Welcome Letter from our Director of Health
Dear Summer Connections Families, First and foremost, we hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. We are very excited to spend the summer with your child/children as we know this pandemic has been stressful to many and recognize that socializing and...
COVID-19 Policies and Procedures
In order to mitigate the risk of transferring COVID, we constantly monitor and apply CDC Recommendations for Day Camps.
Social Distancing requirements limit each group, or “pod”, to 12 children. Six-foot social distancing is maintained within the pod, and all pods must adhere to a 10’ distancing requirement from all other pods.
COVID-19 Testing:
All staff and campers are required to provide a negative COVID-19 test (PCR or rapid antigen) collected no more than 72 hours before the start of the program for which they are registered. If a participant is registered for two weeks, they will test one time, for four weeks, two times, and for five or six weeks, three times. To search for testing locations within your community, please click here. Submit your COVID-19 Test results here.
COVID-19 Vaccination:
All eligible staff and participants must show proof of COVID vaccination. An individual is considered fully vaccinated 2 weeks after their second dose in a 2-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or 2 weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine.
Morning Drop-Off:
All children should be dropped off in the driveways outside their designated areas on campus. Staff will be there to direct the traffic. Please move slowly and cautiously.
Parents will not be permitted to exit their cars. Our staff and directors will assist children from cars. If a child cannot buckle their seat belt themselves, the parent can exit the car to assist the child. DE360° staff will not be able to buckle campers into their seat belts.
All parents and children should wear a mask as we will be taking the child’s temperature every day and asking parent’s the following questions:
- Fever reducing medication administered?
- Symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath)?
- Household members with symptoms of fever, cough, shortness of breath?
- Close contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19 in the past 14 days?
- Parent/Guardian COVID-19 Essential Personnel?
Masks on Campus:
- Participants must wear a mask on campus. We will have occasional mask breaks throughout the day. Please provide your child with a Ziploc bag with their name on it so their mask can be placed in the bag. Participants are advised to carry at least one extra mask.
- Campers will use hand sanitizer before entering their tent and meeting with their pod
- Staff will need to wear masks throughout the day; in the event that staff needs to come within close proximity to participants, face shields will be worn.
Daily Health Screening Procedure:
- All staff and participants must provide a negative COVID test within a week before the start of each cohort period. Participants enrolled for one to two weeks will need to test only once; participants enrolled for three to four weeks will need to test twice, and participants enrolled for all six weeks will need to test three times.
- A daily health survey must be filled out by each participant’s family before the start of each day.
- Children or staff who have a fever of 100.4 or above or other signs of illness will not be admitted onto campus for their program.
- All staff and campers will have their temperatures taken at drop-off and throughout the day with contactless temperature scanners.
- Medical staff will make a visual inspection of the child for signs of illness which could include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or running nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
A designated isolation area will be used for children who develop symptoms during the day and are waiting to be picked up immediately by a parent/guardian. A trained member of our staff will remain at an appropriate distance with the child to keep them comfortable. The area will be equipped with the appropriate PPE supplies.
A daily log of the Child/Staff Health Screening and Attendance will be maintained in the event we must do contact tracing with the city’s local health department.
If a Camper or Staff Member develops COVID-19 symptoms at Camp:
Campers and staff who develop COVID-19 symptoms will be directed to the quarantine/isolation area and will be evaluated and monitored by the Camp Nurse. Parents or guardians will be notified so transport home can occur quickly. Staff Members, who can drive, will be escorted to their cars.
Communication with your primary healthcare provider will be advised to determine if testing for COVID-19 is appropriate and to determine other causes for the symptoms. Campers and staff are not able to return to camp if a COVID-19 diagnostic test is pending.
If a Camper or Staff Member tests Positive for COVID-19:
The confidentiality of an individual who reports a positive COVD-19 test will be maintained. All families and staff of the individual’s group or “pod” will be notified immediately. DE360° personnel will follow the reporting guidelines established by the CDC and NJ Department of Health and will include contact with local health authorities. This contact and communication will determine the program’s appropriate course of action and follow-up.
When Campers and Staff can return to Camp:
Campers and staff with symptoms and who tested positive for COVID-19 can return to camp when:
The answers to ALL of the following questions is YES:
- Has it been at least 10 days since symptoms first appeared?
- Is fever-free for 3 days (72 hours) without the use of fever-reducing medication?
- Has it been 3 days (72 hours) since symptoms improved?
OR The answer to ALL of the following questions is TRUE:
- Fever-free without the use of fever-reducing medications.
- Improvement of respiratory symptoms (e.g. cough, shortness of breath).
- Two negative COVID-19 tests collected > 24 hours apart.
Campers and staff without symptoms and who tested positive for COVID-19 can return to camp when the answer to both of the following questions is YES:
- Have at least 10 days passed since your first positive test?
- Have been without any subsequent illness and remain without symptoms?
OR The answer to the following is TRUE:
- Two negative COVID-19 tests collected > 24 hours apart.
You may refer to the following documents provided by the NJ Department of Health:
- Quick Reference: Discontinuation of Transmission-Based Precautions and Home Isolation for Persons Diagnosed with COVID-19: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/documents/topics/NCOV/COVID-QuickRef_Discont_Isolation_and_TBP.pdf
- Instructions for Persons Who Test Negative: https://www.nj.gov/health/cd/documents/topics/NCOV/COVID_Instructions_Persons_Who_Test_Negative.pdf
Cleaning Supplies and Equipment:
The campus will be stocked with the cleaning, disinfecting, and PPE equipment as required by the State guidelines. Supplies include gloves, masks, paper towels, soap and water solution, and disinfectants.
Campers and staff will practice frequent handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and shall be required to wash or sanitize their hands:
- Upon arriving at camp
- Before lunch
- After activities using shared items (balls, hoops, etc.) by their pod
- Use of bathrooms
- Before leaving for home
Additional Precautions:
- Participants are not permitted to bring any toys or athletic equipment (e.g. balls) from home.
- The daily schedule around lunch/snacks will allow time for hand washing cleaning and sanitizing of surfaces and materials.
- Participants will remain with the same staff and their pod, for the duration of the week and, as much as feasible, for the duration of the 6 week Summer Connections season.
- One group at a time will be permitted on the playground. The playground will be cleaned between groups.
- Each child will have their own set of supplies such as crayons, glue, markers and scissors which will be in a Ziploc bag with the child’s name on it solely for their use.
