Two summers ago, in 2020, we were unable to open camp due to COVID-19.
In 2021, we operated on a limited scale while still under the cloud of COVID. For instance, we had a blast at the beach, but were to unable visit Castaic Lake for boating, wakeboarding, tubing or jet skiing as part of our phased reopening plan while still dealing with COVID-19. This summer, for 2022, we are hoping and planning for a return to normalcy while offering all the usual activities and experiences campers love. At the same time, the Omicron variant is raging. And as we all know, the only thing predictable about the coronavirus pandemic -- and what may happen next -- is unpredictability itself. Accordingly, even though we are hoping to reimplement lake activities, and all the other events and locations campers have come to know and love about Aloha, it's prudent for all of us to move forward with a certain degree of educated skepticism that COVID-19 is completely behind us, and everything will be normal for summer 2022. So please consider this post a friendly "heads-up." While we always strive to present the program and activities we plan for, COVID-19 might throw us a curveball. Activities, events, experiences and other offerings may be modified, unavailable, subject to limited capacity, closure, or cancellation depending on evolving COVID-19 circumstances or other reasons without notice. In the age of COVID, we're all used to this by now. We hope you will go with the flow and understand that no matter what happens, we will always error on the side of keeping campers, staff and the public safe while presenting the best possible program for kids. Can't wait to see you this summer. Aloha!!
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Every day we received questions from concerned parents regarding our plans to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our camp communiy.
Though restrictions are loosening, will always error on side of health, safety and caution. You will likely see the CDC coming out with new camp guidelines sooner rather than later, although we are under the guidance of the LA County Dept of Public Health. While are most of the restrictions, as they stand now, are quite feasible for us, as being outside at the beach is among the safest places you can be. Staff will be vaccinated and wearing masks, kids will wear them when not swimming, eating or participating in physical activity, and all the groups/cohorts will have their own equipment with no sharing between groups. Everyone will wear masks on the bus with windows down. Buses will be disinfected 2 to 3 x per day. We may eliminate some or most of the field trip locations and keep everything at the beach depending on certain conditions. We are the only beach camp licensed, permitted and accredited by the LA County Dept. of Beaches and Harbors, LA County Dept. of Public Health, and American Camp Association. The LA County Dept of Public Health is the same govt agency that sets COVID protocol. We assume things will loosen even more, and will make adjustments accordingly going forward. But for now, this is part of our plan. 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. 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! We Intend to Operate Aloha Beach Camp in 2021! Registration is Now Open on a Limited Basis
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. [RELATED: Aloha Beach Camp Space Availability Update] How Will Coronavirus Affect Aloha Beach Camp in 2021?
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 Can't Wait to See You 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!
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 [email protected] so we can notify you when we are able to reopen and begin accepting registrations again. Thank you and stay safe! |
AuthorThis blog is written and maintained by Eric D. Naftulin, Aloha Beach Camp's owner and Executive Director the the past 20 years. Archives
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