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Camp Policies
Cedar Circle Farm and Education Center’s policies are in place to foster a community built on trust, empathy, and respect. The following policies exist in order to keep our campers, staff, and community safe while emphasizing connecting to one another and our environment. We thank you for your support in upholding these policies so that we can have a successful and fun summer together!
Equity & Inclusion
We value creating a welcoming and safe space for all of our campers and their families, staff, and community members regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, gender, sexual orientation, abilities, personality, age, size, family structure, appearance, accent, religion, class, economic status, social status, political beliefs, hometown, careers, educational background, work experience, military service, interests, skills, and habits.
Some ways that we practice this at Cedar Circle Farm camp are:
Speaking up when we see discrimination happening
Engaging in conversations and supporting growth when topics related to diversity arise
Respecting and using the pronouns and names that individuals asks us to
Incorporating various perspectives and experiences into programming
Understanding that every person has different needs and meeting them where they are
Starting each week by discussing different types of respect and creating community agreements within groups
Offering numerous opportunities for campers to choose activities from a selection of options
Modifying games and activities so that everyone can participate
We are continually learning and striving to improve our organization and community. We welcome and thank you for your feedback on ways we can make our programs more equitable and inclusive. We are happy to talk to you in person or over the phone, or you can send an email to growing@cedarcirclefarm.org at any time.
Staff Experience & Values
Our summer camp staff are experienced and passionate educators interested in helping youth build relationships and skills in the outdoors. All staff participate in an extensive one-week training program together. This hands-on training includes many topics, such as First Aid & CPR; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Cedar Circle Farm camp policies and emergency procedures; education values; child development and behavior; group management skills; and working through various potential challenging scenarios. We work very closely as a team and value learning from each other by creating opportunities to share with one another during daily debriefs throughout the camp season.
Accessibility & Disclosure
We aim to create a camp environment that is inclusive for all campers. We are happy to work with you and your camper to make an individualized camp plan, while also ensuring a safe and fun experience for all campers. If your camper requires one-on-one support at all times, we welcome them to attend with an aid (provided by you) at no additional cost.
Open dialogue allows us to best serve your family. We ask for disclosure of all necessary information regarding your camper’s physical, mental, and emotional health that will aid us in providing the most successful experience for your camper. We promise to keep this information confidential and only share with camp staff to ensure camper safety.
Medical & Emergency Response
All of Cedar Circle Farm’s camp staff are First Aid & CPR certified and are required to pass a criminal background check. All staff also carry a walkie talkie, first aid kit, and cell phone at all times in case of emergency.
We are not allowed to administer medication to campers. If your camper requires medication at camp, please tell your camper and their group’s instructor the location of that medication. We are happy to remind your camper to take medication at specific times, according to your guidance.
If your camper has had anaphylaxis before and is prescribed an epinephrine pen, we require them to carry an up to date epinephrine pen and Benadryl in an accessible outer pocket of their backpack.
Cedar Circle Farm has written response plans for on-farm emergencies and staff are trained in how to respond to these different scenarios.
Safety
Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center asks caretakers to assist in communicating and upholding the following safety expectations with their campers:
Campers must wait to be invited or ask to harvest and taste any plants on the farm.
Campers must stay with their group or a staff member at all times.
Everyone practices safety around roads, farm vehicles, and tractors.
Climbing trees is not allowed.
Wading in the river is allowed up to knee depth with shoes on, and only after getting permission from camp staff.
Campers must wear closed-toe shoes at all times, even while wading in the river.
Please put sunscreen on your camper each morning before camp. Campers are required to reapply sunscreen after lunch.
Running with sticks or rocks, or using them as weapons, is not allowed.
In the case of thunder or lightning, we will all go as quickly as possible to a safe indoors location until at least 30 minutes after the last occurrence of thunder or lightning.
Behavioral Expectations
Cedar Circle Farm & Education Center summer camp is a community and we expect all members to act in a safe and respectful way towards themselves and each other. If a camper is unable to follow these expectations, we will work with campers in the following way:
1. We will try to resolve the situation with the camper(s) involved. Even if the camper is able to resolve the situation that day, we will communicate with their caregiver at pick-up about it.
2. If the unsafe or disrespectful behavior is still continuing, we will talk with their caregiver to outline a plan in order to make expectations clear for the camper so that we may work together to achieve our goals.
3. If the camper is still unable to behave safely and respectfully, we will have to ask them to not return to camp.
There is some behavior that is never allowed, and may result in removal from camp immediately. This includes but is not limited to the following:
Abusive behavior - This is behavior that endangers the physical, mental, or emotional well-being of themselves and/or others. Examples of abusive behavior include but are not limited to engaging in physical fights, verbal insults, bullying, and threats.
Inappropriate behavior - This is behavior that is not socially acceptable for all members of our community. We ask that you and your camper keep in mind that there are campers present as young as 6 and all behavior must be appropriate for all members of our community. Examples of inappropriate behavior include but are not limited to cursing or speaking about sexual or violent content.
Invasion of privacy - This is behavior that disrespects someone’s personal space. Examples of invasion of privacy include but are not limited to touching someone without consent, touching someone’s private parts, and deliberately entering a port-a-potty when someone is in there.
Discriminatory behavior - This is behavior that is disrespectful towards someone’s identity, based on characteristics including but not limited to race, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship status, gender, sexual orientation, abilities, personality, age, size, family structure, appearance, accent, religion, class, economic status, social status, political beliefs, hometown, careers, educational background, work experience, military service, interests, skills, and habits.
Communication
We feel that proactive communication is extremely important in making Cedar Circle Farm camp successful. We may need to reach you during the camp day, so ask that you or another emergency contact listed be available by phone during the camp day.
We check in at the end of each camp day to talk about safety, behavior, and health, and ask that you leave time for these conversations at pick-up time.
Our safety and behavioral expectations apply to our campers, staff, volunteers, and all camp families. If you ever hear of something that violates these expectations, please let the Camp Director know immediately so that we can resolve the situation.
Registration & Payment
This registration form must be completed and submitted and a deposit received before a camper is considered fully registered. A non-refundable $35 deposit is due at the time of registration, unless you are registering for the waitlist or requesting financial support. If the full balance is not received by May 1, you will risk losing your camp placement.
Cancelation & Refunds
For withdrawals more than 14 days before the first day of a camp week, we will refund your tuition less the $35 non refundable deposit. For withdrawals within 7-14 days of the first day of camp, we will refund 50% of the tuition less the deposit. For withdrawals within 7 days of the first day of camp, no refund will be given.
Refunds will not be given for camper absences of less than two full days. If a camper has to unexpectedly miss two full days or more of camp, refunds will be considered on a case by case basis. We ask that adults notify us of their camper’s absence by phone or email as soon as possible after it is determined they will not be attending camp.
Illness & COVID-19
ILLNESS POLICIES
If your camper is sick, we ask that they stay home until they have not experienced any of the following symptoms for at least 24 hours:
Fever (without the use of fever-reducing medications)
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Conjunctivitis
Rash, unless cleared by doctor as not contagious
Lice
We reserve the right to send a camper home if they are not well enough to participate in activities or display symptoms that we find concerning.
COVID-19 POLICIES
We will be spending almost all our time outside. Masks are welcome outside.
We require masks indoors, so please pack masks for your camper in case we go inside.
We are following current CDC guidelines regarding camp attendance after a COVID-19 positive test or exposure.
We require compliance with all COVID-19 guidelines adopted by Cedar Circle Farm.
We reserve the right to update our COVID-19 policies.