Program Information
Arrival and dismissal
As part of our safe arrival and dismissal procedure, parents or guardians must sign their child in and out. Program participants will only be released to those indicated on the Registration Intake. Everyone picking up a child will be asked for picture ID before the child is released from the program. Participants are permitted to sign themselves in and out as long as this is noted on the Registration Intake. Participants will be dismissed at times other than the posted program end times only with parent permission.
Code of Conduct
The goal of our programs is to provide enjoyable, age-appropriate activities in a safe and positive environment. All participants, parent and guardian are required to sign off on the code of conduct prior to the program start.
Photographs
Occasionally, photographs may be taken for promotional purposes either by Recreation Services staff or local papers. If you have any objections to your child being photographed, please inform the senior leader or a staff member at your site. Please also indicate this preference on the Photo Release Form.
Supervision
To ensure the safety of your child, all City of Burlington programs maintain supervision of participants at all times. All activities are planned with full visual supervision (including but not limited to washroom breaks and transitions). Leader to participant ratios vary but are no larger than 1:15 onsite. In addition, participants are not permitted to leave the group to which they are assigned.
Air quality
Our programs encourage outdoor activity. Please note that not all program facilities are air conditioned. During periods of poor air quality, staff will ensure participants are in shaded areas, have access to water and participate in low intensity games and activities. We encourage you to keep your child at home on these days if you have concerns. Visit the Air Quality Ontario website for more information about air quality in the Halton-Peel area.
Holidays
There will be no programs running on Civic and Statutory Holidays.
What to bring to program
Please ensure participants bring the following:
- Face covering (mask)
- Sunscreen
- Hat
- Lunch – no nut products – easily accessible by participant without assistance
- Two nut-free snacks
- Labelled water bottle/jug (reusable)
- Running shoes (for safety, please keep sandals at home)
- Active clothes that can tolerate some program fun and are weather appropriate
- Medications if needed (Must accompany completed Medication Information Form)
Program refund policy
You will receive a full credit or refund if you withdraw from a program up to 10 days prior to its start date. A cancellation fee of 10 per cent will be applied if you withdraw from a program nine days or less before its start date. No refunds are granted after the program start date.
| Top 10 Questions |
| Do the children have to wear masks at camp?
Yes, as per Provincial regulations, all participants over the age of 3 must wear a face mask while indoors. The children do not have to wear a face mask while outdoors as long as they remain physically distanced (2 m) from other participants and staff. Children will be asked to keep their mask in their bin while it is removed for outdoor activities and eating.
My child is currently 3 years old, are there any program options available for this age group?
Our SNAP Summer camps are for participants ages four to 10 years old. Participants must be four years old by the time they start in the program. This means that they can be three years old at the time of registration; however, they must turn four by the first day they will be in the program.
Do you provide respite care for individuals with disabilities such as 1 on 1, free of charge?
The City of Burlington Summer Camps are recreation-based programs with leaders typically in high school, college and university. Staff receive training in recreation leadership and basic behaviour management; they are not trained therapists or respite workers. The City's programs are inclusive in nature and will work to accommodate as well as we can. We offer lower staff to participant ratios (1:4) but we do not offer staff for one on one support Parents are welcome to send a support worker to join a participant at no additional charge. Be sure to talk with staff to determine the support that we are able to provide and how we can help to accommodate.
What forms do I need for the first day of camp?
All participants must complete the online registration including the basic contact information, photo release option and participation waiver. All participants marking the additional health concerns box will be required to complete the full Participant Health form which will be sent by email. Any medications the participant may require while at camp must accompany a completed Medication consent form. Staff will contact anyone with additional health concerns to confirm complete information is on file.
What additional efforts are in place to manage the COVID-19 health situation?
