The following information is presented to provide you with the answers to many of the questions you will have as your child prepares to attend Willow Grove Day Camp. While it is virtually impossible to cover every situation, the necessary procedures for pre-camp and camp preparation are carefully explained. Further information can be obtained from the camp office and the child's counselor. We hope that you will familiarize yourself with the items dealt with in this brochure.

Clothing List: (All clothing and equipment must be labeled clearly with your child's full name)

Recommended (available only through the camp) 2 Official Willow Grove shirts
1 Official Willow Grove hat
1 pair of Official Willow Grove Shorts
1 Official Willow Grove bag (since all camp bags are alike, parents may want to place an identification object on the strap: key tab, ribbon, etc.)

Swim wear
2 bathing suits - to be taken home daily
2 bathing towels - to be taken home daily
1 cover up - beach towel, robe, and sweatshirt

Other Items 1 pair of sneakers (Velcro enclosures is recommended for our Junior campers, 4-6 years of age.)
1 pair of pool shoes (Optional: campers may wear sneakers, etc., to the pool)
1 tennis racquet for campers 7 years and older

Camp uniforms are worn on Friday's, Picture Day, Visiting day, other special days (to be announced) and also for all trips away from camp.

Campers are to take home bathing suits and towels at the end of each and every day. We have determined that it is in the best interests of cleanliness and sanitation that we follow this policy.

Hooks are provided outside each cabin for campers to hang suits to dry. However, wet suits can be placed in the camper's waterproof traveling bag after each swim and kept on the camper's shelf until the end of the day.

Further, we ask you, our parents to emphasize the importance of neatness and cleanliness with your child. While our maintenance staff makes a concerted effort to keep our buildings and bathrooms clean, the best results can only be achieved with the cooperation of our campers. We thank you for your understanding in this matter.

Note:

1. On the first day of camp, campers should bring all items listed on the clothing list.
2. Campers receive their ordered shirts, hats, shorts, and bags on opening day or on their first day they arrive.
3. Bathing suits, towels and other items requiring laundering are to be taken home daily.
4. All clothing including socks, underwear, should be labeled with your child's name.
5. On cool days, please send a light jacket, sweatshirt, and long pants.
6. On rainy days, please provide proper rain attire (raincoat, etc.)

CLOTHING FOR HORSEBACK RIDING INSTRUCTION: Campers who enroll in the riding program must bring (and wear during lesson) hard shoes with heel, long pants, and a riding hat or bicycle helmet on the day the child rides. You will be notified of your child's riding schedule prior to opening day. New and used riding equipment can be purchased at a number of saddle shops.

EARLY PICKUP: Parents who wish to pick up children early can make these arraignments through the camp office. Please call (215) 659-4393 or send a note to the office via your child's driver/bus counselor. If a camper is to be picked up before the end of the camp day, parents must notify the camp office by noon of that day and arrive no later then 3:00 p.m. All campers who are picked up early must be signed out at the office.

Extended Hours: Extended hours, 7:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m./ 3:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m., are provided as a service to our working parents. Understand that this is not a sometime baby-sitting service. Early hours children are to be signed in with extended hours counselor either in the playground or office. Afternoon extended hours children will be signed out in the same manner. When the weather is inclement, children are to be picked up at the dining hall.

FINANCIAL POLICY: All tuition must be paid in full by May 1st of the camp year. Partial payments on a weekly or monthly basis will be accepted prior to May 1st.

Campers whose tuition is not paid in full by May 1st, will be dropped from the enrollment and their places filled from our waiting list. There can be no exceptions made for anyone for any reason whatsoever. In the event you cancel enrollment, there will be a $50.00 per child service charge. Visa/Mastercard are accepted.

FOOD PROGRAM: Each child should have a substantial breakfast before leaving home each morning. Any request by the parent concerning meals must be made in writing. Lunches are prepared by a professional staff using menus developed by camp food experts. Menus are sent home so parents may prepare dinner meals accordingly. Meals are well balanced and catered to the needs and wants of the campers. Substitute foods are available upon request. Special allergy and health diets can be arranged through the directors. Please note special health and allergy diets on the camper's health and registration forms and inform your child's counselor of any special dietary needs or allergies.

A nutritious snack is served daily.

Parents may not send lunch or treats to camp. (In the case of severe allergies, arrangements can be made.)

Special Diets: Food may be provided by the parent at the parent's expense for those children who are on special diets.

GRATUITIES: There is no official camp policy on gratuities. We neither encourage nor discourage this practice. Since, however many of our parents do show their appreciation in this manner (and our staff is thankful,) we offer the following suggestions. Any gratuity should be put in an envelope that is sealed and labeled with both the camper's and staff member's names. These envelopes should be given to your child's driver or bus supervisor for safekeeping. Older more responsible campers may give their envelopes directly to the appropriate staff member. Furthermore, nothing of value should be left in a camper's bag or cubbie at any time.

