inclusion program at girl scout camps?

[Anonymous]

The girl scout camp web page says they have an inclusion program for their sleep away camps. Anyone have any experience with it/know anything about it?

[Anonymous]

My DD has attended and is NT. They are inclusive because they won't turn away a child with needs but other than that there is no special program per see that I ever saw.

[Anonymous]

GSCNC offers opportunites for girls with disabilities to be included in our Sleep Away Camps. They can join other girls their age for swimming, hiking, singing, arts & crafts, cookouts and other camp activities. Camp is available to girls who:

Have physical and/or developmental disabilities
Have special dietary restrictions, including food allergies
Require special medications or treatment (EpiPen, neubulizer, etc.)
Require injections (insulin, HgH etc.)

Please provide additional detailed information about your daughter on her health form so we can best accommodate her at camp. To ensure that your daughter is placed in a camp and program that best suits her needs, please contact Jenn Macios, Camping Specialist 202.274.3309 before registering your daughter for Sleep Away Camp.

http://resources.gscnc.org/CampSpecialNeeds.html?print=true

I don't think it s "program" per se, but rather that they will try to take your child's needs into account to allow her access to the regular camp.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

GSCNC offers opportunites for girls with disabilities to be included in our Sleep Away Camps. They can join other girls their age for swimming, hiking, singing, arts & crafts, cookouts and other camp activities. Camp is available to girls who:

Have physical and/or developmental disabilities
Have special dietary restrictions, including food allergies
Require special medications or treatment (EpiPen, neubulizer, etc.)
Require injections (insulin, HgH etc.)

Please provide additional detailed information about your daughter on her health form so we can best accommodate her at camp. To ensure that your daughter is placed in a camp and program that best suits her needs, please contact Jenn Macios, Camping Specialist 202.274.3309 before registering your daughter for Sleep Away Camp.

http://resources.gscnc.org/CampSpecialNeeds.html?print=true

I don't think it s "program" per se, but rather that they will try to take your child's needs into account to allow her access to the regular camp.

OP here. I read the same thing on the website. I was hoping for first hand information about what they can do to help kids with developmental disabilities -- in particular, HFA -- to access the program successfully.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

GSCNC offers opportunites for girls with disabilities to be included in our Sleep Away Camps. They can join other girls their age for swimming, hiking, singing, arts & crafts, cookouts and other camp activities. Camp is available to girls who:

Have physical and/or developmental disabilities
Have special dietary restrictions, including food allergies
Require special medications or treatment (EpiPen, neubulizer, etc.)
Require injections (insulin, HgH etc.)

Please provide additional detailed information about your daughter on her health form so we can best accommodate her at camp. To ensure that your daughter is placed in a camp and program that best suits her needs, please contact Jenn Macios, Camping Specialist 202.274.3309 before registering your daughter for Sleep Away Camp.

http://resources.gscnc.org/CampSpecialNeeds.html?print=true

I don't think it s "program" per se, but rather that they will try to take your child's needs into account to allow her access to the regular camp.

OP here. I read the same thing on the website. I was hoping for first hand information about what they can do to help kids with developmental disabilities -- in particular, HFA -- to access the program successfully.

Well probably not anything terribly specific. I mean the counselors are just college girls with some adults thrown in for supervision. I think they would probably say they would help your DD to participate socially by making sure that she goes to all the required activities, being nice to her, and making sure the other girls don't tease her and include her in activities.

[Anonymous]

I worked at GS camp for many years. I believe that now they have an adult at the Council who is there to advise on how to help the child, but there will not be qualified special educators there, I would not think. Best thing is to call the Council and ask for the camping administrator and find out what supports they have. I am sure they have encountered many kids that need support in recent years. Girl Scouts always try to do the best they can to help everyone. It might entail your giving them specific strategies and/or having the classroom teacher write a list of tips for that particular child. I am sure you wouldn't recommend the experience if you didn't think she could handle it.

They can give your daughter an experienced head counselor if they know ahead of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I worked at GS camp for many years. I believe that now they have an adult at the Council who is there to advise on how to help the child, but there will not be qualified special educators there, I would not think. Best thing is to call the Council and ask for the camping administrator and find out what supports they have. I am sure they have encountered many kids that need support in recent years. Girl Scouts always try to do the best they can to help everyone. It might entail your giving them specific strategies and/or having the classroom teacher write a list of tips for that particular child. I am sure you wouldn't recommend the experience if you didn't think she could handle it.

They can give your daughter an experienced head counselor if they know ahead of time.

Thanks. What she needs is a counselor paying attention to her tendency to self-isolate during unstructured times and encouraging her to interact with the other girls and to talk with them during meal time, etc. This didn't happen during her mainstream camp because the ratios just weren't good enough (although I'm sure they would have stepped in had there been any meanness, which there wasn't).

[Anonymous]

A few years ago, my DD was in a cabin with a girl who had not-immediately-apparent but nevertheless significant social/developmental challenges. When I spoke to a counselor about it, she said that if the parents had disclosed the girl's needs, the Girl Scouts would have assigned her a 1-on-1 counselor. I don't know what their threshold of need is for that level of support, but it sounds like increased counselor attention could be a big help in your DD's case.