To our BeSTEM! Families:
The safety of our campers is our first priority - that’s why we want to keep you up to date on changes to the way we work and how we are prioritizing your needs and those of our staff.
It has been a challenging year, we hope everyone is staying safe! First off, we want to say thank you to all of you for making BeSTEM a success! We are thankful for your trust and support as we look towards another summer of inspired learning in 2021!
As things begin to open up, we are monitoring national, state, and local guidelines for how to open safely. Given the social nature of our camps (i.e. teamwork and collaboration), we are challenged by the need to keep campers separated from each other. They come to our camps not only for STEM learning, but also to build new friendships and discover new interests through shared hands-on experiences. We are exploring changes to our operations to provide campers with a fun and immersive experience this summer while also maintaining their safety. Currently the vaccine is not available to anyone under 16 and will not be a requirement for summer 2021. We are not mandating that staff be vaccinated, but encourage all eligible to get the vaccine.
The following changes will be implemented:
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Our capacity will be 15 campers per camp, subject to change based on state and local guidelines.
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Campers must bring their own lunch every day. There will be no ordering food as we have done in the past.
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Campers that are feeling sick should stay at home.
Campers will need to follow good hygiene protocols:
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Campers should bring and wear a clean mask each day. Single-use masks will be available to anyone who does not have their own.
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Maintaining 3ft distance from other campers when possible.
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Spend time outside if weather permits.
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Require campers to wash their hands during breaks and lunch.
Staff measures we will be taking to protect campers:
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Disinfect surfaces in the classroom every morning before campers arrive and in the afternoon after campers depart.
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Place sanitizing stations in the classroom.
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Require staff to wash their hands during breaks and lunch.
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Place signage throughout the camp occupied part of the building to limit wandering and to maintain social distancing from others within the building and at drop off and pick up locations.
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Require daily health attestation forms for all staff members.
If alerted to a presumptive case of COVID-19, parents will be notified immediately and staff will work with the local health department in accordance with camp protocols and local regulations.
Our decision to run will be significantly influenced by the availability of school buildings to the public. We understand that the decision to send your child to camp during a pandemic is not an easy decision. As we work within the parameters set by local jurisdiction we will keep you informed about our decision to run camps this summer.