HEALTH AND WELFARE: The medical form must be carefully completed by the parent and physician and returned to the camp office before June 1st. Parents must sign the form in the space provided. Please do not fax the medical forms. The original must be returned. This is in compliance with Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Law.

On-site nurses are available to administer first aid in the event of an accident. In the event of illness or injury requiring further medical attention, you will be contacted immediately so you can pick up your child. If the injury is of serious nature, you will receive a phone call from the camp office at the time the accident occurs.

In the event of an extreme emergency, the child will be transported via ambulance to the nearest hospital or emergency room facility and you will be contacted to meet an accompanying staff member at that facility. A child cannot be transported for care, or receive emergency care at camp unless the waivers for emergency care have been signed. The waiver is on the Healthcare Form.

If a child is absent for three consecutive days, we ask that you contact the camp office. The camp nurse will attempt to contact the home of campers absent consecutive days. If you have any medical questions, please contact the nurse during the camp season at (215) 659-4393.

Sunscreen should be applied to your child(ren) before they leave the house in the morning. A container of sunscreen should be left in camp for your child. Please label all bottles. Sunscreen will not be shared. Children must be taught how to apply lotion. Campers may assist one another where one cannot reach (the back). It is virtually impossible for a counselor to apply lotion to a group of children 2 or 3 times a day. We thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Medication: If your child needs any type of medication while he/she is at camp, a parent must indicate a specific time and dosage to be given. All medications should be labeled with your child's name and sent to the nurse's office for storage and dispensation. Make sure you have ample medication at home in case medication is left at the camp. Please do not give the medication directly to your child. Send the medication with your child's driver/bus supervisor. A log of all medical treatments will be kept.

HORSEBACK RIDING: An optional formal riding program is available at an additional cost. Professional instructors using fine horses on our grounds provide an excellent program featuring one or two riding lessons per week. Pony rides are provided for our Junior campers weekly at no cost to the parent. While every effort will be made to make up all missed lessons, the number of lessons may be reduced without refund due to weather conditions, or other extenuating circumstances. Campers must wear and provide long pants, hard shoes with a heel such as hiking boots and a hard hat. A bicycle helmet is acceptable.

LENGTH OF DAY: Morning and afternoon assemblies are held at 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Dismissal is at 3:45 p.m. Campers are picked up between 8:20 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and arrive home between approximately 4:00 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. depending on the neighborhood. Please remember these times are approximate.

LOST AND FOUND: Counselors understand that camp is an exciting new place, and that the children's personal belongings are not always their first priority. Care is taken to ensure that children remember to retrieve their clothing, works, of art, etc., but it seems that there is always something left behind.

At the end of each day, unlabeled found items are held up at assembly to be claimed by their owners. Many children will not claim their belongings. In fact, some won't even take them if they're offered. In an effort to reduce the number of items lost, please:

1. Label all articles with your child's name (using sew in nametags or an indelible laundry marker). Named items can be returned immediately.
2. Do not buy brand new things for camp: children may not recognize them if they are lost and you'll feel even worse about losing the item(s).
3. Discuss care for personal belongings with your children before camp. Identify such things to them as their towel, swimsuit, baseball gloves, etc. Remind them to check the lost and fond for lost ite
ms.
4. Call immediately when you discover something is missing, and send a note with your child advising his/her counselor of any details that will help find the item.
5. Lost articles are displayed on Parent's visiting days and are kept until September 15th when they are donated to a local charity.
6. Don't send books, toys, or money to camp unless specifically requested. In any case, never send anything to camp that is so precious that its loss would cause serious unhappiness. The risk is just not worth it.
7. Radios, tape decks, Walkman™, etc. are not permitted in camp.

*All unlabeled, unclaimed items will be placed in the lost and found (located inside the roller skating shed.)

NEWSLETTERS: Periodic newsletters are sent home with campers. The intent is to keep you informed about camp activities. Please read them carefully. The newsletter will also be posted weekly on our website.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Parents should discuss all individual problems with the directors and/or the child's counselor prior to opening day. The first two weeks of camp are the adjustment period. Remember, DO NOT WAIT TO CORRECT A SITUATION. ACT IMMEDIATELY! CONTACT THE COUNSELOR AND/OR THE DIRECTORS. Do not wait until the end of the summer to solve problems. We do our best when we are able to deal with the matter immediately. The directors will remain in camp until 5:30 p.m. daily to speak with parents concerning any situation which may occur. Please call (215) 659-4393.

