HEALTH & SAFETY PRACTICES
Safety is Our Top Priority
We are excited to continue our mission for campers to Encounter Jesus, Experience Transformation and Engage the World this summer at Forest Home.
In order to provide you a safe and healthy camp environment in this season, we have implemented the following enhanced health and safety measures.
Gatherings
Family Camp
All Family Camp Gatherings will be taking place at Victory Circle. This giant outdoor space has room to spare to handle even our largest weeks of family camp. There will be cushions provided to sit on, and you are encouraged you to bring your own if you have a favorite stadium chair backing.
Youth
A new outdoor amphitheater is currently being built on our Lakeview Field and all gatherings will be held here. The construction is going well, and it will become Forest Home’s most technologically advanced location.
Childrens
The Forest Home childrens program was established many years ago, they have always met in an outdoor venue. We did a major renovation at this venue in 2019 and will continue to use this amazing outdoor space.
Meals
Family Camp
All meals at Family Camp will be outdoors. We built a beautiful outdoor patio space in front of the dining hall for you to enjoy eating with your family outside.
- All meal times have been extended from 60 minutes to 90 minute to provide less congestion while eating and in food lines.
- All tables and surfaces will be sanitized between use
- Food will be served cafeteria style for improved safety
- Umbrellas provided for shade
Youth
All meals will be outdoors. The Lakeview patio has been expanded to facilitate 600 guests and Creekside outdoor dining can facilitate 300 guests.
- All meal times have been extended from 60 minutes to 90 minute to provide less congestion while eating and in food lines.
- All tables and surfaces will be sanitized between use
- Food will be served cafeteria style for improved safety
- Umbrellas provided for shade
Childrens
Children’s Camp has an outdoor permanent steel structure dining canopy. This roofed, open-walled structure is nestled in the woods and has plenty of seating for the entire program.
- All tables and surfaces will be sanitized between use
- Food will be served cafeteria style for improved safety
Lodging
We have not received final California guidelines for overnight camps and therefore had to create multiple contingencies for lodging. This section will be updated as new information is available.
Family Camp
Families are assigned to cabins and all of our Family Camp cabins have front doors that lead directly outdoors, we do not have any hotel-style hallways.
- A professional cleaning company will clean and sanitize cabins between use
- We do not anticipate state guidelines restricting family housings as families are housed together as a family unit
Family Camp Childcare Assistants (CCA)
- Cabins will have a 50% occupancy rate
Youth and Childrens
We are currently waiting and advocating for youth and children overnight camp lodging guidelines. We will update this section with specifics once the state releases these guidelines.
Recreation
Recreation has previously been outdoors and will continue to be so. All the favorite activities of zipling, blobbing, slides, swinging, and more will continue to operate.
- All equipment to by sanitized in-between use
Retail
All retail locations will be opened using outdoor ordering kiosks.
- Order and Pick up food outdoors
- Additional seating areas added next to retail locations
- Craft Cabin will be open with an outdoor kiosk
First Aid Protocols
All of our health procedures are reviewed and approved yearly by a physician. This year all protocols have been reviewed and revised for covid compliance.
We will continue to have isolation cabins for guests and staff set aside weekly.
Arrivals
We have always required wellness checks before campers can come to camp. This summer we will require these checks to happen at home and if applicable at the church prior to departure to camp. Any campers showing covid-like symptoms before departing for camp will not be able to attend camp that week. We will gladly refund or reschedule for these unfortunate occurrences.
Staff
New protocols for staff have been implemented to ensure their safety and the safety of guests as well.
- Staff will be asked to provide a negative covid test prior to arrival and self-quarantine after the test and before their first day
- Any staff showing a covid-like symptom will be asked to return home until a specific waiting period is complete
- If it is not feasible for staff to return home, isolation cabins have been set aside quarantine in
- Staff that work indoors will be required to wear a mask
Communication
Family Camp
Any needed announcements will be made at gatherings.
Youth and Children
A new app (iPhone and Android) has been developed to better connect parents to their camper’s experience. This app will provide daily updates on camp activities, photos, and a way from you to write campers and them to write you back!
- Campers can write emails and draw pictures that are scanned and sent to parents
- Camp Directors to provide health updates every Tuesday and Thursday
- Daily Updates on Program activities
- Lots and lots of photos
All Camps
If we are informed that a camper has tested positive for covid-19 after their week of camp, we will be following CDC communication protocols for contact tracing.
Mask and Vaccine Policies
Vaccines
Forest Home will not require vaccination or proof of vaccination for staff or guests.
Masks
With the entirety of camp being outdoors, masks will be optional for our guests. This is in compliance with all of our county ordinances. Staff that have responsibilities indoors will be required to wear a mask.
