First off, while head lice are a nuisance, they are not dangerous and they do not spread disease. They are, however, contagious and annoying so we want to make sure they do not become a problem at our camp.

General Policy

• Children or Staff who are found to have live head lice will be sent home for the day. Children will be able to return when they are lice free, staff members will be able to return after treatment and will be rechecked for lice upon return.
• When lice are detected, parents will be informed by receiving a written note at the front desk. These letters will be available as soon as reasonably possible.
• As the CDC, the American Association of Pediatrics and the National Association of School Nurses all recommend not  to have a “no nit” policy, our camp will permit attendance of children and staff with nits (hatched eggs) so long as they do not have lice.

Lice Prevention

• Children are not to bring stuffed animals, pillows, or blankets to camp. While the biggest danger is that these items will be lost or damaged, they can also be carriers for lice.
• Children and Staff should avoid head to head contact. This is the primary means of spreading lice.
• Lying down, with your head on any carpeted area is not permitted.
• Children (and staff) are not to share towels, hats or other items of clothing.
• Brushing hair is not permitted at camp except after swimming.

Please note that spread by contact with an inanimate object is very uncommon.

After Infestation

• Articles of clothing, towels and similar items that are in the lost and found will be discarded.
• Carpets will continued to be vacuumed daily and upholsteredfurniture will also be vacuumed.
• Random checks will be performed on all members of the staff as well as campers.

What about swimming?

While lice can survive underwater and are not killed by the chlorine levels of a pool they are very unlikely to spread by water. Studies have shown that lice hold more tightly to human hair when submerged and will not let go under water.

Swimming is not recommended within 1-2 days of treatment as some lice medications will become less effective.

For more information about the prevention and treatment of lice, please visit KidsHealth.org

Today we are attending a showing of Rio and will play some games when we get back to camp.

Our trip to the zoo has been rescheduled for week 6. If your K-5 camper attended today your bill will be adjusted to reflect today’s less expensive trip. Please allow 2 weeks for the credit to appear.

This week our K-5 camp went to Rockford’s Discovery Museum and enjoyed the hands on exhibits—many of our older campers appreciated the water table and made sure everyone around them stayed cool. Challenge enjoyed Pizza, video games, and Laser Tag at Enchanted Castle.

A special thank you to camp parents for packing healthy lunches! We really appreciate seeing children eating foods that will give them energy but not make them extra excitable. Please remember to pack a water bottle; if you didn’t get yours, pick one up the next time you are at camp.

Our focus this week was on Respect: Showing others they are important by what we say and do. We hope we’ve had an impact on your camper and we look forward to talking with them next week when we explore what God says about Friendship.

We’re excited to be able to care for your campers. Please remember to pack a healthy lunch and put a bottle of sunscreen in their back pack.

For a complete list for each camp, see our calendar or download a schedule from the forms page. Please note that while these are scheduled trips, there are circumstances (such as weather) that could affect our attendance at a specific location.