RAINY DAYS: Camp policy is to provide as complete a program as possible on rainy days, and campers are required to move from one building to another. It is our philosophy that movement on a rainy day is a better procedure then confining campers in one building for an entire day. Special trips are also scheduled on rain days. For this reason, campers should bring rain gear to camp on rainy or threatening days.

While we make every effort to keep our children dry, it is conceivable that some campers without rain gear or by accident, may get wet.

SWIMMING: (What parents should know about the camp swimming program): Campers should present a copy of his or her latest Red Cross Swimming Card. All campers will be evaluated the first day they arrive. We keep yearly records for each camper. Swimming is the one activity that can be classified as "Camps' Universal Concern." No matter what skill level a youngster may have reached, he/she is still faced with the challenge of "moving ahead." Many parents find it difficult to understand how a child can do well at the "swim club" on the weekend yet fear the instruction at camp. By the third week of camp, some campers may reach a level of frustration. This is because they have progressed to a plateau and, for a number of reasons, find it difficult to go beyond this level. Fear is the overriding factor that will cause a child to offer a variety of reasons for not wanting to "swim today." The child may be afraid of the embarrassment of failing. The child may also complain that they are cold. A child who is confident is rarely cold. Campers move from one instructor to the next as their ability group changes. For some campers, adjusting to different personalities is difficult and, for others, it is simply changing into a bathing suit. Our pools are heated and our swim staff is trained to be sensitive to the needs of the children with whom they work with.

TRANSPORTATION: Bus supervisors and drivers make every effort to contact each parent the week prior to the first day of camp. All campers will receive complete transportation information by mail. Please understand that is may take several days to establish the best pickup routines and delays are possible.

Parents should notify the Bus Supervisor or Driver the night before if a child is not to be picked up the following day. Parents may also call the Supervisor or Driver before 7:30 a.m. if the child is not to be picked up that day. Parents must call the Bus Supervisor or Driver to remind him/her to pick up the camper when he/she is ready to return.

Someone must be at home to greet the child in the afternoon when he/she is brought home at the end of the camp day.

Children will be picked up between 8:20 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. depending on the neighborhood. Please have your child ready.

Camp dismissal is at 3:45 p.m. and children should return home between 3:55 p.m. and 4:40 p.m., again, depending upon your location.

It is extremely difficult to honor transportation requests, however, if possible, consideration will be given to those requests.

When possible, children should meet at a centralized location so that the ride can be as efficient and safe as possible. i.e. campers living on the same block can gather at one house.

If, in an emergency, a camper is to go home in a camp vehicle that is different than his/her regular transportation, the request must be made in writing and presented to the office. The request will be honored only if there is space on the bus, van, or in the car. Camp transportation cannot be used to facilitate "play days!"

TRIPS: Exciting trips are scheduled during the summer for CITs, campers and camp teams. Parents will be notified in advance. In the event of inclement weather, parents should check with the camp office about a possible postponement. Camp uniforms are to be worn during all out of camp trips.

TWILIGHT PARTY: Our Twilight Party program includes boys and girls in Middle Camp and Senior amp. The CIT twilight party may take place at a different venue with different hours. This exciting activity provides an opportunity for campers to fully enjoy an evening of fun with their group mates.

The Twilight Party begins with an after camp swim. Dinner and a twilight activity follow with emphasis on participation of all campers. The Senior and Junior counselors and members of the administrative staff provide supervision.

Parents must pickup their children at camp by 7:30 p.m. Car pools are suggested. Please be prompt!

In the event of inclement weather, the camp may elect to postpone the twilight party. Parents should be aware of this so that someone will be home to greet the child. If there is any question, parent should check with the camp office. Please check your answering machines for messages from camp.

VISITING: Parents are invited to visit the camp on one of the assigned visiting days during the camp season. A visiting day schedule will be sent home indicating the day and time of the visit. Parents will have an opportunity to observe their child during regular camp activity. No one is permitted to visit camp during the camp season for any reason other than the days specified. If in the event a parent cannot visit on the assigned day, an alternate visiting day can be arranged. Parents of 1st year campers will also be invited to camp with your child at our open house prior to the opening of camp.

VISITING FOR SPECIAL EVENTS: While it is virtually impossible to have parents visit camp to observe their children in the many special activities we offer, parents of campers participating in the following events are invited to attend:

• Fine Arts Show - evening exhibitions only
• Horse Show
• Middle Camp Repertory Theater Show - evening performances only.
• Senior Camp Repertory Theater Show - evening performances only.
• Dance Recital
• Gymnastics Exhibition
• Self Defense Club Exhibition

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in not asking to see your child participate in other activities. While we would love to have our parents observe the many wonderful happenings throughout the camp season, experience has taught us that excessive visiting can be disruptive, and the many children whose parents cannot take the time off to visit are greatly disappointed if another parent is present. This policy is in effect for all out of camp trips and activities.

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