Camp Berry DC

All About Camp Berry

It’s all about having fun! We at Camp Berry apply our talents and enthusiasm toward ensuring every child enjoys their camp experience. All children want to have fun and usually find it easily. As best we can, we will offer an array of diversions that will interest them.

Typically, each day begins with some free play and glides into some type of art project or scheduled special activity. All children are introduced to the project and may participate if it interests them. 

Naturally, games, sand and water play, painting, make believe, and free play with friends, are continual options. Whether playing inside or out, there are plenty of toys, puzzles, and hands-on items to engage both the timid and confident child. Children soon have favourite items and activities they enjoy most and request frequently. Ideally, camp should be a “wonderland of permissive delights”. We aim to please. Accordingly, a wonderland needs its delights. Children will be encouraged to try new things, learn new games, and participate in art activities. Some children will fly with their new skills, while others will hasten back to what they were doing beforehand. 

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Fun being relative, children will ultimately spend their day engaged in activities they find interesting. Planned-to-the-nines art project may seem completely useless to the 3 year old who adores kitchen make believe. Go figure. However, observing older children enjoying a particular project often sways the younger ones to give it a try. No matter the number of hours your child spends with us, each day will be full of creative outlets for play and learning. We take our cues from the children themselves...having FUN is what camp is all about!!! 

So, all that being said, this year we need to have all the fun and be Covid safe and conscious. The summer weather allows us to "work together" outside which is a much healthier setting.

We will continue implementing all the winning strategies: mask wearing, hand washing, health screening, free weekly Covid testing for the children, daily disinfecting of the camp space as well as the toys and materials the children use, social distancing when it makes sense, open communication with parents, and attention to the CDC updates. 

Our school year (The Children’s House of Washington) has been remarkably successful using these preventative measures and, with the ongoing cooperation of parents, we feel this summer will be just as fortunate.

What Every Parent Should Know

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A well-prepared staff: 

All staff members are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

The entire staff has current Red Cross training in infant and child CPR and rescue breathing, as well as first aid. As teachers, we have all been fingerprinted and received FBI clearance. We can handle the usual grazes, minor cuts, splinters, and bug bites. Anything that looks bad or really is more serious will prompt us to telephone you. There are wasp traps in the tree to limit encounters with bees. We will do our best to combat mosquitoes with “green products”. 

Allergies to bees or foods must be indicated on the application.

Please supply an EpiPen if you usually carry one. It must be in the original packaging, including a signed note from your doctor. If your child needs medication(also in original package with signed doctor’s note) during the camp day, indicate whether it requires refrigeration and make sure we know when and how much to administer.

No medication of any kind will be given to your child without your expressed permission and the signed doctor’s note. These are DC regs which we we must follow. 

Please keep sick children home. Camp should be fun, not something to endure. 

We are a NUT-FREE environment. 

Due to the prevalence of nut allergies, we allow no nuts in any product on the premises. Please make sure all parts of the lunch are nut-free. Check those snack bars. Keep the pesto at home if it is made with pine nuts. (Depressing, isn’t it.)

If your child has serious allergies, please look over our snack choices and tell us which are safe for your child. You may send or request that we purchase brands of crackers that are safe for your child. We’ll work with you to ensure an allergy event free day. 

We can provide a Kosher snack: If you would like your child to follow Kosher guidelines for snack and lunch, please give us instructions. 

Your children are in safe hands: 

We monitor the movement of the children throughout the day and count heads periodically. Each teacher is responsible for the several children with her. Children are always attended and do not have access to any exits other than the one leading to the secure playground. The gate to the playground has a clip lock on the outside beyond the view and reach of the children. Additionally, there are 2 or 3 other completely trustworthy adult women in the building during camp hours. The teenagers helping out at the camp are never left alone with the children. Additionally, we are very experienced with children new to a group situation and know how to comfort and reassure them. You can call or text us every 15 minutes if you’re worried, but please allow us the time to make them feel comfortable at camp. We will text you pictures or videos to reassure you. Text Jennifer 202/258-5401 

Safety on a Larger Scale (because we’re in Washington DC) 

We have on hand a 3 day supply of food and water. We have blankets, radios with batteries, and enough duct tape to lay a line from here to St. Louis! We were advised after 911 that all these things were standard for emergencies. In the event of a local emergency, we will remain at the camp until all children are collected by their parents, no matter how long that takes.