Thank you for trusting us with your child this summer. We take our responsibility for your child seriously, and we’ve listed frequently asked questions and their answers below. If you don’t find the answer to something you’re interested in below, it may be located in another section of this website, and you’re always welcome to contact us directly!
Philosophy and Program | Health and Safety | General
Philosophy
1) What makes your camp different than the others in which my child is enrolled?
Outpost Summer Camps is built on four principles that in most cases differentiate us from other summer programs: 1) Low staff to camper ratio; 2) Small, consistent age-based groups in two-week sessions; 3) Unique, high-quality outdoor adventure program (“old fashioned” group-centered games and activities); 4) Child-centered philosophy and highly trained directors and staff.
2) What if my camper is not into sports and games?
At Outpost, one of our “inside jokes” is that most of our games end in a “confusing tie!” Beginning with the games we play, and the staff we hire and train, we place much more emphasis on the fun of playing rather than the win/loss outcome. The reason many children don’t enjoy playing sports and games is because of the lack of fun when the focus of everyone involved is on who will win and who will lose. We also play many cooperative games where the fun level is HIGH and there is no winner or loser. And as a “group-centered” camp, we spend our days together, so that no one is ever on their own.
3) What if my camper doesn’t like getting dirty?
Then maybe it’s time to look for another camp! We believe in giving campers opportunities to experience the outdoors fully and that often means wearing a bit of camp home, like shoes that have walked in water or shirts that have been painted with mud! Just about all of our campers who may be initially hesitant end up joining in the fun.
4) Do you do any field trips?
Our Senior Outpost program for 6th-9th graders is based primarily off-site at locations throughout the County. We do not take field trips with our younger campers aside from daily pool time for our Day Camp groups. Our philosophy is that trips to Sea World, Legoland, etc are destinations for parents and children together as families, not for third-party providers like camps. We offer adventures that you can only have at Outpost Summer Camps!
5) What if my camper is not a good swimmer?
All campers in Day Camp and Senior Outpost are assessed for their swimming ability on their first day of camp. Based on that assessment, they are assigned to an area of the pool with an appropriate level of supervision and guidance. Our groups range from “non-independent swimmer” to “advanced,” and special areas of the pool and dedicated staff are set up for each group. For Day Camp groups, Lower Camp (usually grades K-2) is always in the shallow end or on the play area ramp – separate from the deep end. Upper Camp campers (usually grades 3-5) are eligible to swim in the deep end with their group but must pass a second swim test provided by the pool’s lifeguards if they would like to swim in the deep end. All Senior Outpost campers (grades 6-9) must past the deep end test facilitated by lifeguards on the first day in order to participate in Senior Outpost’s off-site water activities.
6) Do the kids get hot? Is there an “indoors?”
OSC is located in a wilderness preserve, and we are outdoors all day. We spend much of our day hiking and playing in shaded areas, eating under trees and of course swimming at the pool. We provide sunscreen and plenty of water, and our campers and staff are happy that we don’t have any buildings because it’s hard to make a fort in the wilderness inside a room! We also plan for especially hot days prior to the summer with activities intentionally designed to be low-exertion, high fun.
Health & Safety
1) What if my child needs medication at camp?
OSC follows strict guidelines with camper medication. Prior to each session, we collect all medication and then store it in a locked area at all times. During the camp day, medicine is administered by one of our on-site directors following written instructions and consent provided from the parent.
2) My child sunburns easily. Your camp is outside, so how will my child be protected?
OSC provides high-quality sunscreen for all campers. Our counselors are trained to make sure each of their campers has an active layer of sunscreen on throughout the day. We also spend much of our day in the shade and make sure that all of our campers and staff are properly hydrated at all times.
3) Who is on-site at camp in case of an emergency?
A camp director is on-site at all times. All of our OSC directors and senior counselors are certified and current in First Aid and CPR, and emergency medical services are minutes away and are fully aware of our program following our ACA-Accredited policies.
4) All things health-related – how are you handling all of this?
Our camp has worked closely with our Health Department to implement a safe operating plan each summer closely following the CDC and State of California Day Camps guidelines. To read more about this, click here.
General
1) What if my camper is nervous to try a new program?
Naturally, children (and adults!) are often hesitant to try something new. A new program is often a great opportunity for children to find answers to questions they have about new experiences. When a child wonders about if they will make friends, be good at an activity, learn to do something new, and be a part of a group, the answers they find at OSC are positive and wonderful!
2) How do you screen your staff? Do you do background checks?
All of our senior counselors undergo a lengthy and thorough interview and background check process prior to working for Outpost Summer Camps. All staff go through an extensive training process prior to the start of the summer. In addition to these processes, we call their previous employment and personal references. In many cases, our staff are directly referred to us from our camp parents!
3) Can I send my child for one week instead of two? Do you prorate sessions?
Our program is designed as a two-week experience 5 days per week Monday through Friday. Simply stated, it is easier for campers to truly make friends, learn games and songs, and feel like they are part of a camp group if they are there as a group every day. For this reason, and to keep our groups together with the same campers for each full session, we do not offer shorter or prorated sessions.
4) Can I request that my child be grouped with a friend or sibling?
For our Day Camp program, children who are the same age, grade, and gender can be grouped together if space is available in the group. For our Senior Outpost programs, the groups are all-gender, so children who are the same age/grade can be grouped together if space is available in the group. We do not accommodate requests that are not in the best interests of all the children in the group.