Summer camps navigating a return after lost year

This time last year, camp directors were unsure of how summer camp could move forward — or if they’d even be allowed to.

In the spring of 2020, schools were forced into remote learning, people were staying home and away from others, and not much was known about COVID-19 – how it spread, what its effects were on children. And in the end, all the unknowns, what-ifs and strict guidelines in place forced many camp directors to shut down for the season.

But much has changed in the last 12 months, and this spring, camps around the region are set to open – some in less than eight weeks’ time.

Doug Sutherland, executive director of Brantwood Camp in Greenfield, said he was “optimistic” not only about starting camp in 2021, but seeing it through to the end.

“The way I’m looking at it is that it’s definitely moving forward – unless the state says no,” Sutherland said. “I think camps will do what they can have camp this year.” On April 29, the state released guidance for overnight summer camps.

The planning

Sutherland said designing what camp will look like every year is difficult, but not impossible. Neither is getting ready for the first one in the middle of a global pandemic.

“We’re doing what we can and what we have to if we want camp to happen,” Sutherland said. “It’s not the most ideal. It will definitely have a different feel. The question is how can we do the same activities in a safe way that’s still fun? Because we want it to look as normal as possible.”

Sutherland said COVID has forced him to rethink everything.

“We’re going to take every precaution,” Sutherland said. “We’ll start off with the plan and go from there.”

Of course, the main concern is if someone shows up to camp and tests positive or gets COVID after arrival. Then you adjust, he said, and move into a different phase of the plan.

Becky Gilles, director of Camp Wildwood in Rindge, said all the guidelines put forth by the state have made her really think about how camp is operated. But there’s been plenty of time to plan.

“Now we just have to get the kids back here,” she said.

The first session of camp at Wildwood begins June 20, while staff arrive June 4.

For Jenna Spear, camp director for the Harris Center for Conservation Education in Hancock, only hosting a day camp doesn’t really lend itself to testing. So they decided to have parents fill out a screener each morning much like it’s done for schools and “we’re just asking people to be honest,” Spear said.

Matt Caliendo, camp director of Nature’s Classroom Adventure Camp in Hancock, said preparation for the summer typically begins in December, but this year it started in March and many details are still being worked through.

“We basically have to reinvent the wheel so to speak,” he said.

There are a lot of variables, Caliendo said, but then you start to realize there is always a big challenge when running a camp.

“It really feels like it’s going to happen,” he said. “We can do it and it’s exciting.”

But conversations with parents have been filled with questions about COVID-19.

“I haven’t talked about anything but COVID,” Caliendo said. “Any normal parent concern doesn’t exist.”

The setup

Caliendo said pods will be created by age groups and everyone will get a chance to try all the typical activities. What will be different is that camp counselors will stay with groups instead of staying at a specific activity.

Campers will be required to obtain a test within 72 hours of arriving and will be retested when they get to camp. For those staying for two weeks, a second test will be mandated. With tests readily available, it puts him more at ease than what they were facing last year when trying to determine if they could open.

Gilles said Wildwood will be hosting both day and overnight camp, and that decision was made in the fall.

“We’ve been closely following the guidelines for New Hampshire camps opening,” she said. “And we feel like we can open safely.” All the while looking much different than it has in year’s past.

Pods will be created by age groups and campers won’t be required to wear masks when within their grouping. Campers will have to come in with a negative test result, Gilles said, and will be tested on days one and five.

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She said they are fortunate to have plenty of space to spread out and that being outdoors is really the camp’s identity. One big addition is more outdoor sinks.

Spear said since the camp is entirely set outdoors it feels more manageable.

“Because we’re almost all outside anyway, we feel it’s going to as safe as possible,” she said.

Typically group sizes would be 12 to 15 at the Harris Center, but this year it’s capped at 10, including two staff members. There will be a pod system and activities will be more structured to keep pods away from each other. Masks will be required.

There will be no overnight adventure options, so instead they added an extra week to now have camps over four weeks.

“It’s really spreading things out over the summer,” Spear said.

Sutherland said staff and campers will be masked and mainly outside. Cohorts will be made up of seven campers and two to three staff members, meaning fewer staff members, eliminating mainly the junior counselors, which Sutherland calls the camp’s future.

Campers will get tested prior to arrival, when they arrive and again after five or six days. Sutherland said they are asking families to do their part as camp approaches.

“But it’s like limiting something we have no control over,” he said.

Right now, Sutherland said they are strongly encouraging staff members to get the COVID-19 vaccine, but isn’t close to a point of mandating it. He said planning for 2021 started without the expectation that vaccines would be readily available.

But having camp is the most important thing for Sutherland, his staff, and the families.

“I think families want to get their kids back to camp,” he said. “And we want to make sure we’re doing right by our campers.”

Challenges

It certainly won’t be the most lucrative summer for summer camp bank accounts as smaller numbers mean fewer tuition payments. And there will surely be added costs depending on testing regimens and cleaning protocols.

“The real issue is looking at the guidelines and our financials,” Sutherland said. “There will be some camps that can’t afford to run because they can’t afford that testing. But then it comes down to can we wait another year?”

Sutherland said Brantwood is only hosting two, two-week sessions (July 10-25 and July 28-Aug. 12) instead of three.

Caliendo said signups right now are pretty low with only 130 registered as of last Friday, compared to the 550 in 2019.

“I’m hoping to get close to 200 for the full summer,” Caliendo said. “That helps us cover the guidelines.” That equates to about 30 to 60 per week. “I probably could do more.”

He said there are six, one-week options available, as well as three, two-week sessions with camp starting on July 4.

Caliendo said he feels fortunate because so many staff members are returning, but he is having a hard time filling out the medical team.

Gilles said there will be about 100 kids per session and they will be down to four, two-week sessions for overnight camp. There are one-week options, but that only coincides with the start of a new two-week session.

“We wanted to decrease the number of drop off days,” Gilles said.

Staffing is a concern for Gilles as this year has presented a challenge. Typically they have about 15 international staff, but the likelihood of that happening is unknown. They also need staff to commit to the whole summer.

Spear said her biggest problem is not having enough spots. Even with the extra week, the Harris Center will host fewer campers this year. And those filled up within an hour and a half of registration opening. “I’ve had to turn so many away,” Spear said.

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