We are grateful for your partnership in keeping Snapology Austin a safe and healthy environment.
Health and Illness Policy
The health and safety of our campers is our top priority. We want you to understand the steps we are taking to manage your child's health during their participation in Snapology Austin activities. We are committed to implementing all reasonable measures to prevent the spread of illness. Snapology Austin reserves the right to remove any camper or staff member who displays symptoms of illness, including fever, lethargy, pink eye, vomiting, or respiratory distress. Campers showing symptoms such as severe cough, lethargy, or a fever over 100.6°F will be sent home and may return to camp only after being symptom and fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medication. Please note that our standard withdrawal and refund policies will apply if your child becomes ill while participating in a Snapology Austin activity. Please contact us at austin@snapology.com if you have questions or concerns.
Discipline Policy
At Snapology Austin, we are committed to providing a fun, safe, and secure learning environment. We emphasize the importance of respect for fellow participants, staff, and property. To ensure the quality of our programs and the safety of all, each participant must follow the program rules. Please review these rules with your child.
Participants are expected to:
1. Follow instructions from camp staff promptly to ensure safety.
2. Respect all peers, staff, equipment, and property.
3. Use appropriate language; put-downs, insults, swearing, and teasing are prohibited.
4. Keep your hands, feet, head, and other body parts to yourself. Fighting, hitting, theft, and destruction of camp property are strictly prohibited.
5. Participants will be encouraged and reminded to clean up after themselves, which includes disposing of trash after lunch and snacks, disassembling LEGO creations, and working with their class to tidy the classroom after activities.
6. Valuables such as cell phones, tablets, game systems, and cameras should not be brought to camp. Participants with cell phones will not be allowed to use them at any time during camp. Snapology Austin is not responsible for items brought from home.
7. Participants must stay on the camp premises and remain with their instructors at all times.
8. Participants should ask permission from an instructor to use the restroom or refill their water bottle. Regular restroom and water breaks, along with reminders, are built into the daily schedule.
9. Participants should arrive in appropriate clothing and footwear each day. Comfortable, weather-appropriate clothes and closed-toe shoes are required.
10. Participants are encouraged to maintain a positive attitude
11. Snapology Austin is NUT-FREE. No peanut butter or nuts are allowed at camp due to other participants' food allergies.
12. Participants will not share food. Snapology Austin does not provide food. Please ensure your child has a shelf-stable lunch and snacks.
13. Participants must bring a labeled, refillable water bottle.
14. Parents must sign their participant in and out with a Snapology Austin instructor daily.
Snapology Austin staff will encourage productive and positive problem-solving. Disagreements and frustration are a regular part of social interaction between children. Participants will be allowed to express themselves and their feelings in a safe, understanding, and supportive environment. Our low student-to-teacher ratio provides more opportunities to engage with participants and address frustration often before escalation.
In fairness to all participants, the Snapology Austin staff cannot meet the needs of participants who require extended one-on-one support. Please review the Snapology Austin Code of Conduct for more detailed information.
**Discipline Procedure**
The following process will be followed if children are unable to adhere to camp rules. Management reserves the right to bypass one or more steps if the situation warrants.
**Staff Discipline Response**
Step 1: Verbal Warning and Redirection
Step 2: Monitored Break from the Activity
Step 3: Parent Contact (3 levels)
- **1st Parent Contact:** After redirection, a verbal warning, and a monitored break or one-on-one attention from the instructor, a parent/guardian is notified by phone that their child has violated a rule. The instructor and parent/guardian will discuss the situation, ways to support the participant, and next steps in the discipline process.
- **2nd Parent Contact:** The parent/guardian will be contacted to pick up their camper. The child may return to camp the following day, if applicable.
- **3rd Parent Contact:** If the undesirable behavior continues after the second contact, it may be determined that our program is not a suitable fit for the child at this time. Tuition refunds will be handled on a case-by-case basis.
**Immediate Dismissal Examples:**
Physical violence, aggression, threats, and elopement are a danger and not tolerated at Snapology Austin. Our staff reserves the right to dismiss a participant whose behavior endangers their own or others' safety, thereby bypassing certain disciplinary steps outlined above.
The instances listed below will result in immediate dismissal.
1. A participant who brings a weapon to camp (examples include but are not limited to: butterfly knife, blade, BB/airsoft gun, explosive device)
2. A participant who makes a credible threat to harm themselves or others
3. A participant who harms themselves, another camper, or staff (physically or verbally).
4. A participant who attempts to leave the premises or refuses to join the group.
5. A participant who purposely damages equipment or property.
**Incident Reports**
If an escalated incident involving one or more campers occurs, the Snapology Austin instructor will discuss the incident with parents at pickup via REMIND or text and complete an incident report for submission to Snapology Austin Administration for review. After review, Snapology Austin administration will provide a follow-up, and these reports will be distributed to the parents of the involved children for review within one business day. The purpose of incident reports is to inform parents about significant incidents and discipline issues during the camp day.
**Parent Conduct and Dispute Resolution Process**
Snapology Austin staff aims to treat children and their families with respect. Parents and guardians are also expected to display professionalism and respect in all inquiries and disputes regarding discipline decisions and incident responses. Any program or staff issues, comments, or concerns should be directed to the owner of Snapology Austin, rather than to the instructors or assistant instructors.