Aloha Beach Camp Summer Camp Blog 2020

There's an interesting article on lasummercamps.com today. Talks about how the coronavirus has created a huge demand for kids' summer camps and how tough it will be for parents to find available space at camp this year.

From a personal perspective, we can tell you we still have room for your camper at Aloha, but it's getting tight. Everything the article says is true. Here's the link again so you're up to speed on how hard it might be to find room as camp this summer in a post-pandemic environment.

Of course we hope you'll choose Aloha Beach Camp! We're L.A.'s only   5-Star, American Camp Association Accredited  beach camp with operating licenses and   permits  from the  Los Angeles County Dept. of Beaches and Harbors  and  the L.A. County Dept. of Public  Health.  That means we are a COVID-compliant business  dedicated to your child's health,   safety and fun at camp this summer. ​

That means this coming summer is more meaningful and important  than ever. Demand for camp is at an all-time high, and  many programs are already enrolling kids.   In fact,  many camps are reporting an interesting trend: As COVID restrictions  begin to relax and the vaccine provides new hope for some return  to normalcy,   families are signing  up for camp earlier than  ever  while recognizing how  competitive finding available space at the top camps this year will be.

The question  remains, though: How do you even FIND the best summer camps?   Simply signing up for the first camp you find isn't enough, let alone wise. You need to make sure you're  choosing one with  appropriate credentials,  a  proven track record,  quality reputation and an overall above-board program where the counselors and staff are committed to  creating a  safe, fun  and memorable experience for your kids this summer.

Aloha Beach Camp has a profile  listing there, too. But in addition to us, you can find literally any type of  camp you want, according to any criteria important to you, such as type of camp, camp location, etc. enabling you to find the best summer program for your kids this year. ​

Each year Aloha Beach Camp hosts a series of Open House events where kids and families can learn more about the camp, meet the staff and see how Aloha Beach Camp operates on a day-to-day basis. While Open Houses have historically taken place at Zuma Beach, this year we have moved our Open Houses online. The first Open House takes place Sunday, March 21 from 1:30 to 3:30 pm on Google Meet.   Get more Open House information here.

Hand-picking your own dates has always been a staple of Aloha Beach Camp enrollment. Families love the flexibility of creating their own schedules rather than conforming to regimented prearranged session dates set by the camp.

For now, we are keeping things status quo while remaining optimistic you'll be able to continue choosing your own camp dates this summer.

At the same time, news, information and regulations pertaining to COVID protocol is constantly evolving. Depending on what we hear from local health and safety regulators in the months ahead, campers may be required to sign up for camp according to an attendance schedule  that  more resembles an organized session structure than coming and going to camp whenever they please. 

For example, in light of COVID we may need to switch to a series of 10 individual one-week (Monday through Friday) sessions. Under this scenario, campers would need to attend camp Monday through Friday for the entire week. (You could sign up for as many or as few weekly sessions as you want, but your child would need to attend camp all 5 days each week for every session you choose.) This would ensure campers are not coming and going in and out of camp as they please, and help to reduce  potential spread of COVID 19.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, feel free to sign up for camp on any schedule you want. You can pick consecutive days or sprinkle them out over the course of the summer -- totally your call.

If we need our day-by-day enrollment format and require more more regimented registration procedures, we will give you ample notice. You will certainly have enough time to rearrange your child's enrollment according to a convenient schedule that fits your needs, and we will help make this process seamless and easy.

So, sign up now and pick you own dates!

Just in case we can't have the Open House in person, all is not lost. We'll have an online open house instead, likely on Zoom or some other video conferencing platform where we can still get together in real time.

Stay tuned for updates!

All of this means finding available space at camp will be tougher than ever in 2021, so we highly advise signing up now to reserve your spot before all our space is gone.

What we do know is that employing these kinds of measures is important to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and keeping our campers and staff healthy and safe at camp.

We missed our campers so very much when we were closed, and we know you missed out on tons of fun last summer. We are already working hard to make sure your Aloha Beach Camp experience is double the fun in 2021.

Get ready for a one-of-a-kind, 2nd-to-none beach camp experience in 2021 that you will never forget!

Hello Aloha Beach Camp Families! We wanted to take a moment to share with you an update on Aloha Beach Camp's transportation program for 2021, namely in connection to the coronavirus pandemic.

