Safari Day Camp Parent Handbook 2021 - Fry Family YMCA - YMCA of Metro ...
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2021 Safari Day Camp Parent Handbook Fry Family YMCA
Safari Club Parent Handbook
Drop-Off (7:00a-8:45a)
Pull into the Fry Family YMCA from 95th St. & proceed to the back of the building. Turn right at the stop sign. Campers will
be dropped off at the back door of the YMCA.
All campers need to be signed in by a parent or legal guardian.
Your child will be escorted to their team’s specific locations by one of the camp staff members.
It is important that all campers arrive by 8:45a. This is so our staff can finalize their counts for the day, as well as prepare
for the day’s activities. Some groups leave by bus at 8:45a, and the buses do not wait for children to arrive.
A late drop-off fee will be charged if you drop your child off later than 8:45a.
Absence: if your child is going to be absent, please call the Safari Hotline at 630.579.5704 by 8:45 am.
Pick-Up (4:00p-6:00p)
Sarai Club ends at 6:00p, unless there is a delay due to a field trip. In such cases, the directors will call the YMCA as soon
as possible. Please call the Fry Family YMCA front desk at 630.904.9595 if you are concerned about arrival time.
No child may leave Safari Club without first checking out with the director in charge.
o Anyone authorized to pick-up your child (including parents and legal guardians) must show a photo ID before the
child may be released every day after camp.
Pick-up procedures are similar to drop-off. Pull into the Fry Family YMCA from 95th St. & proceed forward until you reach
the back of the YMCA.Stop at the sign and turn right. Then place the folder with your child’s name and team number in your
windshield. A staff member will call for your child. Proceed by pulling forward and wat in the line. Your child will be
escorted out of the building by a camp staff member.
A late pick-up fee of $15 per child will be charged to those parents arriving after 6:00p. After 6:15p, a charge of $1
per minute will be charged until the child is picked up.
If you need to pick your child up early from camp, a dated and signed note written by the parent must be given to a staff
member at drop-off. When picking your child up early from camp, you are responsible for contacting the desk and meeting
your child’s team at their location.
If you need to contact your child during camp, please call the Safari Club office number to speak with a director at
630.701.9825.
The Safari Club staff must be notified in advance if someone other than the custodial parent will be picking up your child.
An ID will be needed and compared to the signature at pick-up.
Programming
The Safari Club is not responsible for lost, damaged, or stolen items including clothing. Put your campers name on every
item they bring to camp.
Safari Club shirt must be worn at all times. If your child arrives without a Safari Camp shirt, you must go home or
purchase a new shirt. No exceptions will be made.
o Put your child’s first and last name on the tags owe can return lost items to their rightful owners.
o Safari Club shirt, shorts, gym shoes and socks should be worn daily. Shorts should be longer than the length of
their fingertips when placed at their sides.
o Campers should wear long pants, and/or sweatshirts on nature days and when the weather may be cold.
o Sandals/ flip-flops may only be worn at the water park. Shoes and socks must be worn at all times
A swimsuit, towel, and sunscreen should be sent every day.
o Please label these items with your child’s name.
o One piece swimsuits are required for camp No bikinis, two piece suits, or speedos
o Sunscreen is non-durable and will wash off in a swimming pool.
o Safari Camp staff members are not allowed to help campers apply sunscreen, so please send spray sunscreen.
o SPF 15 or higher sunscreen is required.
Baseball hats are optional and may only be worn outside.
Additional items that may be sent with your child daily:
o Hair brush/ comb
o Shampoo
o Non-aerosol bug repellant
o Non-breakable, non metallic water bottle
Technology is not allowed at Safari Camp. If your child has technology, a Safari Club staff member will confiscate the
item, and the item will need to be picked up by the parent in the Camp Director office. Please do not send your camper
with any technology including but not limited to:
o Smartphones
o Tablets
o Cameras
o Hand-held video games
No toys from home are allowed, unless requested by a staff member.
Do not send inappropriate items to camp with your child. If inappropriate items are sent to camp, your camper may be
suspended for the rest of the day. A conference between parents and Camp Directors will need to take place before the
camper can return to camp. Inappropriate items may include, but are not limited to:
o Guns
o Knives
o Chains
o Skateboards
o Ninja weapons of any kind
o Weapons of any kind
o Alcohol
o Drugs
o Items with inappropriate words on them
Lunches & Snacks
Each camper should have an appropriate lunch + 2 nutritious snacks every day!
o Your child will be putting in 10 hours of constant activity daily. Please be sure
that your camper eats an adequate breakfast before Safari club, and has nutritious
and protein filled lunches and snacks daily.
o Lunches and snacks need to be labeled with the child's first and last name.
o Use a separate bag for each snack and lunch and label appropriately.
Morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack
o If your camper does not have a water bottle, AM, or PM snack, a charge of $1 will be applied to your account and is
due at the time of pick-up.
o If your camper does not have a lunch, Safari Camp will provide one. The amount of the lunch will be added to your
account, and is due at the time of pick-up.
o Please notify camp staff of food allergies.
Do not send money for your child or a Safari Club staff member to buy lunch for the day.Camp Communications
Newsletters will be distributed weekly for the following week. These newsletters will detail the time and place of each
day’s activities.
o Schedules are subject to change based on weather and other factors that are outside of the YMCA’s control .
o Special equipment and clothing requirements will be listed in the newsletter
o Newsletters will be distributed to parents by email and can be seen online at www.ymcachicago.org/fry under the
Summer Day Camp tab.
Extra Expenses & Spending Money
Safari Club staff members may ask families to bring in extra materials for crafts and activities for camp.
o These may include socks for tie-dying or paper towel rolls for a STEM activity.
To make this summer ‘the best summer ever the Safari Club staff has planned trips that will cost more than the average field
trips. On these occasions it may be necessary to pass the additional expenses on to the parents. Safari Club staff members
try to limit the number of these trips.
o You will be notified of these trips in advance through newsletters and announcements.
The weekly newsletter will specify if there is an opportunity to purchase souvenirs and/or snacks at the field trip. If you
choose to send money, the amount you send is at your own discretion and risk. Safari Club staff members recommend not
spending more than $15 on an average field trip day.
o Safari-1counselors may assist in holding camper’s money but it must be sealed in an envelope labeled with the
camper’s name, how much money is enclosed as well as the location on where it should be spent. Safari Club staff
members are not responsible for lost, or stolen money no matter who was in charge of holding the money.
o Campers are able to have an enjoyable and enriching experience without additional spending money. Spending
money is the choice of the parent/ guardian and is not an expectation of the campers.
o Do not send money for lunches unless specified in the newsletter.
Medical Emergencies
You will be notified verbally by a Safari Club Director at pick-up if minor first aid treatment was given to your child.
Safari Club Directors will call you immediately to notify you of any major first aid situations.
Emergencies that cannot be dealt with by Safari Club staff will be handled by local police departments and referred to the
nearest hospital, if necessary.
o Parents will be notified as soon as possible. Parent or legal guardians must complete and sign the Emergency
Medical Release so that your camper may receive treatment as soon as possible.
Safari Club maintains liability insurance as required by the State of Illinois.
Child-Abuse Prevention
Child Abuse Prevention Policy
o The Metro Chicago YMCA’s are mandated, by state law, to report any suspected cases of child abuse or
neglect to the appropriate authorities for investigation.
Ensuring Your Child’s Safety
o As a key element of our child-abuse prevention efforts, the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago evaluates our hiring
policies, guides and trains our staff, and audits our programs to help us provide the safest possible environment
for your children.
o The YMCA of Metro Chicago also provides us with information to share with you, so that you are aware of
issues that affect your children’s safety. The YMCA of Metro Chicago recommends that parents maintain opencommunication with their children. Through careful hiring, education, training, open communication, and
vigilance, the YMCA of Metro Chicago is dedicated to properly serving you and your children.
o Safari 1 maintains a ratio of 1:8
1 counselor to 8 children; ratios may be reduced for special events or outings such as field trips to ensure
safety.
o Safari 2 maintains a ratio of 1:10
1 counselor to 10 children; ratios may be reduced for special events or outings such as field trips to ensure
safety.
If Your Child Becomes Sick
Do not send sick or slightly sick children to Safari Club.
If your child becomes sick while at Safari Club, his/ her symptoms will be closely monitored. You will be contacted if
your child has a fever above 101 degrees F, has vomited or repeated diarrhea, or has symptoms that may be contagious.
You must pick your child up within 2 hours of the first call from a Safari Club staff.
o Your child cannot return to camp until he/ she has gone 24 hours free of symptoms.
o Refunds for sick days will only be given if a doctor’s note is provided.
