Perkiomen Pines Day CampCommitted to Safety

Health and Safety at camp are our priority

I am humbled that our camp community put their trust in us this past summer, relying on us to keep their children safe at camp during a pandemic. Emboldened by this confidence, we took every precaution possible and were able to open, stay safe and provide a wonderful experience for our campers. By committing to extensive safety protocols, modifying our program and instituting social distancing and temperature checks, we were able to keep our children safe while providing the much needed social interaction that defines camp. It was a challenging summer, but easily the most rewarding in my camp career.

- Josh Weisman, Director

Our Approach to Covid-19

When COVID-19 began impacting our community in March 2020, we started to immediately work on a health plan that would allow us to open. While many other camps closed around us, we felt it was important for our children to have some sense of “normalcy” during the summer, and we worked tirelessly to make that a reality.

With guidance from the CDC, American Camping Association, state and local health departments, and in conjunction with our own medical advisors, we developed a COVID-19 guidebook to safely open. Every aspect of camp was examined.

We implemented temperature checks at both drop off in the morning, and pickup in the afternoon. We divided our campers into divisional “pods” and socially distanced throughout the day. Each division had their own equipment that was sanitized multiple times a day. Cabin spaces were sanitized throughout each day, as were table tops and any other multi-use facilities.

We also adapted our program, anticipating potential virus surges in late July and early August. Instead of eating inside in our large dining hall, we ate outdoors - taking advantage of the vast property. We spread out the campers over 4 different swim periods and 3 separate lunch times. While challenging given the summer heat, we adapted our mask policy to keep our campers, staff and community safe. Each division had their own sports equipment, harnesses and arts & craft supplies. Life jackets were sanitized daily and before being used by a different division. Hand sanitizing stations were prevalent throughout camp, with additional bottles of sanitizer available on every table, in every cabin and carried throughout the day by each counselor.

There were dozens of other guidelines put in place, as outlined in our ten page COVID-19 handbook. It was rewarding to see that all the steps we put in place kept our campers safe, and allowed them to have a safe and FUN summer camp experience. We could not have done it without the commitment of our camp community, and are grateful for their support.

What Our Families Are Saying

"You should absolutely sit back and be proud of what you and your team pulled off. It gave a lot of us hope each day that we read that you were trying your hardest to still put something on with camp, despite all of the obstacles. Our daughter had a great two weeks and was smiling and tired every day, which is what I hoped for and was truly grateful to have. The interaction with her campmates and counselors was something she wanted and needed and was not at all something that I was fearful to have occurring.

I know she already looks forward to heading back next summer! Your efforts to pull this off are incredibly appreciated by those of us who were seeking a return to sanity and normalcy and moving forward through all of this, rather than halting life completely. You ran a big, huge success as far as I am concerned and should shout it to the world (and to our schools!!) that it is healthier to have our kids engaged and active than it is to hide and shelter them."

"This year you and your staff have gone above and beyond. As school approaches, there is so much conversation around the impacts of social isolation to our children. But Perkiomen Pines has provided an oasis from the Covid situation. No doubt you put in significantly more effort than usual and took on some personal risk by being willing to hold the camp this year. I hope with this note you realized that it was a success and it is much appreciated by all the parents and children who took part."

"We wanted to reach out and say a huge THANK YOU for all that you did this summer. Our boys had a wonderful time, met up with old friends and made some new ones, and got to enjoy themselves more than we can say. Despite all of the challenges, Perkiomen Pines was the only thing that the boys could do this summer that was part of their normal lives and for that we are all very grateful. Thank you again for all that you did to make camp safe, healthy, and fun. We'll see you again next summer."