You will be glad to know we fully intend on providing transportation in summer 2021. Numerous health and safety measures will be in place to minimize the potential spread of COVID-19 including  social distancing procedures (such as spacing the campers in-between seats), disinfecting the buses twice per day, keeping windows open en route and other best practices to help campers and staff stay healthy and safe.

At the same time,  it's important to remember Covid-19 infection rates are consistently in flux, and guidance from federal, state and local health officials is also constantly changing.  One thing we do know is that limiting movement, travel, and indoor congregation are important components of controlling the spread of coronavirus.  In the event we are unable to provide transportation or required to make other modifications to our bus system to comply with government regulations, we will notify you right away. 

Our free transportation service has always been one of the hallmarks of the Aloha Beach Camp experience. We know many families rely heavily on this important convenience, especially among families where both parents work, and many campers enjoy riding the bus as much as attending  camp itself.

For now, the good news is we expect to operate Aloha Beach Camp's bus program this coming summer.  Of course, you are always free to drop-off and pick-up your kids at camp whether or not transportation is provided by the camp. We are located at Lifeguard Tower 7 on Zuma Beach. The major cross streets are Pacific Coast Highway and Morningview Drive in Malibu.

We are looking forward to a safe, fun and exciting 2021 summer camp experience and can't wait to see you at camp!

Dear Friends,

We hope your family is healthy and safe amid the coronavirus pandemic.   We are pleased to announce we are beginning to reopen Aloha Beach Camp on a limited basis for camp next year.

We hope your child will join us at camp next summer,   but please note available space will be at a premium.   We anticipate only being allowed to operate at 50% of normal capacity next summer in order to comply with post COVID-19 guidelines, not to mention we're already half-full because so many campers deferred their 2020 enrollments to 2021. 

Given all this -- and considering we're just a small camp with limited availability and a high camper return rate to begin with -- it wouldn't surprise us if next year's program sells out before 2021 even begins.

We want to make sure we have room for you, so we've decided to open enrollment earlier than ever this year.  We encourage you to sign up sooner rather than later if your child would like to participate at camp with us next summer. Your child's 2021 Aloha Beach Camp summer experience includes:

Given how challenging 2020 has been for everyone, we feel extremely fortunate to be able to welcome campers back to Aloha Beach Camp.

But with kids so eager to get outside -- and pent up demand for camp at an all-time high -- it's safe to say families who register now stand the best chance of getting in.

You can reserve your child's space at camp for next summer now for just a $450 advance deposit. The deposit is fully refundable if you change your mind or something comes up between now and next year.

You  don't even need to pick or schedule your child's days at camp until next June. All you need to do is fill out this registration form and pay your deposit, then your child's space at camp next summer will be guaranteed.

Your advance deposit does more than just guarantee your child's space at camp. You'll also lock-in a low $99 daily rate for camp next summer when reserving your camper's space today.  This low $99 daily rate is our "Friends and Family" discount -- the best discount available to everyone! Be sure to reserve space now to lock in this low price today with your advance deposit, because prices could revert back to our standard $125 daily rate any time.

Please let us know if you have any questions. Meanwhile, lock in your child's for  camp next year today!

We hope this message finds you healthy and safe, you had a great summer, and your school year has gotten off to a great start. We wanted to post this brief update to keep you apprised of our overall status here at Aloha Beach Camp.

As you may know, the COVID-19 pandemic has taken (financially  and more) a huge negative toll on the camp industry. At least 62% of camps shut down as a direct result of the pandemic. Unfortunately, we were not immune; Aloha Beach Camp was  unable to open due to COVID-19 this year.

Sadly, we are also unable to open our annual Fall early enrollment program this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. We are extremely regretful about this, because we know so many families look forward to and depend on this program to save money at camp.

For all intents and purposes, we will remain closed and unable to accept any registrations or sign ups until the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus pandemic clears up and all of this is behind us. We hope to reopen by January 2021 and look forward to an another safe, fun and amazing beach camp experience with your kids soon.

If you would like to join our interest list for future summer or year-round programs, please email us  at info@alohabeachcamp.com so we can notify you when we are able to reopen and begin accepting registrations again.  Thank you and stay safe!