May 26, 2020

Dear Camp Family,

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and that your family and everyone in your life is safe and healthy.  

Currently

Even though some areas of New York have opened some businesses have opened for limited activities, NY State Governor Cuomo and NYC Mayor Deblasio have not yet made a decision on whether to allow or suspend children’s programs and summer camps for the upcoming season.

On May 15, 2020, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) put out a draft of what they would propose for camps in the event local governments allow camps and children’s programs to open. Please keep in mind this is based on a national overview and NOT New York alone. Below is a link to that document.

YOUTH PROGRAMS AND CAMPS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

 Please see the fee structure below.

Important Addendum: Requests for camp for 2020 were increasing rapidly from new families that have already been informed by their former programs that they will not be open in the summer of 2020 and desperately need child care.  We expect that to get even larger for the summer of 2021 as some other or smaller camps will never re-open.

We will do our best to accommodate them but of course, our current families are always our first priority.

On behalf of my entire staff, we hope and pray that you have not been too adversely affected and that the worst has passed so life can begin to return to some normalcy.  Please feel free to reach out to me anytime.

Sincerely,

Jack Grosbard, Owner, MBDC

718.251.6200

Dear Camp Family,

I hope that your family and everyone in your life is safe and healthy.  

Currently:

The NYC Mayor and Department of Health have not yet made the difficult decision to suspend children’s programs and summer camps for the upcoming season. On May 15, 2020 the American Camping Associaton will be making its recommendation to government as to how to proceed.

FIRST!

Mill Basin Day Camp WILL be ready to operate should they allow camps to open.  We will follow all guidelines that might be set for a planned opening.
Our facility is ready to go and all our permits and licenses are in place.

If We Are Open:

Depending on the directives we receive from NYC and the Department of Health, programs and activities may be modified to potentially include;

• Follow CDC’sGuidance for Schools and Childcare Programs
• Open with enhanced social distancing measures
• Teach and reinforce washing hands and covering coughs and sneezes among children and staff & their proper use of hand sanitizers
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces within the facility and on buses at least daily (for example, playground equipment, door handles, sink handles, drinking fountains) and shared objects (for example, toys, games, art supplies) between uses.
• Ensure that student and staff groupings are as static as possible by having the same group of children stay with the same staff (all day for young children and as much as possible for older children ).
• Restrict mixing between groups
• Postpone, limit or cancel field trips and inter- group events.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Implementing some of the above guidelines may result in Mill Basin Day Camp severely limiting registration.  In such an event, first consideration will be given those families that have already registered.

FYI

At MBDC, we always want you to have the facts. That is why we’ve put together some of the issues that camps face and what we are doing in light of each issue.

Staffing:
Locating and interviewing potential staff.
We are fortunate that we have many returning staff and some excellent referrals from people we know. We are also currently conducting interviews via video conferencing.

Background checks, work experience and referral checks are more difficult to coordinate and verify.
Though many of those listed are not immediately available and take longer to reach, we are working on it daily and will not hire an applicant until references can be checked. 

Properly training staff
CPR/First Aid, as well as camp policy and procedure training, could prove challenging so we are putting greater emphasis on building our staff with individuals that have prior camp and/or children’s programming experience.

We await new protocols Department of Health and government-mandated social distancing directives for larger gatherings to complete staff training.

TRIPS & OUTINGS
Scheduling trips to local venues as well as other cities are done but are on hold until each local government has opened their cities and towns.

We are also planning a schedule that would not include trips if we are not allowed to travel.  Teen campers would have a daily activity schedule at the camp facility as well.

Transportation To & From Camp
Bussing transportation is also on hold as the bus companies wait for directives as well. We will require FULL CLEARANCE documentation from our provider prior to camp starting.

If We Are Closed:

However, if the unfortunate decision is made to suspend and or cancel the camp programs for 2020, we are sure that it was done to ensure the safety and well being of all the children and staff, along with their families.

Options For Fees Already Paid For 2020 In The Event Camp is Closed

In all honesty and transparency, it will be easier for MBDC to continue to work on our facility and program for 2021 if parents choose to leave their fees paid on their accounts and have them transferred to the summer of 2021.

For those who choose this option, we want to show our appreciation by offering a financial incentive for doing so.  The example is as follows;

A family that has already paid $1000 for 2020 will have $150 dollars added to that payment so it will show that that have paid $1150 for the summer of 2021.

Please see the fee structure below.

Partial Refund & Payment: Families can choose to have a partial refund sent to them and leave a deposit for 2021. Partial refunds will secure a spot for 2021 but it does not receive and additional fee incentive.

Anyone that has already taken and full refund or partial refund can opt back into these options.

Credit Card & Paypal Refunds: Families that have been paying via credit card that request refunds will be charged a 2% fee.

Full Refunds: A full refund of all monies paid will be available until June 14, 2020.  After June 14, 2020 families not requesting refunds will have all fees that they have paid transferred to 2021.

Campers Who Are Aging Out Of Camp: For those families whose campers are ageing out of camp, a full refund will be made at that time.

You can log into your account to check your current balance and total payments made or you can email us at Edie@millbasindaycamp.com.

Please feel free to contact us with questions or comments. Check our MBDC Calendar for office hours.

