Health, Safety, and Common Concerns

The health and safety of all campers and staff is our highest priority, and we will continue to follow any COVID-19 guidelines from the American Camp Association and the Minnesota Department of Health

Campers are required to submit proof of a negative COVID-19 test before their start at camp.

While at camp, campers may be tested for COVID-19 if they are displaying symptoms or have been in close contact with someone who tested positive. Campers testing positive will not be able to stay at camp. Campers who have had a close contact with someone with a positive COVID-19 test result may be asked to mask indoors when possible and will be monitored for symptoms and tested as needed.

Notify our camp directors if your camper has specific health needs (e.g. injections, specialized equipment). If a camper has dietary needs beyond vegetarian, our cooks can provide gluten-free, dairy-free, peanut-free and treenut-free meals and accommodate other allergies.

Notifications should be submitted one month prior to the camp session your camper will be attending.

Resident Camps Medications

Our health staff will make sure that campers have access to their medications when necessary during their stay. Take note of how to pack medications on our Packing Lists page. If attending an Adult + Me session, the camper’s parent/guardian will be responsible for their camper’s health forms and medications.

Troop Camp Medications

Troop leaders and parent/guardians are responsible for their campers’ health forms and medications. Medications should be kept by the adult in a secure manner. Adults are responsible for giving the medication to their Girl Scouts as needed.

Campers of all abilities–including those with disabilities and health concerns–are welcome and encouraged to register. Prior to registering, we recommend you contact us so we can make sure we are able to provide accommodations and adequate support for her camp experience. Our staff can also help you choose the sessions that are best fit for your camper.

Girl Scouts River Valleys is an equal opportunity employer. Campers may see, encounter and/or be supervised by female, male, and non-binary staff. We ensure male staff members are housed separate from campers.

Today’s parents can rely on consistent contact with their children with smart phones. In order for campers to experience the full benefits of camp, campers are not permitted to have cell phones or any electronic communication device during overnight camp sessions.

Please do not expect photos, texts or phone calls from your child during their time at camp. Our staff are highly trained, and parents can rest assured that we are dedicated to providing the comfort and encouragement campers crave while helping them adjust to their time away from home.

If a camper brings a cell phones or electronic communication device to camp the Camp Director will keep it safe in a Ziplock bag with their name on it and return it at the end of the camper’s stay.

Ticks are a risk with any outdoor activity in the Midwest, and camping is no exception. We take precautions to mitigate tick risk among our campers, and there are additional steps that parents can take as well.

Our Precautions

• We keep trails trimmed and wide enough for easy passage since ticks are often picked up from brush.
• Our counselors remind campers to perform tick checks, and our health staff are trained to properly remove any that are found. Ticks will be sent home with the camper in a baggie with information in case she develops symptoms of a tick-borne illness.

Tick Prevention Steps for Parents and Guardians

As you prepare your camper for her stay with us, be sure to include the following items from our packing lists that will help prevent tick and other insect bites:

• A bandana or hat to cover her head on hikes
• Insect repellant containing DEET
• Long pants, since they act as a tick barrier

In addition, you may consider sending clothing treated with permethrin, an insect repellant. You can find this insect repelling clothing at most sporting goods stores.

After she returns from camp, remind her to continue the tick checks she learned at a camp for a few extra days. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) provide good information that you can use to learn how to do tick checks, remove any ticks you or your family finds, and to watch for symptoms of Lyme Disease.

Head lice is a concern with any youth activity, and camp is no exception. We take prevention of lice at our camps seriously through staff education and procedures to reduce the spread of lice. Here is some helpful information about lice, the steps we take at our camps to mitigate the transfer of lice, and precautions you as a parent or guardian can take with your camper.

Some Helpful Information About Lice

• Head lice move by crawling— they cannot hop or fly.
• Head lice are spread by direct contact with the hair of a person carrying them.
• Anyone who comes in head-to-head contact with someone who already has head lice is at greatest risk.
• It is uncommon for lice to spread by contact with clothing (such as hats, scarves, coats) or other personal items (such as combs, brushes, or towels) used by a person carrying lice.
• Personal hygiene or cleanliness in the home or school has nothing to do with getting head lice.

Our Precautions

• Non-toxic spray is used for bike and horse-riding helmets to help keep lice from transferring and to encourage good lice prevention hygiene amongst our campers and staff.
• Horse-riding campers during resident camp receive a helmet on their first day at the barn. It will be labeled with their name and only they will use that helmet. At the end of the last day of camp, staff will spray all helmets with non-toxic lice spray.
• Horse-riding helmets are treated between each use during weekend programs with non-toxic lice spray.
• During resident camp each bike helmet is sprayed with non-toxic lice spray after each use.
• During weekend programs, instructions will be will be provided for participants to use non-toxic lice spray on bike helmets after each use.
• Our counselors ask campers not to sleep head-to-head in bunks, but rather to sleep head-to-foot or foot-to-foot.
• Our counselors instruct campers not to share hairbrushes, hair ties, hats, and bandanas.

Lice Prevention Steps for Parents and Guardians

• Screen your camper for lice the week leading up to camp, including the day before. Head lice and head lice nits (eggs) are found almost exclusively on the scalp, particularly around and behind the ears and near the neckline at the back of the head. There are many resources parents/guardians can find by searching online that will help you know what to look for.
• Remind your camper not to share hats, hairbrushes, or sleep with their head near another camper.
• If your camper prefers, a bandana may be worn under bike or horse-riding helmets.
• You may also consider sending hair products with your camper that deter lice.

Insect bites are a risk with any outdoor activity in the Midwest, and camping is no exception. We take precautions to decrease the chance for insect bites among our campers, and there are additional steps that parents can take as well.

