We are so thrilled to be offering camp again—and hope you are excited, too! Every year, we are grateful to have your trust in keeping your campers safe while in our care and we know that is never more vital than this coming summer. With that in mind, here are some logistical and programming changes we are implementing for the safety of your families and ours. 

Registration

We are encouraging families to register online. If you do not have access to our online system, you can request access thorough our online form. We ask that in-person registration only be utilized by those for whom the online system is not accessible or who need to pay by payroll deduction (i.e. UO faculty and staff). Please remember that the minimum for a payroll deduction transaction is $100.

Additionally, we have reconfigured how you select your desired camps. This year, you will be registering directly into the group your child will be in this summer and it will be based on the grade they are in. If you have questions about your child’s eligibility for a specific camp program, please contact Samantha Wallace (Meeko) at ducktrails@uoregon.edu.

Groups

The reason for having families select the group themselves based on school grades is because for the majority of the day, your camper will have limited interactions with campers outside of their group. Changing how campers are registered to this format means that you will have more information in order to work with other parents to ensure your similarly-aged children are in the same groups, even if they are not the same exact age (ex: kindergartners and first-graders together, second- and third-graders together, fourth- and fifth-graders together). We cannot change groups once the camp begins.

Face Coverings

In accordance with UO policy, masks will be worn by staff and campers at all times indoors, except in the pool. Masks will also be required outdoors in accordance with University of Oregon policy. This will be one of the primary methods of mitigating the risk of community spread as physical distancing will not be possible in camp games/activities.

Drop-off, Pick-up and Swim

The most significant change to our logistics caused by the need for stable groups is the resulting effect on drop-off, lunch, afternoon activities, and pick-up. In the past, all of the week’s camp groups have been together for Drop-off and Pick-up. This will not be the case this year, but we will do everything we can to make the logistics as clear and as smooth as possible for parents/guardians. This information will be detailed in the camp handbook that families will receive as camp approaches. The format for lunch will be that campers will eat with their counselors and stable groups in separate outdoor locations from other groups. When eating outdoors isn't possible, campers will eat indoors distanced from one another.

We have been able to add swimming and all-camp games back to our schedules. Swim is the only time that groups will interact with one another indoors and unmasked and all-camp games will be outdoors when possible. Campers always have the option to not swim and will be doing quiet activities in the pool classroom.

Vaccinations

Per UO policy, UO students and staff members are required to be vaccinated unless they have sought a religious or medical exemption.

Sick Policy

Similar to the need for face coverings, both UO and the state of Oregon require certain waiting periods for individuals who have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing one or more symptoms. We will be following the below policies for both staff and campers:

• Youth or staff known to be a confirmed close contact of an individual with COVID-19 or who has been exposed (e.g., by a household member, friend, or relative) to COVID-19 within the preceding 14 days cannot come to campus.
  • Any youth or staff with a confirmed COVID-19 exposure within this timeframe will be restricted from attending or working at camp for a full 14 days from their last known exposure. Although we understand that a 14-day restriction is the safest option to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to others, staff members or parents of quarantined youth can end quarantine early if no symptoms have developed either:  
    • After 10 days of quarantine, without any testing, or
    • After 7 days, with a negative result by an antigen or PCR test within 48 hours before ending quarantine.
• Staff cannot come to work and parents cannot bring their child to the program if they currently have or recently had an illness with COVID-19 symptoms.
  • A staff member or child with COVID-19 symptoms should stay home for at least 10 days after illness starts and until 24 hours after any fever is gone, without use of fever-reducing medicine, and COVID-19 symptoms have resolved.

If your child needs to miss camp for either of the above reasons, please contact Samantha Wallace (Meeko) at ducktrails@uoregon.edu to discuss a refund.