .14% throughout the year.
We mask when we go into a store. We keep our distance from others. And, because we are getting ready for summer, we read and ask questions and study everything that comes out of the CDC and the National Institutes of Health concerning COVID.
Based on everything I’m reading – plus the fact that the Governors of both New York and Massachusetts have recently said they’ll be opening camps this summer, we’ll be ready to go. Especially since Pennsylvania is already in the ‘green’ phase!
Let’s Go to CAMP!
Our kids need it. (So do our parents!) We’ve learned a lot of lessons through this experience and one certainly is the absolute need for kids to be outdoors, connecting with friends, and exploring new things.
Another lesson is that camp can be run safely, especially with testing before arrival, upon and 6 days in, social distancing of pods, mask wearing, having most activities outside, and keeping good hygiene going.
(By the way, you can see how we are approaching things here.)
Are we ready to say exactly what we are doing across every aspect of camp? Not yet. Though we’ve spent (literally) 12 months planning for it, we’ve still got four months between now and our campers’ arrival. There will be some changes, modifications and fine-tuning of the plan.
And, I must give some props to the entire industry and especially our friends in the Wayne County Camp Alliance. Everyone is pitching in to share knowledge, ask questions, and learn together. We’ll all be ready for this summer, all the more so because we’ve prepared together.
Let’s Start Planning Now… Together
Weequahic, it’s time to start planning in earnest for a fantastic summer. Most of our camper forms are available on your CampMinder account. The Campanion app will be a very useful tool for you for the spring and coming summer. Please download it to your phone or other mobile device.
We’ll be hosting monthly conversations on our private Weequahic Families Facebook group starting this Sunday at 8pm est. I hope you’ll join us and ask as many questions as you can. If you don’t do Facebook, let us know and we’ll send you a link to the video to watch elsewhere.
Answers about traveling to camp, our activity choices, and a few other details will arrive as we move through the Spring. So will a few new ideas… and some pictures of our new floating Water Park!
As always, please don’t hesitate to call or write anytime. This is all we do and we love talking with you.
Ah… let’s go to camp. See you this summer, if not before!