Family Camp Childcare Assistant Program (CCA)
Our Childcare Assistant (CCA) Program is a staple of our Family Camp, and one of the key features that makes it amazing. We will continue to have this amazing program with the following changes.
- We have doubled the number of available beds to allow for 50% occupancy in cabins
- CCA will not be able to enter the cabin of any guests*
- Parents will be required to tuck their children in, once this is complete, the CCA will wait outside your door to ensure your child’s safety
- If there is a need to enter the room, a CCA staff member will do so
*These are the policies for all Family Campers that are assigned a CCA. Family Campers have always been allowed to bring their own CCA. If your niece, family friend, or other trusted individual joins our CCA program and both you and she agree, we will allow that CCA to do bed times and be inside your cabin.
Family Camp Chipmunk Corner (Nursery)
Our Chipmunk Corner Nursery is exclusively available to Family Camp families with children 0-4 years old.
- Parents will drop their children off outside to a staff member on our Chipmunk Corner patio
- Children will use the indoor facilities and their private outdoor playground
- This program will be run in full compliance of California’s Day Care covid protocols
Health and Safety Top Ten
1. IT’S A TEAM EFFORT!
At Forest Home, health and safety is our absolute number one priority. Leading the charge in this is our amazing First Aid Team. Comprised of highly trained and experienced Nurses and Health Technicians, this team works round the clock to monitor and support camper health. Additionally, each and every one of our medical policies is reviewed and approved by a Physician each year to help ensure that we are providing the highest quality of care for our campers and staff.
2. IT STARTS WITH US
Forest Home staff are frequently reminded to abide by the following recommendations as set forth by the CDC to minimize the spread of germs. We are fully committed to staying healthy so that our campers stay healthy as well.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick
- Clean your hands often by washing them with soap and water or by using hand sanitizer
- Stay at home if you or someone you live with is sick
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, throw the tissue away and wash your hands
- Avoid touching your eyes, ears and mouth
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily
3. MINIMIZING IMPACT
Our staff are trained and will no longer give high fives, hand shakes, fist bumps or any other form of physical contact. Additionally, we provide staff at the entrances of each of our meeting areas before and after gatherings in order to open the doors for campers entering and exiting. Minimizing contact with others and with frequently touched items is a simple way of reducing the spread of germs.
4. AIR QUALITY
We are replacing the air filters on all indoor meeting spaces with new MERV air filters. These filters can capture airborne viruses and bacteria from coughs and sneezes. For all of our summer programs, all gatherings, meals, and retail will be outdoors.
5. AVAILABLE AND ENCOURAGED
We make high-percentage alcohol-based hand sanitizer available at the entrances of all meeting areas, dining halls, retail locations and many other places throughout our camp. Daily announcements are made to encourage campers to practice good hygiene. In addition, during meals, campers are not released to get food until each camper has used the hand sanitizer located on every dining table on campus.
6. KEEPING SEPARATE
Each of our camp centers have isolation facilities for use in the unfortunate event that one or more campers contract an illness that might spread. Our First Aid teams employ specific quarantine protocols at each of our camp centers to ensure that illnesses are caught and contained quickly.
7. WE KEEP IT CLEAN
At Forest Home, our cleaning and sanitizing protocol exceeds that which the CDC and California Department of Public Health have set forth. High traffic areas such as restrooms, meeting spaces and game rooms are cleaned and sanitized four times per day. Cabins are deep cleaned before campers arrive and sanitized twice more throughout the week. Dining facilities are sanitized before every meal and serving utensils are replaced every time a new tray of food arrives.
8. PRE-ARRIVAL HEALTH SCREENING
Every counselor and camper under the age of 18 that is not coming with a parent is required to complete a pre-arrival health screening form. Campers showing signs of a communicable disease or illness are asked not to come to camp. Campers showing other symptoms are further examined by our First Aid team upon arrival to evaluate and determine the best options for everyone’s health and safety.
9. PARTNERING WITH PARENTS
We want you, the parents of our campers, to be fully confident and informed of the health protocols we have in place to keep your children safe. If you have any questions, please click on the “Health Update” tab on the home page of our website. If you do not find an answer there, please call us. You will be connected to a staff member that will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
10. MOST IMPORTANTLY – PRAYER
Forest Home employs numerous layers of systems and protocols to ensure that our facilities, staff, and campers stay safe, clean, and healthy. However, the most important thing we do as an organization is spend countless hours praying in advance for every camper and staff who walks through our gates. Our prayer is that they have an unforgettable experience of encountering Jesus, experiencing transformation, and engaging the world, in a safe and healthy environment.