Contagious diseases
o If your child contracts a contagious disease, we ask that you notify Safari Club immediately. We, in turn, will send
home a note with all campers stating that an illness has been reported. Common contagious diseases:
Pink eye
Strep throat
Chicken pox
Impetigo
Lice
Scabies
Pinworms
Hepatitis
Meningitis
Discipline
Safari Club strives to create a positive environment by emphasizing the character development of the YMCA; caring,
honesty, respect, and responsibility. We believe the following overall strategies effectively achieve this objective for most
children:
o Offering a variety of activities that appeal to a wide range of personal interests.
o Offering each child as much choice as possible within the program’s schedule.
o Annual staff training that includes individual and group behavior management
o Using natural and logical consequences for inappropriate behavior
Staff will attempt to avoid conflicts through redirection to another activity
Should conflict arise, staff will:
Guide the child through verbal discussion to arrive at a resolution which is agreeable to all
parties
Remove a child from an activity if the conflict continues
Involve parent input
Activate a formal system of behavioral management
o The overall effect of these factors should result in a successful Safari Club this summer, although we occasionally
encounter children who require more attention and expertise than we are equipped to provide. Some individuals
may have a disruptive influence on the program. We have found it necessary to supplement our overall discipline
strategy with a formal system that involves the participant ,staff, and participant’s parents. Each incident will bemet on an individual basis as promptly as possible. No physical action, threats, or abuse will be used. Irresolvable
difficulties will result in dismissal from the program.
Parents will be notified in cases of a child’s repeated, inappropriate behavior so that, together, we
can plan a resolution to the situation.
If behavior persists after discussions with the child’s parents, a meeting will take place involving the Safari Club staff,
parents, and the camper whose behavior is in question. During this meeting, expectations for future behavior and
consequences for future inappropriate behavior will be stated.
If preliminary attempts fail to encourage proper behavior, then daily suspensions, doubling with
each occurrence, will be enforced. Since suspensions double in intensity, the second misbehavior will result in a 2 day
suspension, followed by 4 days, 8 days, etc.
Parents or guardians will be personally and financially responsible for the first 3 days of suspension. Swearing,
fighting, assaulting, carrying weapon-like items, insubordination, and testing of counselor’s authority are all behaviors
which could cause a camper to be suspended.
Dismissal from the program is an alternative that may occur in extreme circumstances. Please note that any child
bearing weapons will be suspended from the program immediately and indefinitely.
o Safari Club has a zero tolerance policy for fighting / bullying.
We define fighting as intending to hurt someone, including but not limited to actions such as kicking, hitting,
punching, shoving, scratching, hair-pulling and biting. If fighting occurs, the camper(s) will be suspended for one
to three days. If one camper hits another camper and that camper decides to hit back, then both campers are
responsible and both will be subject to disciplinary action.
We define bullying as making another camper feel unsafe through words and actions. The consequences are
the same for bullying as for fighting.
o Please understand that no child shall be subjected to corporal or psychological abuse by Safari Club staff.
We will dismiss any staff member who resorts to physical or emotional abuse in disciplining Safari Club campers.
o We understand that families differ in their approach to discipline. Nevertheless, we believe that harsh or threatening methods
are not appropriate for children. We will dismiss any children from the program whose parents display threatening behavior
against Safari Club campers or Safari Club staff. Children are not allowed to use physical force to vent their feelings or to
resolve conflict.
Parents will be notified of inappropriate behavior by our directors. This may occur at pick-up or through a phone
call during the day. By focusing attention immediately, we hope to eliminate inappropriate behavior before it
disrupts the whole group.
YMCA Character Contract
The YMCA Character Contract is used during conversations with the campers when situations arise. Please
review this contract with your child before camp. If the pledge is broken or if there is a conflict or
interaction that involves strong feelings or serious negative behaviors the following steps will be taken.
Step 1- YMCA staff will talk with campers in order to acknowledge feelings, gather information
and create a plan to repair any harm that has been caused. This will be documented in the
behavior log.
Step 2- If negative behavior persists or the plan to repair harm is not followed, parents will be
asked to come to the program as a partner to discuss the issues and work toward a solution
together with their child and YMCA staff. A written plan will be created and signed by the parent,
camper and staff.
Step 3- YMCA staff will monitor behavior closely and provide regular feedback to
the camper and parents. Step 4- If the problem persists or camper does not follow the plan created and agreed upon, the
parent may be contacted immediately to pick up their child from camp. The following morning,
parents, staff and the child will meet to discuss additional supports that the child might need to be
successful in the program.
Step 5- If the prior interventions are not successful and youth behavior is impacting the
physical or emotional safety of themselves, YMCA staff or other campers an alternative
placement will be discussed and the child may be dismissed from the program for the
remainder of the session.
We reserve the right to dismiss your child from the program immediately in extreme circumstances where
physical, emotional or other harm is occurring or other harm is occurring or may occur to themselves, other
campers, staff or members.
Payment
Bank Draft - A draft schedule will be given upon request. Either emailed or at the Front Desk at Fry YMCA.
Payments in Person
o Payments can be made in person at the membership desk or over the phone for members.
Guests are not allowed in Safari Club & no child may attend in another child’s place as a substitute.
Any questions regarding payments or weekly changes should be directed to the Youth Services Director.You can also read
