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Safety is our #1 priority!
Each of us will provide and promote a safe environment for the children that is both physically and emotionally safe.
Physical Safety
Follow camp rules.
Be aware of where the children are at all times.
Create boundaries for the children which allows you to see, hear and quickly attend to them at all times. (Use back to the wall method where children are never behind you)
Prevent accidents by constantly observing and anticipating potentially dangerous situation
Constantly walk around and observe the children. No sitting and/or socializing with other staff.
Communicate safety concerns and injuries with the Director immediately.
Use good judgment. Prevent accidents by constantly observing and anticipating potentially dangerous situations. Ask yourself questions such as “Could this be potentially dangerous?” and “Is the environment safe?”
Examples of good judgment:
Stopping a game when children start to get too rough or competitive and it could potentially lead to an unsafe situation.
Play tag on the grass instead of the black top.
Play with the children on their level. You are playing with them, not against them.
Emotional Safety
Build trusting relationships with children where they feel comfortable talking to you about their lives.
At times children share personal information with you that may trigger an emotional reaction. Listen, be empathetic, and do not dismiss their feelings.
Help build a child's self-confidence and self-esteem through praise and encouragement. Avoid sarcastic remarks.
Listen first, then react. Remember that much of kids' behavior is driven by emotions.
If a child is being bullied or excluded, address the issue immediately. Do not be dismissive.
Children need playmates. Give them opportunities to play with each other and build relationships.
Play for fun! Encourage participation and good sportsmanship.
Active Supervision
Supervision is your responsibility and commitment to the families who have trusted you with their children. It is also your responsibility and commitment to the children who rely on you for guidance, nurturing, protection, and support.
Supervision is an active process. It involves watching, listening, interacting, monitoring, and preventing problems. You will continuously move around and check on each individual child. You are ensuring that not only can you see them, you can also hear them, and know what they are doing. If you are outside and can't easily check in on each child in your group, move them to be closer together. Inside, you should be moving around and through the desks or tables. You should always know how many children you have with you, where they are, and what they are doing. Sitting in one spot watching the children might allow you to know they are all safe, but no more than that. In order to meet your supervision expectations, and prevent safety and behavioral problems, you must be Actively Supervising.
Back to the Wall
Whenever supervising children you should have your "back to the wall." This means that when supervising a group of children, they are in front of you. You may need to walk among them to move around, but if so you are always looking around and when you find a spot to stay they should all be within view.
SAFETY PROCEDURES
Emergency Kits
If a child sustains an injury, immediately notify the Director, even if the child does not want aid. The Director will notify the child's family of the injury.
First Aid Supplies- Staff may only use ICE PACKS, BANDAGES, SOAP and WATER to treat injuries.
Bloodborne Pathogens Clean Up Kit- Use this kit to protect yourself when cleaning up blood, vomit, or other bodily fluids. Treat all human blood and bodily fluids as if they are infected with a disease.
Accident/Incident Reports
Complete this report for accidents or incidents that may have later repercussions.
Accidents are when a person sustains bodily injury including pain, swelling, broken bones, chipped tooth, gushing wound, bee sting, etc.
Incidents are when unusual occurrences arise such as damage to property, vandalism, theft, vehicle incident, fights/violent behavior, water rescue, unsafe acts including participants running away.
If a child sustains an injury that involved the head, we call the parent so they can make the choice to pick up or check out the injury.
This is an internal form to be completed by employees and volunteers and is not to be copied or distributed.
Medication for Participants
CARD staff are not allowed to store or administer medication to a participant. SUNSCREEN IS CONSIDERED MEDICATION AND STAFF MAY NOT APPLY SUNSCREEN TO CAMPERS.
Allergies
Staff must be aware of allergies for all children. Programs use an Allergy Reference Sheet to keep track of students with allergies.
Restraining Children & Elopement
Elopement, or running away from supervised areas, is a dangerous and problematic behavior. If a child leaves your group and refuses to come back with your verbal instructions, contact the Director immediately for assistance. You may not leave your group unsupervised to attend to the child refusing to stay with the group. Do your best to keep the child in your line of sight until another adult can assist.
The only time you can physically restrain a participant is if they are in immediate danger of bodily injury.
Restroom Procedures
Bathroom runs happen frequently throughout the day. For public outdoor restrooms, Leaders must always walk with campers to the restroom and ensure restrooms are safe to enter before campers go in. Facilities with restrooms indoors do not require bathroom runs and campers may go unaccompanied.
Youth Leaders can help with bathroom runs, but must always be accompanied by a camp staff member. Youth Leaders may not take campers on bathroom runs without a camp staff present.
Bathroom Accidents
All children must be fully potty trained and able to use the restroom independently.
In the event of a bathroom accident, CARD staff MAY NOT assist children in the restroom but they MAY give guidance from outside the restroom. If a child changes their soiled clothing, it must be bagged up and made inaccessible to the other children. The Director will contact parents/guardians to request immediate pick up or assistance with cleaning and clothing change. Reoccurring bathroom accidents may result in removal from the program.
Emergency Procedures
IF YOU NEED HELP, KEEP CALM
CARD Office: (530) 895-4711x 0
Fire and Ambulance: 911
Police: 911 or (530) 895-4911
Poison Control: (800) 222-1222
Animal Control: (530) 897-4960
Child Protective Services: (800) 400-0902
ACCIDENT OR SERIOUS ILLNESS:
Do not move an injured person
Give necessary first aid (ice pack, bandage, soap and water)
Get help-fire department, doctor, police, ambulance, or poison control, etc.
Call another staff member to help watch the participants.
Do not transport an injured participant, but stay until a parent, a responsible family member, or deputy relieves you.
Do not discuss the accident with anyone other than the parent or an office (i.e., sheriff’s deputy, CARD representative such as a Supervisor, etc.)
FIRE:
DON’T panic. Get the participants safely out of the facility or area in danger in an orderly manner. You must account for all participants.
Call 911
Keep the participants with you. Do not return to the facility or area in danger.
SUSPICIOUS PERSON
Ask “Can I help you?”
If the person is there to see a child in the program, ensure they are listed on the child’s emergency form. If they are not on the emergency form, they must be asked to leave.
If needed, activate a Code Red or Code Yellow
Card air quality district policy
CARD will monitor the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Air Quality Index (AQI) at airnow.gov for air quality decisions based on the below chart.
Due to air quality fluctuation within each day, each program will update participants on their program based on the time the program is scheduled to start, with at least one hour’s notice of change if possible. If a program is cancelled, updates will be posted online at www.ChicoRec.gov. Cancelled activities will either be fully refunded, or rescheduled.
Parents: Watch the smoke forecast and decide when to limit your child(ren)s activities. If you do not wish for your child to spend time outdoors, please consider if the activity or program is the right choice for your family based on the air quality.
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