DS’s day camp making me get him a shadow

bigsis144

Wed, Jul 18 2018, 6:12 pm

amother wrote:

It's super frustrating as a parent but that doesn't mean the camp is wrong or unprofessional.

True.

My husband is much more indignant than me, saying things like, “if I got paid to do a job and it turned out I was under-prepared, it would be my problem to figure out how to do the task with my budget” or “they’re clearly understaffed, why should we be paying for this if we’re already paying for camp??”

So I’m caught between a camp director who has been cordial but not particularly sympathetic and a husband who isn’t really helping me find a solution 😕

There is another camp I will see if I can try - I think it has fewer kids in general, but not necessarily a greater proportion of staff than the current camp. Also it felt more “hefker” (kids running around the halls outside of the classrooms) when I visited. They may happily take my son, but I worry about under-supervision... but then again, maybe I didn’t have context on what I saw?

Yoish

Last edited by bigsis144 on Wed, Jul 18 2018, 6:20 pm; edited 1 time in total

mha3484

Wed, Jul 18 2018, 6:19 pm

It sounds counter intuitive but I think kids this age who are more impulsive dont do well in a large institutional camps. We think that they will do well where its very large and professional etc but I think there is more that can go wrong then right. I think a smaller group with more simple activities and no trips is more what they can handle.

I got really really lucky when my oldest was entering pre 1a because his camp still had a nursery program run by morahs and they did not have a huge sign up that year so he had a lot of personal attention but had it been a larger group I think it would have been a disaster.

If you can find a back yard camp for his age run by mature girls or women I would look into it otherwise I think a shadow will be required. I dont think there is any other way to allay the camps fears for his safety and their liability. I am really really not a paranoid person but I can think of so many things that can go wrong that it will be hard to argue with them.

amother

Magenta

Wed, Jul 18 2018, 7:44 pm

bigsis144 wrote:

Sorry but tell your husband that is not a good analogy. If your husband was hired to landscape a yard and he arrives and find an unexpected issue that doesnt usually arise in the general job description of landscaping (maybe a concrete boulder that needs to be removed with special equipment or a flooded area that would need draining.. ) he is perfectly within his right to say to the owners I am sorry I am not equipped to deal with this issue unless you provide me with special tools..
If he doesn't have the materials he just can't do it and if they want that job done anyway the owners should be prepared to cover the extra expense of the special materials. There is basic job descriptions and then there is what falls out of the job description. It sounds like you understand that but it's not helpful to your husband to have the attitude of well it's their job - figure it out.
Regardless of analogies - you can find an analogy for every thing in life and find a counter arguement for every analogy as well...but regardless in general when it comes to your kids your attitude should never be well it's the teachers job - so why can't they deal with my child. That's not helpful to anyone not yourself not your child or their teacher.

amother

Seashell

Wed, Jul 18 2018, 8:34 pm

It sounds like your son is a sweet little jumpy boy. We principals don't like calling parents unless we really really have to. Apparently according to other boys his age this behavior is a little tough to deal with at this time. If she recommends classroom support . You should try. I am not sure where you live but you can write a letter and send it to your administrator that the child needs more support then he is already getting.
Running by the car pool lot, is dangerous. For the child's safety, he needs supervision. I specifically don't accept new children with therapy unless they get FULL classroom support if they need it. It is overwhelming for a teacher, if a child keeps running out and getting ices without permission as I have now in my school.
If you live in the city maybe you can find a girl that has youth corp and the government pays for her to work.
I hope you forgive me but for your yingeles safety he must have a para.

bigsis144

Wed, Jul 18 2018, 9:24 pm

amother wrote:

By your references to youth corp and a para, I assume you’re in New York? My sisters living there and working in those schools tell me the Jewish community has been very successful at obtaining fantastic resources for kids who need that extra support.

Any advice for Silver Spring, MD?