ACA’ New Director Orientation (NDO) is designed to give you a solid foundation in the competencies and responsibilities necessary to your work as a camp director.  The course has been arranged so you can work at your pace and with the freedom to explore the sections in the order you choose.

This course covers five critical areas to help directors and supervisors develop the skills they need to be effective leaders. The core areas covered include:

Does your camp offer year-round online activities to keep campers engaged? Are you going to run virtual programs this summer? As many camps take their programs online, their insurance policies, camper contracts, and risk management processes are still based on in-person camp.

With so many camps either not opening, or providing modified programs, the camp community has the opportunity to reimagine how their waterfront or pool can be utilized this summer, beyond traditional camp programs. From programs that are operating, we will share a few best practices that are working with respect to teaching swim lessons and guarding our aquatics spaces. For programs not operating their traditional program – what CAN your camp do instead? Is your camp pivoting to family camp? Is there an opportunity to provide boating instruction or recreation for the local community?

As social distancing continues, many programs for kids are going online - but how do we protect privacy and security? Isn’t there some sort of online child privacy law? Are video conferencing platforms really safe? Amelia Vance, the Director of Youth and Education Privacy at the Future of Privacy Forum, will go over potentially applicable laws, risks, and best practices to help your staff as you begin to serve kids virtually.

This is an opportunity for camp professionals to connect with experts at Environmental Health & Engineering regarding considerations for operating camp in areas experiencing high, community infection rates. Safety protocols will be reviewed and camp professionals should bring their questions.

Presenter Bios

David Shore — Senior Scientist, Market Executive — Healthcare 
Environmental Health & Engineering, Inc.

COVID-19 is greatly impacting how camps operate, including the waterfront. This webinar will discuss changes that have already been shared, as well as potential forthcoming requirements that may impact how we train lifeguards, provide Guards and other first responders with the needed PPE, and how are Emergency Action Plans (EAPS) for the waterfront/pool may need to be adapted.

Learning Objectives:

COVID-19 is a scary thing to look at head on. As camps, we worry about what we may face this summer, and what it may mean for the future of our camp. We have a choice: to cross our fingers and hope or take steps to protect our campers and staff. This session will cover what you need to know, what you need to be ready for, and how a small number of actions on your part will save you money and headaches in the long run.

Learning Objectives:

Watch expert panelists working on behalf of the camp community from Environmental Health and Engineering (EH&E), facilitated by David Shore. During the virtual Town Hall Meeting, participants will learn about the guidebook camps can utilize for summer 2020. In addition to day camp, overnight camp considerations will be discussed. David and expert panelists will provide insights on how to rapidly foster communication with local and state departments of health on topics such as camps and staff participating from other qualified local and regional areas.