anyone hoping sleep away camps will still happen?

[Anonymous]

Yes still hoping (upstate NY, two weeks)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Girl Scout sleep-away camps around here hire tons of staff from the UK and Australia, and as far as I know they were still working within their regular hiring process earlier this year.

So I'd think that unless either A) flight restrictions are lifted; or B) they can scramble to hire from within the US, they wouldn't be able to open even if they wanted to.

But their messages say they're still trying to work something out, so we'll see. They're always super careful with health checks at check-in, but unless they somehow manage to have have rapid COVID-19 testing on-site, it might still be a dicey proposition.

My daughter is still hoping for the best, but I think has started preparing for the worst. Fortunately, she's old enough to stay home by herself if her dad and I are able to go into the office, but it's going to be a long boring summer compared to what she'd been planning.

Our private sleepaway camp also hires ton of staff from the UK, but has been heavily recruiting here in the US and doing fairly well. There are now lots of high school and college kids without summer internships/jobs/travel plans that are willing to work at a camp (if it opens.) I bet the Girl Scouts are trying to do the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m not trying to be a downer, but if someone comes to camp who is infected, it will spread to everyone. Our kids always came home from sleep away camp with some kind of communicable disease - usually lice, but definitely colds, too.

Sleep away camp is an amazing experience, but it does not seem like a great idea this year.

If the choice is day camp vs. sleep away camp, sleep away seems a hell of a lot safer. 2+ weeks in one place deep in the woods with a bunch of other people whose demographic is unlikely to present serious symptoms.

Now if it's stay in quarantine vs. sleep away camp, quarantine will always be safer. Than anything. Except for the emotional well-being of the family.

Ditto. Nobody in our household is high risk, we'll all eventually get it anyway so I don't care if DD picks it up at camp. For us, the risk/benefit balance tips toward going if it's an option.

[Anonymous]

One of the camps my son was signed up for canceled the whole summer yesterday. Now, it's a huge camp that draws international kids and staff, so I can see why they came to that conclusion. Another camp, much smaller, announced they plan to move forward but will likely be requiring a recent negative test (on the assumption such a thing will be available).

[Anonymous]

I would do anything to send my kids but I can't imagine it will happen.

Kids from all over the US gathering in a remote area in the woods with limited healthcare?
I can imagine that going south fast.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is signed up for 6 wk camp in Maine. It will be her 2nd summer and she is very much looking forward to it. We'll send her if they open. So far they plan to open but obviously can't be concrete about that yet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would do anything to send my kids but I can't imagine it will happen.

Kids from all over the US gathering in a remote area in the woods with limited healthcare?
I can imagine that going south fast.

Most of these camps, especially in the northeast, are no more than an hour or two away from major cities and proper healthcare.

My ds is supposed to go to camp in the Berkshires at the end of June. We've made the final payment, but I haven't bothered to fill out the forms yet. I'm not optimistic that it will be happening. We'll see what things look like in a couple of months.

[Anonymous]

In an ideal world, these camps would have access to the rapid tests and test everyone arriving at camp. They would have to cancel staff day offs or nights off outside of camp.

[Anonymous]

As a guy that worked at overnight camps for years, it wouldn’t work. Adults have to go into town, sometimes

[Anonymous]

OP here: my daughter goes for 7 weeks.

their camp usually has a lot of international staff but they've hired all domestic to replace them.

[Anonymous]

There is no way I am sending my kids to a sleep away camp during a global pandemic. You people are nuts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Girl Scout sleep-away camps around here hire tons of staff from the UK and Australia, and as far as I know they were still working within their regular hiring process earlier this year.

So I'd think that unless either A) flight restrictions are lifted; or B) they can scramble to hire from within the US, they wouldn't be able to open even if they wanted to.

But their messages say they're still trying to work something out, so we'll see. They're always super careful with health checks at check-in, but unless they somehow manage to have have rapid COVID-19 testing on-site, it might still be a dicey proposition.

My daughter is still hoping for the best, but I think has started preparing for the worst. Fortunately, she's old enough to stay home by herself if her dad and I are able to go into the office, but it's going to be a long boring summer compared to what she'd been planning.

Our private sleepaway camp also hires ton of staff from the UK, but has been heavily recruiting here in the US and doing fairly well. There are now lots of high school and college kids without summer internships/jobs/travel plans that are willing to work at a camp (if it opens.) I bet the Girl Scouts are trying to do the same.

Your private sleepaway camp? Is it affiliated with a country club?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter is signed up for 6 wk camp in Maine. It will be her 2nd summer and she is very much looking forward to it. We'll send her if they open. So far they plan to open but obviously can't be concrete about that yet.

OP here: yeah our camp "plans" to be open too, but it's too early to know what the "reopening" phase in will be like ... or what kind of testing will be available then

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In an ideal world, these camps would have access to the rapid tests and test everyone arriving at camp. They would have to cancel staff day offs or nights off outside of camp.

This. They can do this, it would be safer than day camp or being home. Many camps originally started years ago to get children away from the Polio virus spreading in cities. Despite this, I'm not optimistic camp will happen given the current state of testing and the current government.

[Anonymous]

My mom went to sleep away camp in the '50s during the polio epidemic. she was 5 years old and went for 8 weeks because of polio.