The things you'll want to know before you say yes.
Plain answers, in the order parents usually ask them. If something is missing, ring the office and ask — we would rather answer it now than have you wondering in July.
Safety & care
Who is with my child?
Every member of staff — counselors, kitchen, maintenance, volunteers — is background-checked before the season and trained in child protection during staff week. Training covers supervision rules, disclosure handling, and what to do when a camper says something that worries them.
How many adults per camper?
One counselor for every six campers, plus program staff and directors on top of that. Cabins of eight have a counselor and, in the older weeks, a Leader in Training.
Is anyone ever alone with a camper?
No. The two-adult rule applies at all times and there is no one-on-one unobserved contact, including at night, on the trail, and during a difficult conversation. If a camper needs a private word, it happens in sight of another adult.
Who watches the water?
Certified lifeguards are on duty at every waterfront session — never fewer than two, one on the dock and one in a boat. Every camper does a swim test on the first day which sets the area they may use. Life jackets are worn in all boats without exception.
What about medical care?
A nurse lives on site for the whole session and holds all camper medication in a locked cabinet, dispensed on a written schedule and signed off each time. The nearest hospital is a twenty-five minute drive; two staff vehicles stay on site at all times. You are called for anything beyond a scrape.
Allergies and diets?
Fully accommodated in the dining hall, not worked around at the table. Tell us on the registration form: nut-free kitchen, celiac, vegetarian, vegan, and specific intolerances are all normal here. Auto-injectors travel with the camper's group, not in a cupboard.
Will I hear anything during the week?
Photos go up on the parent album every evening, so you can see your child is fine without phoning. If anything happens that you would want to know about, a director calls you the same day — you will not hear it on Friday for the first time.
And if it isn't working out?
We tell you honestly. Occasionally a camper needs to go home early, and we would rather make that call together on Wednesday than have a child endure the week. Fees are pro-rated if a camper leaves for a medical reason.
Packing list
label everything — a hundred kids own the same grey hoodie
Bring
Leave at home
Phones handed in at drop-off are locked in the office and returned on the last morning. Campers who need to reach you use the office phone, and a counselor tells you when they have.
Questions parents ask
Drop-off is Sunday between 2 and 4pm at the dining hall; pick-up is 10am on the last day. You will meet your child's counselor, hand medication to the nurse, and see the cabin before you leave. Expect twenty minutes. Campers on the town bus are met at the depot by two staff and travel with them both ways.
It is normal and we plan for it. The counselor keeps the camper busy and with the group, and every homesick camper is flagged to a director the same evening. In Junior Week a camper who asks for a call home on the second night gets one. We do not tell children to stop crying and we do not promise them you will collect them — if it is genuinely not working by midweek, we ring you and decide together.
No. Phones, tablets and consoles are handed in at drop-off and locked in the office until the last morning. This is the single thing campers thank us for most by Friday. Campers can ring you from the office whenever they need to, and letters go out and come in daily.
Everything comes in its original packaging and goes to the nurse at drop-off, along with the written schedule on the health form. The nurse dispenses and signs each dose. Inhalers and auto-injectors stay with the camper's group rather than in the cabinet. Nothing else is given without a call to you first.
We ask you not to, except at Family Weekend. A midweek visit resets the homesickness clock for your child and often for the whole cabin. The daily photo album is there instead, and a director will ring you if you want to hear how the week is going.
The $75 deposit is non-refundable. Cancel more than fourteen days before the session and the balance is refunded in full; inside fourteen days we refund half. If a camper cannot attend or must leave for a medical reason, we pro-rate the week, and if the camp cancels a session you get everything back.
Rain does not stop camp — it moves the program into the dining hall and the craft shed and the day carries on. The waterfront and the climbing wall close for lightning and reopen thirty minutes after the last strike. In severe weather all campers move to the dining hall, which is our storm shelter, and parents are emailed the same evening.
Forms and policies
The health form is required for every camper and must reach the office two weeks before the session. Everything else is there so you can read the policy before you agree to it.
PDF · required
Camper health form
Two pages. Immunisations, conditions, GP details, consent to treat.
Medication policy
How medication is stored, dispensed and recorded, and what the nurse may give without ringing you.
Child protection policy
Supervision rules, reporting lines, and the name of our safeguarding lead.
Refunds & cancellation
Deposit terms, the fourteen-day line, and how medical cancellations are handled.
Talk to a director
Ruth Adeyemi, Camp Director
Nineteenth season at Peace of Christ.
If you have a question about your child specifically — a medical condition, an anxious first-timer, a hard year at home — write to Ruth directly rather than the general inbox. She replies within one working day, and she will tell you plainly if she thinks a different week would suit your child better.