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.
Meals
- Each individual guest group will attend meals at a specific dining area that is separate from other groups
- Guests with winter camp and summer camp programs will attend meals in the same dining area as other church groups. However, church groups can sit at separate tables and outdoor tables may be available, weather permitting
- All tables and surfaces will be sanitized between use
- Food will be served cafeteria style with sneeze guards for improved safety
- Outdoor seating may be available for those that prefer it
Lodging
- All cabins are cleaned in accordance with CDC and DPH standards between each use
Recreation
Recreation has previously been outdoors and will continue to be so. All the favorite activities including the zipline, giant swing, and skytrail, and more will continue to operate.
- All equipment to by sanitized in-between use
Retail
Additional seating areas added next to retail locations
Arrivals
We have always required wellness checks before campers can come to camp. We now require these checks for youth campers 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.
- Any staff showing a covid-like symptom will be asked to return home until CDC and county guidelines for covid-19 exposure have been met
Communication
Guest Groups
- Any needed announcements will be made at gatherings.
- Any changes to our current health and safety protocols will be updated on our website and communicated to groups prior to arrival.
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.
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 Safety Committee. This team meets regularly and whenever necessary to ensure that camp is operating in a safe manner that is in accordance with CDC and county guidelines. 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, campers will have the ability to attend all gatherings, meals, and retail options 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.
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.
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. Cabins are deep cleaned before campers arrive. Dining facilities are sanitized before every meal and serving utensils are replaced throughout each meal.
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 the groups medical personnel 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.