The health and safety of participants and staff is our priority in all programs. The health situation of COVID-19 is a significant health concern and we have a number of regulations and modifications to the program to manage this situation, meeting all provincial and regional health regulations. The following are some of the new processes in place as a part of this management strategy:
- Active COVID-19 screening done online for all attendees of the facility
- Reduced group sizes and limited connections to additional people in the group
- Physical distancing at all times within the program of at least 2 meters
- Face masks to be worn by everyone while inside a facility, with staff donning additional personal protective equipment while indoors and when physical distancing is not possible
- Programming to be outdoors as much as possible in the fresh air and open space
- Participants to receive individual box of supplies each week – box will contain craft activities and other materials needed for the week – will reduce sharing of items
- Reduced printed paperwork to share – increased electronic formats to reduce physical contact, improve convenience and improve security of information
- Additional cleaning protocols in place for facilities and equipment.
What is your camper to staff ratios?
Under the current health regulations, camps must operate in small groups or cohorts. Each cohort will be 8 to 12 children with 2 or 3 staff. Exact numbers may vary as we await Provincial and Regional regulations on group capacities, but our plans target a ratio of 1 staff to 6 campers at most.
What if my child has a cough or symptom associated to COVID-19?
Anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 must remain home or isolated from the program. If your child is displaying symptoms at home, you must keep them home for a period of 2 weeks or until clearance from a medical professional. If a child experiences symptoms while attending camp, the child (and siblings) will be isolated on site and will require immediate pick up. The participant (and siblings) will not be permitted to return to camp for minimum 2 weeks or clearance from a medical professional. If your child has pre-existing health condition that may exhibit symptoms similar to those of COVID-19, you must inform us in advance on the Participant Information Form under health concerns.
Can I have my child drop-in for the day?
Under the current health regulations, we will not permit drop-in to the camp programs. All campers will register by the week only as we aim to reduce introducing different individuals into the camp setting as much as possible. With the restricted capacities for programs and facilities, we must keep all spaces reserved to full time participants only.
Why is there no extended care this year?
The current health regulations restrict the capacities of the programs and facilities. Offering extended care would require introducing new contacts into the group to manage the hours, as we aim to reduce the contacts within each cohort as much as possible this year.
What are your procedures during extreme weather?
Our camp programs seek to actively engage campers outdoors as much as possible. During regular summer heat, staff will ensure children are in shaded areas, focus on low intensity games/activities, and have plenty of access to water. In declared heat events, programs may be relocated to a facility for safety and may require modified programming. During any extreme weather events, safety of participants is our number one concern, so facility space is reserved and modified programming will keep the children engaged safely.
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Medical Information
Participant Information Form
We want to make sure participants have a safe and enjoyable program experience. Please complete all information on the registration online. If your child has any health concerns, be sure to mark this selection in the registration process. This will trigger staff to contact you with a Participant Update Form collecting more complete health information. An additional Medication Consent Form is required for anyone that may bring medications onsite during the camp program.
Medical Administration
Does your child require medication to be administered during program hours? Complete the Medication Consent Form to provide us with the information we need to be sure your child receives their medication safely. All medications must be in the original container with proper labelling of the medication and recipient. Only send enough medication for one day at a time.
EpiPens and Inhalers
Participants who need an EpiPen or inhaler must bring it with them in a separate fanny pack and wear it at all times. Please check the expiry date on supplies before starting a new program.
Food Allergy Alert
Due to an increased number of children with nut allergies, we request that you do not send peanut products with your child to the program. If your child has a food allergy, please ensure you have leaders record it on both the Participant Information Form and Medication Consent Form.
In case of illness
You may be asked to pick up a participant immediately if he or she becomes ill at program. If your child shows signs of severe illness or communicable disease, please follow the guidelines outlined on the Halton Region Department website.
About Our Staff
All program locations are staffed with a minimum of two caring and qualified leaders. Our program staff are typically university, college and high school students who are committed to participants' safety and enjoyment.
All program staff receive training in leadership, recreation programming, group dynamics, risk management, communication, behaviour management, problem solving and more. In addition to internal training, all staff are also required to have:
- Standard first aid and CPR-C certification
- A Police Records Check with Vulnerable Sector screening
- HIGH FIVE® Principles of Healthy Child Development certification
- Behaviour Management Systems Training
Relevant Links
