thrown out of camp for first time (after years of going to camp)- what happens, do we get reimbursed

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP I am so sorry you’re goimg through this. You must be so stressed and upset.

+1 mil

Did they give you any warning or try a behavior contract or was it just out of the blue?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm sorry for everything that is going on and for all the obnoxious posters on this thread.
To answer your original question you are perfectly within your rights to ask. I do think a decent, moral camp would refund you but it depends on the greed of the provider. I have a friend who was in your situation last year. She got refunded for future weeks but not the current week. FWIW, her child is a great kid and does great with sitters but the camp counselors were intolerant and not very understanding of the child's quirks.

A camp can still be decent and moral, but not offer to refund. My youngest brother was kicked out for behavior so I sympathize, but camps have fixed costs that don’t go away if a camper stops attending.

[Anonymous]

You sound like a real peach. You call other parents selfish and claim it's no fault of the camp while not knowing anything about OP's situation or the other situation described. We have no idea whether the child made some bad choices or whether the provider was acting inappropriately. It could be both.

OP, I think some camps would try to work out some kind of financial compromise and you have nothing to lose by asking.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry OP. That is so hard. I would definitely ask for a refund, given that you had a relationship with the camp and he had been successful there in the past.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm sorry for everything that is going on and for all the obnoxious posters on this thread.
To answer your original question you are perfectly within your rights to ask. I do think a decent, moral camp would refund you but it depends on the greed of the provider. I have a friend who was in your situation last year. She got refunded for future weeks but not the current week. FWIW, her child is a great kid and does great with sitters but the camp counselors were intolerant and not very understanding of the child's quirks.

A camp can still be decent and moral, but not offer to refund. My youngest brother was kicked out for behavior so I sympathize, but camps have fixed costs that don’t go away if a camper stops attending.

I guess, but if i were the provider I would refund even if I took a big hit. I would feel awful for the child and would not want to take away from the child's treatment. Some environments or personalities just aren't a good fit for some children with special needs. If it were a child without special needs who was just a jerk I might feel differently.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm sorry for everything that is going on and for all the obnoxious posters on this thread.
To answer your original question you are perfectly within your rights to ask. I do think a decent, moral camp would refund you but it depends on the greed of the provider. I have a friend who was in your situation last year. She got refunded for future weeks but not the current week. FWIW, her child is a great kid and does great with sitters but the camp counselors were intolerant and not very understanding of the child's quirks.

A camp can still be decent and moral, but not offer to refund. My youngest brother was kicked out for behavior so I sympathize, but camps have fixed costs that don’t go away if a camper stops attending.

I guess, but if i were the provider I would refund even if I took a big hit. I would feel awful for the child and would not want to take away from the child's treatment. Some environments or personalities just aren't a good fit for some children with special needs. If it were a child without special needs who was just a jerk I might feel differently.

This is an arbitrary and unfair line.

[Anonymous]

There is a difference between a child being willfully disobedient and one who is having a meltdown because she is overwhelmed by the loudness and chaos of the place or because the camp schedule is unpredictable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'm sorry for everything that is going on and for all the obnoxious posters on this thread.
To answer your original question you are perfectly within your rights to ask. I do think a decent, moral camp would refund you but it depends on the greed of the provider. I have a friend who was in your situation last year. She got refunded for future weeks but not the current week. FWIW, her child is a great kid and does great with sitters but the camp counselors were intolerant and not very understanding of the child's quirks.

A camp can still be decent and moral, but not offer to refund. My youngest brother was kicked out for behavior so I sympathize, but camps have fixed costs that don’t go away if a camper stops attending.

I guess, but if i were the provider I would refund even if I took a big hit. I would feel awful for the child and would not want to take away from the child's treatment. Some environments or personalities just aren't a good fit for some children with special needs. If it were a child without special needs who was just a jerk I might feel differently.

Pretty easy to say from the sidelines, PP. A little tougher when you subtract it directly from the bottom line.

