April 2, 2021
Dear Kohut Family,
Happy Spring!! We hope your family is safe and well. As we find ourselves in April, our excitement is growing by the day as summer nears and preparations accelerate! If you haven’t read our previous “Safe at Kamp” letters or our COVID-19 FAQ’s yet, we recommend doing so before reading on.
In anticipation of summer, the State of Maine has newly released operating Guidelines specific to “Overnight Camps for Summer 2021.” Fortunately for us, and thanks to on-going advice from Dr. Laura Blaisdell (who also counseled the State!), these guidelines parallel what the Kohut Team has been planning. From pre-arrival expectations to testing protocols to activity and program structure, we were delighted to learn our hours of independent consultation and research have set us up for success!
Now that the Maine Guidelines have been published, we want to take this opportunity to highlight a few of the modifications you can expect at Kamp this summer:
- Arrival & Departure Days – In order to create as safe a COVID-free “bubble” as possible, and to best comply with State guidelines, we can not allow parents or visitors on Kamp this year – this includes drop-off and pick-up. Instead, we ask for your support with a “kiss and go” format. In the coming weeks we will specifically outline what this means and what to expect, as we create a warm and welcoming – yet safe and effective – protocol for drop-off. For now, as you begin organizing your travels, we wanted to make sure you were aware of this and are planning accordingly.
- Positive COVID-19 Test – If a kamper receives a positive test result while at Kamp, he/she will be permitted to stay at Kamp (until Departure Day); you are also welcome to collect your kamper, if you would prefer. During the requisite 10 day recovery period, he/she will sleep in our dedicated isolation space. While the term “isolation” is used for medical reasons, your kamper will continue to be warmly cared for by dedicated (fully vaccinated) Nurses and staff, and may have distanced/protected visits from friends. Should the kamper feel well enough, we will have plenty of fun “shadow Kamp” activities for him/her to participate in without risking further exposure.
- Trip Day – Our weekly Trip Day is an integral part of our program. Pre-COVID, our nature oriented trips were facilitated in small groups and enjoyed activities such as hiking, canoe trips and beach days. Based on the Maine guidelines, we are excited to continue to plan Trip Days, making sure to modify our offerings to non-public facing, outdoor locations. We will be avoiding populated beaches and bustling state parks, but thankfully, the beautiful state of Maine has plenty of safe, outdoor recreation opportunities!
With regard to vaccinations, we are very happy to hear of the daily progress with vaccine administration in America and around the world. We believe children and adults should be fully vaccinated and, separate from COVID-19, expect this from families and staff who join us. “Fully vaccinated” will not include vaccination from COVID-19 this year; we will not be requiring kampers or staff to be vaccinated from COVID-19 this summer. However, we are assisting and strongly encouraging our staff to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible, as we will if/when COVID-19 vaccine becomes available and recommended for children next year or beyond.
Thank you for your time and attention to the contents of this letter, and the seemingly mountainous amount of information yet to come. You can expect a forms and transportation update email next week. We just can’t wait to get everyone together again and are working hard to do it as best as possible!
As always, thank you for entrusting us with your children. Please feel free to let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Lisa, Dan and your Kohut Team