IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK WHEN CHOOSING SUMMER CAMPS

Kids Co. is a licensed and quality summer day camp.     

We can guarantee that parents who enroll their kids in Kids Co. summer camps can feel confident in knowing there kids are safe and well cared for, all-the-while having fun.

As a parent or guardian, this is what you can expect:

1. Parents are given calendars and schedules of what their child will be doing every day.
2. Kids Co. uses chartered buses with commercial vehicle licensed drivers.
3. Kids Co. informs parents of challenging behaviors and works with the parents and the child to determine the most appropriate steps to take to re-direct and improve challenging behaviors. Kids Co. does this so the child and all the other children will have a positive, quality experience.
4. Kids Co. has an open door policy. Parents are welcome to visit at any time.
5. Kids Co. staff is trained in child development, curriculum development, and program quality tools and measures.
6. All of Kids Co.’s staff is 1^st Aid/CPR certified.
7. Kids Co. staff employ child tracking methods and take attendance at regular intervals throughout the day.
8. Due to voluntarily obtaining school age care licenses for all of our programs, Kids Co. completes two background checks on all child care staff and maintains below licensing teacher-to-child ratios which can be no more than 1:15.

Ask any Kids Co. parent and they’ll tell you that peace of mind is the greatest benefit when choosing Kids Co. for your kids.

Many of the specialty camps in Seattle are unlicensed which means they do not have to adhere to the strict guidelines governed by Washington State’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). Although these can be quality programs there are questions I suggest asking in order to determine if these are safe places for your children.

Questions to Ask When Choosing an Unlicensed Summer Camp

Specialty camps are popping up from every corner of our community. Here are 5 tips to consider before enrolling your kids.

1. What will my child be doing for the entire day?

• How much of each day is spent on that special topic? What else will they be doing during the day? What type of transportation used if the kids are taken off site?

2. What is the discipline policy?

• We all know that like grown-ups, kids have good days and hard days. You will want to know what the camp does to address inappropriate behaviors. Do they call parents to come pick up their child? Will their child be allowed to return to camp if asked to leave for a day?

3. Do they encourage site visits?

• Often parents are enrolling kids in camps based on descriptions, sight unseen. Does the camp welcome visitors? Do they have an open-door policy?

4. What type of training does the staff receive?

• Do staff actually have the knowledge to teach the specialty camp? What are their credentials to teach that topic? What makes them qualified to work with young kids? The answers to these questions are critical to determining whether your child will have good experience.

5. What are the safety measures and protocols that are followed during camp?

• Are staff trained in 1^st Aid/CPR? How do they track the kids? Are all of the staff given thorough background checks so they are cleared to work with kids? What is the teacher-to-child ratio? Are staff allowed to be one-on-one with a child unsupervised? Parents need to be satisfied with the answers to these questions so they have the peace of mind in knowing their kids are in safe hands.

I believe we can all agree that safety and peace of mind, when it comes to the care of your children, is a top priority. Wishing you all an enjoyable and stress-free summer!