[Anonymous]

I think there are a lot of people on this thread who do not have children with SN and who are just weighing in for kicks. Please go away if you don't have anything helpful to say to OP.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on whether it's the type of camp where they had a set number of places and turned people away or not. If so, I can't see how you could demand a refund when they effectively denied another paying child a place and had no idea of knowing (especially since apparently you had no idea of knowing) that he would misbehave so badly that they'd have to kick him out.

Even if it's not the type of place where they had to decline other kids a place, if they had to make decisions on expenditures (e.g. extra staff member, extra food, more materials, paying for places at external events) then they'd also have a right to keep that money.

In short, you could ask, but I'd imagine they'd have the standard legal language in the contract you signed that you aren't entitled to a refund, plus I don't think they'd be even morally obligated to give one under the circumstances above.

If it's a for-profit camp then you may be able to ask for a partial discount though, especially if it's a genuine case where you need to money reimbursed so you can afford alternate care. But I guess it would also depend on what type of issues your son caused... if the camp is still dealing with the fallout (e.g. he hurt another child and now the camp needs to deal with that other child and their parents) then it's probably less likely that they'd go over and above to reimburse you beyond what you're legally entitled to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are at a new low. It is so sad and difficult. We have always been fine at camp.

I need the money for all the other treatments I need to get him to figure out why this happened, also to pay a sitter - FMLA is not possible this week at Quarter end.

Anyone know if camps usually reimburse if they kick a kid out for misbehavior?

Call and speak to the director or owner. They will likely just go ahead and refund but I wouldn't plan on using that camp in the future.
It's probably for the best though. In my experience, the majority of camps reserve doing this only when it gets really extreme. The counselors at day camps are young and just don't have the best behavior management skills. They likely were just getting less and less patient and your child was getting more and more upset each day.

[Anonymous]

OP, check the camp website or whatever forms you signed. Unless it is a new or very small camp they probably have a policy on this. I'm sorry to say that my experience has been that most places do NOT refund. They won't refund if your child is too sick to attend, either.

But you could still ask. Especially if they are able to fill the spot for later in the summer they might do it.

[Anonymous]

There is definitely a reason why OP isn’t telling us what happened.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on whether it's the type of camp where they had a set number of places and turned people away or not. If so, I can't see how you could demand a refund when they effectively denied another paying child a place and had no idea of knowing (especially since apparently you had no idea of knowing) that he would misbehave so badly that they'd have to kick him out.

Even if it's not the type of place where they had to decline other kids a place, if they had to make decisions on expenditures (e.g. extra staff member, extra food, more materials, paying for places at external events) then they'd also have a right to keep that money.

In short, you could ask, but I'd imagine they'd have the standard legal language in the contract you signed that you aren't entitled to a refund, plus I don't think they'd be even morally obligated to give one under the circumstances above.

If it's a for-profit camp then you may be able to ask for a partial discount though, especially if it's a genuine case where you need to money reimbursed so you can afford alternate care. But I guess it would also depend on what type of issues your son caused... if the camp is still dealing with the fallout (e.g. he hurt another child and now the camp needs to deal with that other child and their parents) then it's probably less likely that they'd go over and above to reimburse you beyond what you're legally entitled to.

I was going to say something very similar to this. Most of the large costs the camp face (staffing decisions, busing decisions) they have already paid for based on an enrollment number. They can't get that money back.

I don't think it hurts to ask nicely, and you maybe able to get a partial discount or they may be able to fill later sessions, but I think you could look at this from both sides...

[Anonymous]

I imagine you the poster on the thread about the child who is thrown out of everything and getting advice to start an evaluation, get an advocate, and other pricey (if very good) recommendations.

I think you want to realize that you feel very frustrated and upset, but that this isn't the camp's fault. It's completely understandable why any loving parent would be thrown by the events and the situation you are facing, but much of this isn't because of the camp, it's because of a larger situation. So try to keep in mind that it's not the camp's fault that your child had problems with preschool. It's not the camp's fault that you are worried about Kindergarden this fall and how to make that a success. It's not the camp's fault that you can't take leave from your job right now. Etc.

I know it's hard. I'm not trying to take anything away from that. I'm just encouraging you to turn your distress to places like this forum, and not onto the camp.