Posted: May 17, 2022
Camp Cedar Cliff is so excited for Summer 2022! As of today, we will not be requiring covid vaccination, testing or masks to attend camp. If wearing a mask at camp is more comfortable for your camper, we encourage them to do so. Please continue monitoring your child’s symptoms and potential exposure prior to camp. If you believe your child has been exposed to covid prior to arriving, please contact our office to discuss next steps. Any camper who displays symptoms during their session will be taken to the nurse and the parent will be contacted.
Posted: January 13, 2022
Our team is so excited for Summer 2022. We continue to monitor covid updates from our state officials and camp association. We will post our Summer 2022 covid protocols in the Spring on this page and will also send all enrolled camper families an update via email at that time.
We encourage campers to enroll early for camp this season as spots are limited and some sessions have already reached capacity. We also continue to honor our 100% refund policy in the event that we would ever have to cancel a session due to covid.
A NOTE TO SUMMER STAFF:
We are encouraging our summer staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine but it is not required. We’re leaving that up to each individual. They will also be completing a Pre-Screening form and extensive Health History form prior to arrival in addition to receiving a negative covid test. We have a week of training for them also so they’ll be quarantining together before campers arrive.
Summer 2021 COVID-19: Updates from Camp Cedar Cliff
Posted: May 25, 2021
Our team is so excited for Summer 2021. We have been preparing for months and cannot believe it’s almost here. Today we are announcing our 2021 COVID-19 policy and protocols. We hope to answer all the questions you (or your camper!) have been asking.
BEFORE YOU ARRIVE:
- COVID-19 Pre-Screening Form
- We are requiring a simple pre-screening form to be submitted within 14 days of your camper’s arrival. The form asks a few questions related to your child’s health and coronavirus exposure. Please be sure this is completed. We will send out reminders if this is not complete before your child’s session date.
- Health History Form
- The Health History form is a crucial part of your camp forms. This is required annually. The only difference this year is that the form will also ask if your child has had COVID-19 in the ‘diseases’ section. This in no way changes your camper’s eligibility of coming to camp, but just gives us a thorough view of their health in the last year.
- COVID-19 Tests and Vaccination
- We are not requiring a COVID-19 test or vaccine before camp for any age group.
ARRIVAL:
- Day Camp/Day Pack
- Day camper check-in on Monday’s will be the exact same as in 2019. Parents will stay in their cars and drive through the Welcome Pavilion. Campers will jump out, getting plugged into their pod and parents can complete any missing paperwork while remaining in the car. Daily drop-off and pick-up will work the same. We will not be performing daily temperature checks in 2021, as we did last year.
- Overnight Camp
- Campers arriving on Saturday for overnight camp will have a different process this year. In the past, campers and parents park, ride into camp on our buses to all go to cabins, camp store etc. on their route.
- For the safety of our staff and other campers, all parents will check-in at Welcome Pavilion and not go into camp for the tour. You’ll also be able to check-in medications, shop at the camp store, and drop off luggage all from that central location. Masks will not be required.
- All cabins will have been cleaned and sanitized prior to arrival and having that many extra visitors in/out of the cabins and buses doubles the chance of exposure for staff and other campers in the cabin.
- We understand this is a big change! If you expect your camper to have trouble with the drop-off process, please contact our office. If you or your child is really needing to discuss information or ease them into the cabin experience, we will have a shuttle available for you to go to the cabin. Any parent on cabin road will be required to wear a mask and not go inside the cabin, but stay on the porch.
- We’re excited to announce that we’ll be taking a lot of photos that first day and will be posting pictures from inside the cabin with campers so you’ll be able to see that they got settled in. All photos are posted to CampMinder for you to login and view daily.
DURING YOUR CAMP SESSION:
- Hand Washing
- We have added several new designated handwashing stations around camp. Our staff are training to encourage hand washing frequently and before/after every meal.
- Masks
- The term “household cohorts” is used in the camp setting to refer to the collective cabin or day camp pod. Since cohorts are together all week, we are not requiring masks be worn at camp.
- We will have a mask on the packing list and ask that your camper brings one with them. This is for precautionary reasons.
- If your camper is more comfortable wearing a mask, they are encouraged to wear one. While it’s not a requirement, we know that many children are still anxious about not wearing one. Please know it’s welcome. We expect a mixed crowd of some who opt to not wear them and some who do.
- Cleaning Procedures
- We will be maintaining our cleaning procedures that we started last summer. All cabins, buildings, vehicles, and high-touch activities will be cleaned and sanitized daily and between day camp pod use.
- Social Distancing and Large Gatherings
- Our camp schedule is naturally set-up for social distancing because of household cohorts. Because our facility is primarily outdoor-based, any large gatherings will be in open-air venues or entirely outdoors.
