Covid Policy Updates

Overnight Camp Policy

(for Day Camp, click here)

Update for Summer 2024 –  August 28, 2023

We continue to believe in vaccinations as a part of a broad strategy to keep kids healthy at camp. The question we get most often is “Why do you require certain vaccinations when schools don’t?” It is just different having a camper here for weeks at a time. Your child may only spend 30 hours a week at school. That means you as a parent are the primary decision maker about all aspects of your child’s health. It is different at overnight camp. Campers sleep together in cabins and live, eat, play, and learn in close groups. We need to make health decisions for 250 children. The last thing we want is for anyone to get sick, and vaccinations play a role in mitigating the risk of serious illness. Having said that, we recognize that each family has different circumstances and makes decisions for their own children. So, we do have a policy that allows medical exemptions. For 2024, we will also consider personal exemptions.

If you will not consider any particular childhood recommended vaccination for your camper, you must have sufficient insurance to cover cancellation fees if a requirement is necessary later on. We want kids to experience camp and also for your investment to be protected! If a government agency imposes a vaccine requirement for camp attendance, or our own medical team makes a decision to require a specific vaccine, we would not consider this a reason to offer a refund. We can promise you that we would never arbitrarily make a decision. It would be imposed on us or recommended by our medical team.

Update for Summer 2023 –  May 23, 2023

Please see the Information Packet in your Kennolyn account under ‘Forms’ to read about the details of our Covid policy.

We are requiring an over-the-counter test when dropping off campers.

We may do Covid testing for campers during a session, but apart from that, testing will be for those showing symptoms. Any camper testing positive will need to be picked up from camp. We will continue to refer to the CDC for the timeline of returning to camp after a positive test.

Update for Summer 2023 –  May 2, 2023

As of April 18, 2023, the original Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are no longer authorized for use by the FDA in the United States. Updated Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines are being used for all age groups.

Update for Summer 2023 – January 24, 2023

At this time, we expect to be requiring all campers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. For now, that includes the recommended vaccination primary series. We are not requiring boosters for campers. However, if we have learned anything in the past 3 summers it is that COVID requirements can change.

If you would not consider a booster in order to attend camp, please make sure you have sufficient insurance to cover cancellation fees if a requirement is necessary later on. We want kids to experience camp and also for your investment to be protected! If a government agency imposes a booster requirement for camp attendance, or our own medical team makes a decision to require boosters, we would not consider this a reason to offer a refund. We can promise you that we would never arbitrarily make a decision. It would be imposed on us or recommended by our medical team.

Update for Summer 2023 – August 17, 2022

We continue to follow the recommendations of various agencies and want to let everyone know that COVID vaccination may be required for camp attendance in 2023.  Our best suggestion is that you secure a place now and wait for further announcements in the Winter as things become clearer. You can cancel with no penalty up to 1/31/2023. As of today, it is most likely that we will require vaccinations, but we will continue to research and trust our medical team as they evaluate best practices for camps.

Update for Summer 2022 – June 5, 2022

All campers in attendance at any overnight camp program must meet the CDC requirement for fully vaccinated.  Medical exemptions will be considered on a case by case basis. In addition, all campers enrolled as a Counselor in Training or a Junior Counselor MUST meet the CDC requirement for up to date vaccinations which includes a booster shot for this age group.

We recommend (but do not require) boosters for all eligible campers (eligibility is detailed here.)

Given the uncertainty around all travel plans, we still recommend getting the standard plan travel insurance if you haven’t already.

We REQUIRE that two rapid antigen tests be taken for every arriving camper. We will be emailing families with details.

There are no exceptions to this testing policy. For us to return to anything like normal operations, we must continue to have robust testing protocols in place. A camper cannot attend camp if both or the second of these tests is positive.

Campers arriving by plane must following the testing protocol and should not fly if they have a positive result. We will not be able to meet them at the airport if they have tested positive.

Refund Policy: this is a reasonable question, but at this stage of the pandemic, we feel that the risks of any camp experience being modified, curtailed, or cancelled are entirely foreseeable. Any cancellation, early departure from camp due to a positive test result, group isolation due to an exposure to COVID, or other interruption to the camp experience will not result in a refund. We will try to offer a partial credit towards next summer when possible but will determine this after this summer is over.

Click here for more information about:

• If a camper tests positive before camp
• If a camper tests positive while at camp
• At camp testing
• Staff testing
• Masking

We continue to stay up to date with requirements and recommendations from the CDC, CDPH, CalOSHA, the County of Santa Cruz, and the American Camp Association.