Jeff-

Some things to think about (from my experience overseeing a day camp at a
children's museum for two years):

You should be aware of your state's Day Care & Camp Licensing regulations.  
In the state of CT, if your program is full day (9:00 - 5:00) you are
required by law to apply for a day camp license, which means your facility
must be inspected and you have to follow state guidelines & regulations even
if you are a museum.  Most museums are able to hold full day programs in our
area by shortening the time kids are at the program, say 9:00 - 2:00.  Or
you can partner with your school system, which also may relieve you of
applying for a license. You also maybe exempt if your museum is a state or
town entity.  In CT, the state department of public health oversees
licensing for camps, so I would check you state's website for that info.

Also, I would warn you not to call your program a camp for insurance
purposes.  When I worked in a children's museum, our insurance agent almost
had a break down, because we were calling our full-day programs a camp.
Apparently, you not only need a license to run a day camp, but you also are
required to have special insurance in CT.  

I agree with Carrie's reply.  High schoolers make better assistants.  Most
of the high schoolers we had at camp were volunteers.  I would definitely go
with someone over 18 for a lead counselor and they should be paid!  Your
head counselor should also be first aid, CPR, and medication administration
trained.  They can attend training at your local Red Cross.

Make sure to build in two snack times- AM & PM, in addition to lunch whether
you provide a snack or are require kids to bring.  Also, depended on the
length of your day and your activities you may need to give some moving or
goofing off time to keep their attention.  As participatory, you can make
your programs the better no matter what age your kids are.  

I will not be running full day programs this summer at the historic house
museum that I work at now.  I will be running multi-day programs (3 days)
that are at most two hours each day.  Each week there will be two programs
running, one for younger kids and one for older.

Well that is my two cents!  Good luck with your planning!

Marcie Charest
Education Director
Stanley-Whitman House
37 High Street
Farmington, CT 06032
P: 860.677.9222
F: 860.677.7758
www.stanleywhitman.org
-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of Carrie Hoover
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 2:38 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [MUSEUM-L] History Summer Camp Advice

I assisted with a camp at Hope Plantation about 10 years ago as part of an 
internship when I was a senior at ECU.  Most of the "campers" were of middle

school age and even then it was a bit difficult to get them to listen and 
respect me due to my age.  Therefore, I think that high schoolers might have

an even harder time with that issue.  The age gap may not be big enough.  
University age students may do better especially if you are careful to give 
them a certain amount of authority and the kids see it.

Funny that you should write today...I am going to be visiting Hillsborough 
next Thursday with my mother.  We plan to go to Ayr Mount.  What you 
recommend as a "must see" while we are there?

Carrie Hoover



----Original Message Follows----
From: Jeffrey Durst <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Museum discussion list <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] History Summer Camp Advice
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 14:09:48 -0500




Good Afternoon Listserv,

Historic Hillsborough is exploring developing a history and craft summer 
camp for elementary age children that would begin in Summer 2007.  This is a

new area for us, so we are seeking as much advice as we can get.  If you 
work with a history summer camp program, would you be willing to share with 
us your promotional material.  We would like to get ideas on how to 
structure the camp, appropriate costs for the camp, and logistical and 
liability concerns that we need to be aware of.  Have you used high school 
students as camp counselors?  Were they paid or volunteer?

Your guidance in our new endeavor will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Jeff Durst

Education and Interpretation Specialist

The Alliance for Historic Hillsborough

Hillsborough, North Carolina

www.historichillsborough.org

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