Important Addendum: Requests for camp for 2020 were increasing rapidly from new families that have already been informed by their former programs that they will not be open in the summer of 2020 and desperately need child care.  We expect that to get even larger for the summer of 2021 as some other or smaller camps will never re-open.

We will do our best to accommodate them but of course, our current families are always our first priority.

On behalf of my entire staff, we hope and pray that you have not been too adversely affected and that the worst has passed so life can begin to return to some normalcy.  Please feel free to reach out to me anytime.

Sincerely,

Jack Grosbard, Owner, MBDC

718.251.6200

April 30, 2020

Dear Camp Family,

I hope that your family and everyone in your life is safe and healthy.  

Here is an update on our plans should camp open on time or later, with or without restrictions as well as the possibility that we will not open for 2020.

Currently:

Today, Governor Cuomo and staff were asked about their plans for summer camps for the upcoming summer.  They replied that they are looking into the summer programs, with an emphasis on essential workers and childcare for those who must go back to work.

Basically, that means that at this point, they simply are not sure.  To date, we have not been told by ANY governmental agency that we need to consider closing or altering plans to run camp or perhaps start at a later date.

Therefore, as it stands today, camp will start on June 29, 2020.  As such, we are preparing to be ready for the upcoming summer.  We are also not scheduled to begin for almost 2 months and even if we need to, we are able to begin the start of camp a few weeks later. 

PLEASE NOTE: WE HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED OUR CAMP PERMIT FOR 2020
They have reviewed and approved our application and plan, although we are waiting for the Dept. of Health guidelines for operating this summer.

As part of our preparation, we will implement new and stricter cleanliness programs for both, staff, campers and families to follow.  We will also work closely with the NYC Department of Health as they no doubt will create and set new guidelines and mandates for all children’s programs to follow. Our record with the NYC Department of Health is one we are very proud of and nothing, not even COVID-19 will stand in the way of keeping it that way.

Below are some current pictures of our facility. We are fortunate in the sense that our facility is camp only, as there are no other programs or usage of the facility until camp begins, therefore, leaving it clean from contamination. The space has been closed since the last day of camp in 2019 and will remain so with the exception of sanitization on a frequent basis until the start of our program in 2020

What If?

Of course, the possibility remains that camp may not be allowed to resume for 2020.  Should that unfortunately come to pass, we are working on the options for families regarding the fees they have already paid for this summer including

• Refunds (full or partial)
• Credits (with additional discounts) for those who want to keep their accounts active and funded for 2021.

For those families whose campers are ageing out of camp, a full refund will be made at that time.

Important Addendum: Requests for camp have increased for 2020 from new families that have already been informed by their former programs that they will not be open in the summer of 2020 and desperately need child care.  We will do our best to accommodate them but of course, our current families are always our first priority. 

On behalf of my entire staff, we hope and pray that you have not been too adversely affected and that the worst has passed so life can begin to return to some normalcy.  Please feel free to reach out to me anytime.

Sincerely,

Jack Grosbard, Owner, MBDC

Dear Camp Family,

I hope that your family and everyone in your life is safe and healthy.  Nothing is more important than that.

I wanted to just update you on our plans should camp open on time or later, with or without restrictions as well as the possibility that will not open for 2020.

Currently:

As you may or may not be aware, the White House Chief Medical director Dr. Fauci, when asked about whether children will be allowed to attend camp stated;

“This depends more on how the country responds in the near term to the pandemic and whether the U.S. reaches the top of the “curve” of the coronavirus outbreak and there is no rebound later”.

Essentially, that means that at this point, they simply are not sure.  To date, we have not been told by ANY governmental agency that we need to consider closing or altering plans to run camp or perhaps start at a later date.

Therefore, as it stands today, camp will start on June 29, 2020.  As such, we are preparing to be ready for the upcoming summer.  We are fortunate in the sense that our facility is camp only, as there are no other programs or usage of the facility until camp begins, therefore, leaving it clean from contamination.  We are also not scheduled to begin for almost 3 months and even if we need to, we are able to begin the start of camp a few weeks later. 

As part of our preparation, we will implement new and stricter cleanliness programs for both, staff, campers and families to follow.  We will also work closely with the NYC Department of Health as they no doubt will create and set new guidelines and mandates for all children’s programs to follow. Our record with the NYC Department of Health is one we are very proud of and nothing, not even COVID-19 will stand in the way of keeping it that way.

What If?

Of course, the possibility remains that camp may not be allowed to resume for 2020.  Should that unfortunately come to pass, we are working on the options for families regarding the fees they have already paid for this summer including

• Refunds (full or partial)
• Credits (with additional discounts) for those who want to keep their accounts active and funded for 2021.

For those families whose campers are ageing out of camp, a full refund will be made at that time.

Note: The requests for camp here at MBDC always been great and we anticipate between a 30-40% increase in the event camp does not run in 2020 as more parents will, unfortunately, have to work or work longer hours. 

On behalf of my entire staff, we hope and pray that you have not been too adversely affected and that the worst has passed so life can begin to return to some normalcy.  Please feel free to reach out to me anytime.

Sincerely,

Jack Grosbard, Owner, MBDC