Our Precautions

• As a precaution, each of our camp locations is sprayed on a regular basis to decrease the mosquito population.
• Our counselors and staff are diligent about reminding campers to put on insect repellent.
• Platform tents are equipped with mosquito netting.
• Maintenance staff works to eliminate any man-made standing water, which can attract mosquitos.
• Hiking trails are trimmed regularly.

Beyond the annoyance and itchiness mosquito bites can cause, we are aware of concerns regarding Zika. Zika, a disease caused by the Zika virus, is spread to people primarily through the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito. The most common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, joint pain, and conjunctivitis (red eyes). The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Learn more here: cdc.gov/zika/about/index

Mosquito Bite Prevention Steps for Parents and Guardians

As you prepare your camper for her stay with us, be sure to include the following items from our packing lists that will help prevent mosquito and other insect bites:

• A bandana or hat to cover her head on hikes
• Insect repellant containing DEET
• Long pants, since they act as an added barrier

In addition, you may consider sending clothing treated with permethrin, an insect repellant. You can find this insect repelling clothing at most sporting goods stores.

The CDC has a helpful, downloadable guide to mosquito bite prevention: cdc.gov/chikungunya/pdfs/fs_mosquito_bite_prevention_us.pdf

For more information about the Zika virus, go to: cdc.gov/zika/

Campers and adults who have a communicable illness or medical emergency are not permitted to attend camp. If a camper or adult is unable to attend camp because of a communicable illness, their camp fees can be transferred to another camp if one is available. If another session cannot be determined, they will receive a full refund (minus the non-refundable deposit).

All campers participate in a swimming skills assessment as one of the first activities at camp. This ensures your camper is safe and ready for swim time. Campers will be assigned to swim areas according to their swimming ability. If campers are not comfortable in the water at all or in taking the swim skill assessment, please alert the staff when dropping off your camper.

Everyone is required to wear a life jacket in all boats, regardless of swimming ability. All aquatic activities are supervised by certified lifeguards.

Working with Mother Nature

We are here to support your camper and help them grow. Girl Scouts has over 100 years of experience!  That means we put safety first, and after all, our motto is “be prepared.”

Campers learn weather emergency information and resident campers will have practice drills during their time at camp. In the case of an actual weather emergency we will put the safety of our campers first, which means we won’t be answering phone calls or emails during that time. We will send out updates once normal activity has resumed. If the weather is unusually hot or cold, activities are changed to keep campers safe. Because of the unpredictability of weather, we are unable to guarantee your camper will be able to do all the activities typically offered in a session.

Please remember, during weather alerts, phone lines need to remain open to contact different parts of camp or emergency services; please do not call during severe weather.

If your camper is a bedwetter, you don’t have to worry, it is not an unusual concern. Please let us know on the Camper Information Form (see forms) and/or Health History Form (see forms). Your camper should speak with her counselor or another staff person if she has an accident, and staff will discreetly launder the bedding and clothes.

This summer, hundreds of campers will experience their first taste of independence at summer camp. For many, it will also be their first encounter with homesickness, but families don’t have to feel helpless. The best prescription is a simple solution of preparation and patience.

According to a study by Dr. Christopher Thurber, feeling homesick is a normal occurrence at camp. A whopping 83 percent of the campers studied reported homesickness on at least one day of camp. The American Camp Association (ACA) suggests the following tips for families to help their camper prepare for camp:

• Encourage independence throughout the year.
• Discuss what camp will be like before your camper leaves, such as using a flashlight to find the bathroom.
• Remind your camper ahead of time that you will not be able to contact each other via phone during your camper’s stay.
• Contact your camper by sending letters, care packages, and even e-mails while she’s at camp.
• Pack a personal item from home, such as a stuffed animal.

Camp directors have extensive experience with homesickness. If you have a concern, voice it to our camp directors before camp, so the staff can provide the best experience for your camper. For many children, camp is a first step toward independence and plays an important role in their growth and development. Other resources for preparing for camp can be found at acacamps.org.

Bathroom and shower facilities are located throughout the camp. Some housing requires an outdoor walk to the nearest location–remember to pack a flashlight. We will let you know the nearest bathroom and shower locations once you are at camp.

We strive to have campers shower at least every other day. Please help teach younger campers to shower or wash their own hair prior to arrival at camp.

We provide private changing spaces in or near our housing areas and at the waterfront for campers who prefer to not change in view of others. All of our shower facilities have individual curtained and/or walled-off showers and changing spaces.  

Please let us know if your camper’s birthday occurs during her session. We want to recognize her special day! Let us know at the health check-in or contact us online.

Girl Scouts River Valleys staff may not receive or accept tips, gifts, or gratuity, monetary or otherwise. To thank staff for a job well done or to provide funds for all youth to go to camp, please consider a donation to River Valleys.

Each camp has a camp store store for all campers to shop at during their stay at camp. Items at the camp store may include camp t-shirts, stuffed animals, stationery, stamps, camp patches, and postcards. Prices range from $1.25 to $35.

During check-in, each camper deposits money in a personal camp account that gets locked in the camp store (to prevent it from being lost) to be used throughout the session, and the balance is returned on check-out day. Cash, Cookie Credits, credit cards, and checks are all accepted.

Our camps are open to girls (including cisgender and transgender girls) and individuals who don’t identify with the gender binary, including those who identify as transgender, non-binary, gender fluid, and gender nonconforming. Our camp forms include an optional field to share your camper’s pronouns and any other details about their needs at camp. At camp we offer staff and campers the opportunity to share their pronouns when introducing themselves if they choose. Feel free to reach out to the Camp Director if you have specific questions.