What if I need to cancel after I register? What if camp has to close?
Because of the strange nature of 2020, your camp tuition is nonrefundable for any reason. If you need to cancel camp after you’ve registered, our normal policy applies: as long as you let us know no later than the Friday before your child begins, we’ll hold your unused tuition as a credit for next summer. Because all campers are required by Los Angeles County to attend full weeks of camp, we cannot provide credits or prorate tuition for partial weeks this summer.
We also know that it’s possible that California’s reopening has to slow down or even go backwards. If we have to close or cancel camp prior to August 14, any unused tuition will automatically become a registration for 2021.
How will campers be grouped together?
Your child will be assigned to a co-ed group of up to 11 other campers of the same age range and two counselors. The makeup of that group will stay constant over the course of the week and from week to week. As always, you can request one friend in your child’s same grade to be in their group. Siblings who are in the same grade or one grade apart will be grouped together, in accordance with LA County’s directives on reducing contacts.
Los Angeles County has released guidance and are allowing camps to operate. Since Tumbleweed is reopening, how do you know it is safe to have camp?
So many Tumbleweed families know how important the camp experience is for them, and they’ve expressed a deep hope that we’ll be able to offer camp this summer. Los Angeles County has identified that day camps are critically important to reopening LA’s economy and has encouraged us to be open this summer and provide this vital service to your family. The safest option is to stay home. Any activity outside of your household, including camp, increases your child’s risk of contracting COVID-19 and of transmitting it to others. Nothing we can do will eliminate that risk. Public health officials from the CDC, California Department of Public Health, and Los Angeles County Department of Public Health have determined that summer camps can mitigate that risk by following guidelines set forth by those agencies. We’re doing that, and we’re also incorporating guidance from the American Camp Association and our camp pediatrician.
The best part of Tumbleweed is unplugging, exploring nature, and playing outdoors with friends new and old. While we have to make many changes this summer to make the Tumbleweed experience as safe as we can for our camp family, those things won’t change!
How will campers get to and from camp each day?
The requirements we’d need to follow for camp vehicles make it impossible for us to efficiently provide transportation like we normally do. Campers will need to be dropped off and picked up each day by a parent/guardian; it’s highly recommended that your family designates one person to handle this for the entire time your child is at camp. Camp guidelines require that we stagger arrival and departure to avoid having large groups at camp, so when you register, you’ll select a window of time to do that (either 8:30-9:00 am and 3:30-4:00 pm OR 9:00-9:30 am and 4:00-4:30 pm).
How to I register for camp?
For 2020, campers are required to sign up for consecutive, full weeks of camp (Monday through Friday); you can choose as many consecutive weeks as you’d like between July 6 and August 14.
What happens when we arrive at camp?
When you arrive at camp each day, a staff member will greet your car in the parking lot. We’ll ask you some questions about potential symptoms and COVID exposure and check your child’s temperature, and then we’ll bring them to their group. Parents/guardians will not be allowed to park or exit their cars this summer, including on your child’s first day of camp.
What does a typical camp day look like?
Even in a typical summer, most time at camp is spent engaging in a variety of activities with your group, and that won’t change this summer! Each day, your child will participate in five different activities, including swimming, with their group. While we’ll have to avoid large group activities like assemblies and all-camp events, those will take place within the group throughout the camp day.
Will activities be the same this year?
Guidance from the American Camp Association includes lots of information about various activities. Each group will have the appropriate supplies, sports equipment, etc. that won’t be shared with other groups, and this will be cleaned after each use. Playground equipment, inflatables, climbing walls, and similar activities will be cleaned between groups and at the end of each day. For “seated” activities like art and crafts, we’ll space campers apart as much as possible, and for other activities, we’ll minimize contact between campers and with counselors. Most activities should be pretty normal with lots of cleaning and sanitizing!
Because it’s very difficult to ensure equipment is sanitized and staff are able to maintain distancing, we won’t be able to offer horseback riding this summer.
Swimming will be relatively normal (chlorinated water is a great disinfectant) and will still be a daily activity. Each group will swim on their own to ensure there’s enough space in the pool for distancing, and we’ll stagger swim times so that only one group at a time uses the changing rooms.
Can I visit camp? Can I come with my child on the first day?
In a typical summer, we love visitors! Unfortunately, state and county guidance requires us to limit the number of people who are at camp, and so we won’t be able to allow visits this summer. If you have questions or want to talk about your child’s experience, please give us a call.
What happens if my child gets sick? What if someone in their group does?
We expect families to monitor their campers for symptoms of and exposure to COVID-19 for 14 days prior to camp and throughout their time at Tumbleweed. If your child gets sick, has a fever of 100.4 or higher, or exhibits any other symptoms consistent with COVID-19, please notify us immediately. Campers won’t be able to return to camp for at least 10 days after symptoms start AND three days after symptoms including fever have improved.
If your child has had close contact with someone who has COVID-19 or have been advised to quarantine, please do not send your child to camp until they’ve completed the quarantine required by Los Angeles County.
If someone at camp becomes ill with COVID-19, we will notify you. We’ll then follow LA County’s protocol for cleaning, sanitizing, and possible temporary closure of camp.
What about masks?
All of our staff will be wearing face coverings at all times, except while in the pool. LA County’s guidance is also requiring campers to wear masks, and we do too! Please send your child to camp with a cloth face covering.
Do you have any discounts?
Because of our limited number of spaces for this summer, we aren’t able to offer any discounts, camperships or financial assistance. If you had registered for camp prior to our suspension and didn’t receive a refund, we’ll apply the rate you paid at the time you initially registered.
How will lunch and snack work?
As usual, you will send a lunch with your camper each day. We recommend sending some extra snacks this summer as well. We already discourage campers from sharing food, because of allergies, and that’s been a recommended practice to continue in 2020. We’ll provide an afternoon snack.
What about Twilight Riding / Overnights / Extended Care?
These programs all have a lot of moving parts, and unfortunately, we won’t be offering them this year. They’ll be back in 2021!
I heard you had a webinar about how camp is going to be different this summer. Is it recorded and can I watch it?
Yes! We hosted a webinar on Tuesday, June 16 to discuss some changes to the Tumbleweed program and also chat about what is staying the same. You can view the webinar here: https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/2-VYIaOhpmVLc43O-EDxa5VxEJ_Keaa8g3VN_PEEzB4J4k1SdAss62T3Cddp4WOR
Make sure to use the password: 2v@P2%2V
Still have questions? Give us a call at 310-472-7474.
What should my camper bring each day?
Please send your camper with two face coverings (one to wear and an extra), a towel, bathing suit, lunch (plus extra snacks), reusable water bottle, and sunscreen. We have extra face coverings, water bottles and sunscreen at camp so if you forget that, we've got you!
Please note that counselors are highly encouraging washing hands and when hand washing is not available, they carry hand sanitizer with them. Please do not send your camper with hand sanitizer as the FDA has specific requirments for hand sanitizers.
