When I was a kid, I started asking my mom if I could go swimming in that shallow blue plastic pool as soon as it started to warm up.
“It’s not even June yet,” she’d tell me… which meant the answer was no, not yet. And, as a kid, I started to learn the association, and instead of asking if I could go swimming, I’d just ask, “Is it June out yet?”
Lately, it seems, I’m checking the latest news, the latest CDC guidelines, and our state’s COVID information website every day (or every few hours), and it feels like I’m kindergarten-me, waiting for it to be June out… only, right now, I’m waiting for the definitive answer on whether we’ll be able to host campers and guests at Camp this summer.
For a while now, it has felt like things were warming up and the curve was flattening. It has felt like, perhaps, we’d get the go ahead to be able to set a date and open camp. And so like many camps across the country, we are waiting, and planning for several possible scenarios.
- There is the possibility that the prevalence of Coronavirus will wane, and we will be able to reopen with some delay and serve with some ongoing restrictions.
- There is the possibility that restrictions and social distancing guidelines will continue through the summer, requiring significantly modified in-person camp schedules and programs.
- And, then, there’s the possibility that our state and local governments will identify summer camps as a higher risk for disease transmission, and keep such strict restrictions in place that it will simply not be practical or reasonable to operate camp this summer.
Guidance for reopening camps.
For a while we had hoped that the CDC would release guidelines for camps that would provide a framework for how to reopen in a way that minimized the risk to campers, staff, and the community as much as possible. And though a draft of the guidance had been leaked to the press more than a week ago, last Thursday it was reported that the White House had rejected it.
The American Camp Association, however, has taken up the project, and in partnership with the Y-USA and a panel of experts from Environmental Health & Engineering, is continuing to develop a comprehensive guide for the safe operation of camps, including a thorough field guide for camp directors for operating the various activities and programs common to camps. Though this guide has not yet been published, it is in process, and expected within the next couple of weeks.
Where camps fit in phased reopening.
A number of states have also released plans for phased reopenigns of their economies. Michigan’s Governor Whitmer published her “Safe Start Plan” on May 7. Indicating in a press conference that we were still in phase 3 – the “Flattening” phase – statewide, she indicated that the various regions may be able to progress independently through the remaining 3 phases.
Though camps are not addressed in great detail, there are some references that hint at how summer camps might fit into the framework, and page 5 says that they are “establishing working groups to advise the state on how we can safely re-engage child care and summer camps.”
Phase 4, the “Improving” phase, for example, requires continued distancing, the use of face coverings, and ongoing limitations on the size of permitted gatherings (only “small groups with social distancing”). It also indicates that only “lower-risk” businesses may open with strict safety measures, encourages continuing remote work whenever possible, and continues to limit restaurants to take-out, delivery and drive-through only.
And, while it does seem to permit what appears to be in-person educational programs in small groups, restrictions like the ones described in this phase will dramatically affect the character of any camp programs offered.
- Any camp programs would likely have to limit participants to interaction only within very small groups (perhaps 10 or less), while still maintaining social distancing.
- Campers and staff would probably be required to wear face coverings or masks, at least when indoors.
- Regular sanitization and frequent hand-washing (at each activity and whenever entering a building, for example), would most likely become commonplace.
- Visitors and non-essential staff would probably need to be limited, changing, at least, opening- and closing-day programs.
- Meals may have to be served as grab-and-go and eaten in open, outdoor spaces rather than in dining halls.
All of these are challenges that many camp directors are preparing for now. I’ve seen and discussed some great models for protecting a camp’s unique culture, while engaging campers in this new normal. And, while we’ve continued to operate our year-round residential programs at Eagle Village, I’ve seen firsthand how staff can rally to serve great food in alternative formats, and keep up on the necessary cleaning protocols to maintain the highest standards of safety.
Current trends.
All of these things are playing out across the camping world in different ways, in different regions. A third survey this spring of camp directors conducted by CampBrain (the software company we use for camp management and registration) from May 4-6, shows some clear decision-making trends.
- Camp registration volumes, though they have increased slightly in the past 14 days, are still at only about half of what they would normally be this time of year. This is not surprising, as uncertainty affects not only the planning of camp programs, but also parents’ and caregivers’ willingness to commit.
- More camps are officially cancelling some or all of their summer programs. Since the first survey closed on April 8, the percentage of camps who are 100% sure, or almost certain they will close has increased from 23% to 54%. One in four camps surveyed has already committed to closing camp this summer. This is evidence that the time for decision-making is getting shorter. I have seen some camps, however, choosing a rolling approach to the decision to cancel. Some are deciding every two or 5 weeks to cancel or continue programs within a particular window of time, holding out hope for the possibility that they will be able to reopen at a later time.
- Some camps will offer virtual programs as an alternative. Acknowledging the possibility that summer camp might not happen in person, about one in three camps is committed to, or moving towards offering some kind of virtual programs. Our team has been doing this for several weeks, with continuing participation, and a strong emphasis on live, individual interaction. The focus on virtual programming, though, seems to be on camps fulfilling their mission and staying connected with campers, rather than on revenue, since almost half surveyed said they won’t be charging for on-line programs.
With all this in mind, one camp director, who offered an update in a video on Facebook, put it well, saying that at the end of the day, many of the key factors in the decision to have camp or not are out of our control. And while we are all relying on (and at the mercy of) the progression or decline of COVID-19 in our regions and our state and local governments for direction, we also can rely on the wisdom of God to know how best to serve and care for our campers and guests.
And I, for one, continue to hold on to hope. I have hope that, in due time, we will be able to serve the kids and families who need camp most. And I have hope that when that time comes, our camps will emerge stronger and more effective than ever – having learned and adapted, and having learned to be patient.
Is it June out yet?
More about Camps in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic:
What can I do?
Six ways to support your camp.
Here are six practical steps you can take today to show the staff and leadership at your favorite camp that you care. [read now…]
So, what will camp look like?
Summer camp will look different this year… and that’s ok.
These changes are the natural result of the kinds of questions I – and camp directors across the country – have been forced to ask and answer while we wait for guidance and direction from our federal, state and local governments. [read more…]
The question everyone is asking:
Will there be camp this year?
The full reality of the impacts of Coronavirus on the camping industry is yet to be seen. I know it will be extremely difficult for many camps – both economically and emotionally. [read more…]
Feeling a little overwhelmed by it all?
This thing… and all things.
All of us are at times. Scared of what might happen. Afraid of what could happen. Caught off guard because of the uncertainty. We know in our heads that everything is going to be OK, but our heart isn’t convinced. [read more…]