The health and safety of our campers, families, staff, and community members is our top priority. Every summer we ensure measures, protocols, and appropriate staffing are in place for everyone to enjoy their camper experience in a safe and healthy environment. We continue to work closely with our local Public Health unit and local police department to ensure our health and safety protocols and procedures are modernized and up-to-date. We are pleased to have health care professionals and a fully stocked Health Centre, a full-time maintenance team to ensure all of our buildings, pools, and equipment are in safe and working order, and off-site security support monitoring the Crestwood property at all hours of the day.  

Health Centre

Our Health Centre is staffed at all times during the camp day by an experienced Registered Nurse and certified first-aiders. The Health Centre staff are on-site to respond to all health and wellness issues, as well as to administer required medication as needed.

It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to notify the camp of any changes to the information provided on the Camper Health Form (at the time of registration) so that we have the most recent and accurate medical information for all campers.

In the event your camper visits the Health Centre, depending on the circumstances of the visit, you will receive either a note home that evening or a phone call with details of the visit. If the camper needs to be picked up, a parent/guardian will be notified immediately.

Anaphylaxis

To support our campers with life threatening allergies, we ask that all of our families read the following information and share it with their campers. We provide all food and snacks during the camp day for campers and staff to ensure the safety of all everyone on the camp property. The food and snacks we provide are free from peanuts, tree nuts, and sesame products. No outside food or snacks are allowed on the buses or on our camp property. Although this helps a number of our campers and staff,, we understand that not all allergies are food related and are conscious of these other allergies as well.

Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that can be rapid in onset and can cause death. It can manifest in different ways such as hives, itchy rash, vomiting, shortness of breath or even throat or tongue swelling. This reaction is caused by being exposed to the person’s allergy. For example, if a person has a bee allergy, if they are stung it will cause a reaction. If a person has a nut allergy, ingesting or sometimes even smelling nuts can cause a reaction. The main way anaphylaxis is treated is by an epinephrine injection.

We ensure that our staff are trained and prepared to care for anyone having a reaction. During our pre-camp training sessions we ensure that our staff are educated in First Aid, CPR, our emergency procedures, and how to properly use Epi-pens. Our bus drivers are also trained to use Epi-pens in case of an emergency. Our Health Centre, Unit Heads, Counsellors, Pool Heads, Swim Instructors, Specialty Staff, and our catering department are notified and briefed of camper and staff allergies and restrictions.

On the first day of each session, campers who carry an Epi-pen will be provided with a red Crestwood pouch marked with their full name and cabin placement. Crestwood also keeps multiple doses of Epi-pens on site in case of an emergency. Please ensure that your camper’s Epi-pen contains the correct dosage and is up-to-date for the camp season.

If you have any questions about this policy or allergies at camp in general, please email us at crestwood.camp@crestwood.on.ca or call us at 416-444-9595.

Asthma

  • If your camper has asthma, it is important that we know and understand the symptoms they experience, especially what environments can make it worse (cold, exercise, campfire smoke, etc.). 
  • Please make sure that the correct medication is sent to camp with your camper(s), and you inform the camp of when you feel we should administer the use of an inhaler.
  • The inhaler can be kept in our Health Centre or carried around in a fanny pack with the camper. Please connect with the camp office to chat further and let us know where you would like the inhaler kept.

Medication

  • No medication can be given at camp without permission from a camper’s parent/ guardian. This includes all prescription and over-the-counter medication.
  • If you are planning to send medication, it must be in the original bottle labeled with the camper’s name, the name of the medication, the dosage required, and the time to administer the medication in writing by email.
  • Send enough medication for camp use only, leaving the remainder at home.
  • Medication must be stored in the Health Centre and administered by our Registered Nurse.
  • If you are going to send medication, please contact the camp office by email before the camp day begins to provide instructions for our Health Centre team.

Illness & Safely Returning to Camp

In the event a camper is not feeling well, it is important that they take the time they need to feel better before returning to camp. For the health and safety of all campers and staff, please do not send your camper(s) to camp if they are experiencing symptoms of illness. This includes and is not limited to the following symptoms:

  • Fever and/or chills
  • Cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Decrease or loss of taste and/or smell
  • Muscle aches or joint pain
  • Extreme tiredness
  • Sore throat
  • Runny or stuffy/congested nose
  • Headache
  • Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea
  • Abdominal pain
  • Pink eye
  • Decreased or no appetite

Return to camp can occur if they do not have a fever and their symptoms have been improving for at least 24 hours (or 48 hours if they have been vomiting or having diarrhea). Alongside a parent/guardian, the camper will need to complete the School and Child Care Screening, or an alternative screening tool designated by the local public health unit, daily before returning to camp. We suggest you copy and paste the following URL and/or bookmark or save the link to the screening tool.

Head Lice

We must take extra precautions to limit the transmission of lice at camp. Though bothersome, head lice will not harm children and adults, nor cause illness. Having head lice does not mean a person is unclean or the environment is dirty. Head lice are almost always transmitted from one person to another by head-to-head contact.

  • Prior to arriving to camp, please examine your camper’s head and everyone else in the household for lice and nits. Start examining the head by beginning around the ears and at the nape of the neck and then the rest of the head. If your camper does have lice, begin treatment.
  • If your camper is found to have lice or nits, they will not be admitted to camp until the situation is resolved. A parent will be notified immediately and will need to pick their camper up from camp. Campers will not be allowed back to camp without a certificate/note from a lice clinic or nurse, indicating that the camper no longer has lice and/or nits.

In case of communicable diseases such as Chicken Pox, German Measles, Pink-Eye, Lice, & Hand Foot & Mouth, please notify the Camp Office immediately. There are children at our camp that could suffer a fatal reaction to communicable diseases. You MUST notify the camp if your camper is a carrier!

Rainy Days & Extreme Heat Days

Our campers and staff are always ‘Sun Smart’. Whether re-applying sunscreen, keeping hats on heads, drinking water, refilling water bottles, staying in the shade, or keeping cool in our air-conditioned indoor facilities, all help beat the heat at camp! Staff are well trained to ensure campers’ safety at all times. In heavy rain or extreme conditions, programming continues like usual in our indoor, air-conditioned, state-of-the-art facilities. Please monitor the early morning weather reports and send the appropriate labeled clothing and shoes for the weather.

Security & Visitors

For the safety of all our Crestwood community members, please note that outside of camper drop off and pick up (which is done without drivers having to exit their vehicles), all parents, guardians, and visitors are not permitted to enter the camp property under any circumstances without having visited the Camp Office first to sign in. Please note that visits to the camp must be approved and pre-scheduled by a Director. Any approved visitors are provided with Visitor name tags when they sign in at the office, and they are returned when they sign out of camp

Crestwood ensures that staff are well trained and prepared to care for children. Along with training in creative programming, daily routines, and general planning, staff are trained in First Aid, CPR, Epi-­pen use, and Emergency Procedures. Campers and staff practice safety drills (fire, missing persons, and lockdown scenarios) periodically throughout the summer, to ensure that the camp is prepared in the event of a real emergency.

In addition to the above measures, all of our building doors remain locked from the outside at all times.  Camp staff are provided with instructions on how to securely open the doors to ensure entry to the buildings is accessible at all times during camp hours.  All camp staff are required to wear a Crestwood staff t-shirt and a nametag so they can be easily identified by other staff and campers.    

Crestwood reserves the right to change its Health and Safety Policy for the upcoming summer as updates are made by the Ministry of Health, Toronto Public Health, and/or local authorities at any point in time, with no notice required.