CAMPER PICK-UP:
- Parent Program
- We’re excited to resume our end of week Parent Program on Fridays for 2021. It’ll be at our Welcome Pavilion (same place you drop-off) and a time to see all that happened that week at camp! With a new seating setup and being an outdoor venue, no masks will be required.
A NOTE ABOUT SUMMER STAFF:
- We are encouraging our summer staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine but it is not required. We’re leaving that up to each individual. They will also be completing a Pre-Screening form and extensive Health History form prior to arrival. We have a week of training for them also so they’ll be quarantining together before campers arrive.
Summer 2020 COVID-19: Updates from Camp Cedar Cliff
Posted: June 30, 2020
We’re so glad we are able to host your camper this summer! This update includes a lot of important information regarding camp this summer, including some items that are specific to Summer 2020. We ask that you please read this note in its entirety, as we’ve done our best to anticipate your questions and answer them here. If you still have any questions or concerns that are not addressed here, feel free to call our office and speak with a member of our staff.
Phase 2 and Face Covering Update for NC
On June 24, the NC governor announced that we would stay in Phase 2 until mid-July. We initially thought it would not possible to open our gates while in Phase 2 and still give campers a camp experience they would never forget. However, after receiving significant guidelines from the CDC and from several nationally accredited camp organizations we are a part of, we realized that safely having camp in Phase 2 was entirely doable. With the help of these guidelines, we have determined that we will begin camp as planned on July 6th.
Summer camps are specifically addressed in the new Executive Order. Here’s the information that applies to us:
- It is required for everyone ages 11 and up in North Carolina to wear face coverings, including campers and staff in day or overnight camp settings. Campers and staff must wear face coverings unless they have a medical reason or are 10 or younger.
- They will need to wear face coverings at all times except in the following scenarios:
- if not within 6 feet of another person
- actively eating or drinking
- doing strenuous activity
Changes We’ve Made for 2020
These are are some of the most notable changes made to our program for this summer.
- Face Coverings
- Per the Governor’s order, all staff and campers ages 11+ will be required to wear a mask when in close quarters, indoors, or on buses. Ages 10 and under will not be required to wear a mask unless in close quarters (closer than 6ft to other campers and staff).
- Although not required for ages 10 and under, we are still asking that campers of all ages bring a face covering to camp each and every day.
- One of our staff will be checking each morning to ensure campers have a mask of some kind. We recommend campers wear the type of face covering that is most comfortable for them and for camp activities.
- We’ve made significant changes to the program to keep campers at 6ft and outside to reduce how often they’ll have to slip their mask on. They will not be wearing them during high-adventure activities (ie. running, swimming, horseback riding, etc.)
- Additional Efforts
- Adding a new COVID-19 pre-screening health form. It will be available starting July 1 in CampMinder and is to be completed within 14 days of your camper’s session.
- Daily temperature checks, required for all campers and staff.
- Decreased capacity of all indoor spaces to 50%
- Reduced the number of chairs at each table in Dining Hall to create more distance between campers and staff.
- Reduced capacity for our buses.
- Added no-touch hand washing stations at 6 key locations across camp.
- Overhauled our cleaning program of all high-touch surfaces across camp, including more frequent cleaning and sanitizing than in years past.
- Eliminated water fountains as a common drinking source. Because of this, we’re asking that campers bring a refillable water bottle to camp every day in order to keep hydrated while out in the sun!
Should any new information/updates come available, we will post them here and also send them in an email to all enrolled camper families. Thanks for your patience during this time!
Posted: April 30, 2020
Camper Families,
Thank you so much for your patience with us during this time. As many of you know, we’ve been in a holding pattern for several weeks now in hopes that camp could happen as scheduled. With an abundance of guidance from our local authorities, the CDC, and our national camp association, we have decided to cancel all overnight camp sessions for 2020 (but there’s good news too!). This decision is by far the hardest we’ve ever had to make, and it didn’t come without weeks of prayer, wisdom from experts, and a lot of alternate options on the table.
There were several determining factors as to why we made this decision. Of those, the health and safety of our campers is our #1 priority and we know an overnight option is not ideal. Additionally, we have a large majority of campers from different states and know every state has their own guidelines on when it will reopen. Because of these, and other factors, we know it’s the right decision.
But there’s good news too! We are still having Day Camp this summer for our rising K-5th graders. In conjunction with our states reopening phases, we will open Day Camp on July 6, 2020, meaning sessions 4-8 only for this summer. Although camps are allowed to reopen during Phase 2 in NC, we’ve made the decision to wait until Phase 3 as an added safety measure. If things progress as predicted, we will be well into Phase 3 by July 6.
There’s another bit of good news! We will also have a new program called Day Pack this summer. We wanted to create an awesome experience for our older campers to come during the day, so we’re offering a 5-day program for rising 6-10th graders…Day Pack. We’re cramming a week’s worth of overnight experiences into 5 days. Click here to learn more. We will be posting more details about this program next week so stay tuned.
With health and safety as our goal, our team has been working tirelessly to prepare an elevated health program for our campers this summer. We will be checking camper temperatures daily, at camper drop-off along with other elevated cleaning and hygiene procedures. There will also be a new section in our camper Health History form asking specific questions about COVID-19 and if you or anyone you know has been affected.
What are my options now?
We have a variety of great options for how to handle your camper’s current enrollment.
- For our overnight campers who want to come this summer:
- Convert to Day Camp (rising K-5th) or Day Pack (rising 6-10th)
- For day campers registered for Sessions 1-3 this summer:
- Choose new day camp dates for Sessions 4-8.
- Register for 2021 and roll your deposit/payments forward to 2021.
- Donate your payments and cancel enrollment for 2020. (They’re tax-deductible and would be such a blessing!)
- Move your child’s enrollment to Vertex this fall. For 6-12th graders only as of 2020-2021 school year.
- Refund my deposit/payments and cancel enrollment for 2020. We know everyone has been affected by COVID-19 differently, and understand that some of you may need refunds. Please note that refunds will not be immediate. To speak transparently, a huge majority of payments have been spent throughout the year to pay bills, recruit summer staff, and purchase summer programming equipment. As funds are available, we will release refunds back to you.
What’s next? Action steps for you to take:
- Step 1: Read our Summer 2020 Update page
- We know you probably have a lot of questions for how this adjustment will affect your camper’s attendance, what to do with payments you’ve made and more. This page will answer all of your FAQs, introduce the new Day Camp and Day Pack dates, and also our 2021 dates.
- Step 2: Complete the Submission Form
- This form will tell us everything we need to know in order to adjust your camper’s attendance for this summer. Unless you have a unique situation that requires additional support, we encourage you to use this form rather than calling or emailing our team. We want to support each of you but are expecting a high level of call/email volume over the next several weeks.
- Please complete one form for EACH camper in your family.
- Note: If your child is already enrolled in Day Camp sessions 4-8 no action is required, assuming no additional change is needed.
We know God is in control of all things and are excited for all the adventure this summer that will happen through Day Camp and Day Pack. Thank you for your continued prayers and support. We are so grateful for a group of supporters like you.
Sincerely,
Tim Brady and the entire Camp Cedar Cliff Team
Posted: April 6, 2020
Thank you so much for your incredible support throughout this season. You have been such a blessing to our team, whether that’s through prayer, giving, or encouragement.
During this unprecedented time, we are aiming to be as transparent and forthcoming as possible. Because this situation is ever-changing, we will continue to pivot and communicate as frequently as possible.
Outside of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, our main goal has always been our camper’s safety and health. We are continuing to monitor the CDC, local officials, and our national camping association’s recommendations for guidance and clarity. We are considering our campers, summer staff, and their parents, as we seek out the wisest decision in regards to summer camp.
While we are praying and preparing for a full summer camp season, we understand that there is a strong likelihood that camp would need to be cancelled, shortened or changed. We are giving each of these scenarios the same time and attention. We also know kids need camp now more than ever.
We hope to know within a few weeks what the decision on summer will be, giving you plenty of time to make a decision as a family. Our team has already begun discussing the possibility of alternate ways to make this summer an adventure for your campers!
In the event that we do have to cancel camp, we will be issuing full refunds (including the non-refundable $75 deposit).
For our “Pay in Full by April 15” families: We are extending the discount through May 1 to give us more time to assess the situation.
Over the next few weeks, we will reach back out with more updates. By mid-April we expect to have much more clarity which we will immediately share with you.
Thank you again for your flexibility, understanding, and patience with us during this time. We’re all in this together.
Posted: March 18, 2020
At Camp Cedar Cliff, we are committed to the safety and health of our campers and summer staff. As the Camp Director and also a parent, I understand that you may be wondering, in light of COVID-19, how our summer program could be impacted. I am glad to say that we are preparing for and expecting a full summer camp season. Our team is evaluating our health and safety procedures that are already in place, and will adjust steps as needed.
In our goal to create a healthy environment for our campers, we are monitoring all relevant sources of information, including the CDC, NC State Health Department, Buncombe County Health and Human Services, North Carolina Youth Camp Association, and American Camp Association for updates, recommendations, and prevention guidelines.
We will be updating you in the upcoming weeks, as new developments and guidelines are introduced.
Just a reminder: Registration and payment deadlines have not changed. In the unlikely event that your summer session is canceled, a full refund will be issued.
We look forward to having your camper join us for Summer 2020. We trust and believe that God is great, and He is in control.
“…If God be for us, who can be against us.” – Romans 8:31
Sincerely,
Tim Brady
Camp Director/CEO
