We are officially counting down to the start of Kayitz 2022!
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This past summer has reinforced that camp is an indescribable gift to our children - a community in which they can strive, thrive, and grow emotionally, socially and as Jewish leaders.
We are planning to safely open camp for kayitz (summer) 2022, while understanding that we will have to be flexible and that camp may look different in order to accommodate health and state regulations. We value the incredible relationship we have with our camp families, and we will always consistently communicate openly and transparently about all camp matters.
In conjunction with medical experts, community leaders, state and local health agencies, and camping professionals, we are convening committees to research and review best practices to ensure that we develop a program that is focused on health and safety while maintaining our cherished Ramah traditions.
We are working to update our 2021 draft operational guide for Kayitz/summer 2022. We will regularly update this guide to provide a clear picture of our current plans and considerations for summer 2022 both with what we know and what we do not know for the sake of transparency.
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In the meantime, feel free to browse our resources from Summer 2021
Camper families send their children to us with trust in our planning and programmatic preparations, our safety and staff. We cherish this trust and want our camper families to know that if at any time during our camp planning process, we as a staff, Medical Committee, COVID Taskforce, or the Board of Directors feel that we cannot keep our camp community safe, we will take appropriate action.
Camp Ramah in Northern California is licensed by the Santa Cruz County Department of Environmental Health (SCEHS) and the California Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE). Additionally, Camp Ramah in Northern California is accredited by the American Camping Association and works in partnership with key programmatic organizations including the National Ramah Commission(NRC), and the Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC). As part of our planning process we are collaborating with each of these agencies and partners to ensure we develop our protocols inline with their recommendations and requirements.
At this time, medical experts have notified us that the likelihood of a vaccine specifically for children prior to summer is low. If a vaccine for adults exists that is widely available prior to the summer, we will review vaccination requirements for our staff and adult guests. We will continue to monitor vaccine development for both children and adults and will update policies accordingly.
Our summer planning process assumes that COVID-19 will continue to exist in communities outside of camp and may potentially exist in our camp community as well. Our operating plan currently focuses on developing protocols that include pre-camp screening and testing, onsite screening and testing, cohort systems, and programmatic adaptation in an effort to mitigate spread, and best create a system that allows us to handle any cases should one appear. We are utilizing a multi-layered approach to our planning process in an effort to keep our camp community safe and healthy this summer.
We are operating under the assumption that accurate rapid and standard testing will be available both at home and camp and will not be cost prohibitive to complete when necessary throughout the summer.
As part of our commitment to create a safe and meaningful summer experience, we ask camp families and staff to partner with us and follow behavior guidelines and requirements as informed by the CDC and recommended by our medical committee. Behavior of our entire camp community prior to arriving at camp will be a significant contributing factor towards the success of our 2021 summer program. We are asking our camp community to sign a pre-camp brit (covenant/agreement) prior to the summer that will outline pre-camp expectations for the 14 days prior to arrival at camp, as follows:
Camp Community Expectations During the 14 Days Prior to Camp:
Pre-Camp Monitoring
Camper families are asked to monitor for symptoms of COVID-19 during the 14 days prior to arrival at camp. The monitoring process includes identification of signs and symptoms listed below. Should campers present with these signs and symptoms, contact camp immediately (nurse@ramahnorcal.org).
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Camper families are asked to also indicate that their camper has not been around anyone with any of the above listed symptoms or diagnosis of COVID-19 in the 14 days prior to camp including others in the camper’s household.
Pre-Camp Testing
Campers and staff are asked to take two molecular COVID tests (e.g., PCR, rt-PCR, NAAT) in the 14 days prior to arriving at camp. The first should be taken 12-14 days prior to camp, and the second no more than 72 hours prior to arrival. Only molecular tests will be accepted. Antigen, “rapid”, antibody and other non-molecular tests will not be accepted.
Vaccinated staff and campers are still asked to provide negative molecular COVID testing prior to camp.
Campers and staff must have negative molecular COVID test results 0-72 hours prior to arrival in order to attend camp. Without these results, campers and staff will not be allowed to attend camp.
Session | Test 1: 12-14 Days From Arrival | Test 2: 72 Hours From Arrival |
Session 1 (June 21 Start) | Tested on June 7-June 9 | Tested on June 18 |
Session 2 (July 6 Start) | Tested on June 22-June 24 | Tested on July 2 |
Session 3 (July 21 Start) | Tested on July 7- July 9 | Tested on July 18 |
Please contact nurse@ramahnorcal.org if your camper has had a confirmed COVID-19 illness in the 90 days prior to the first day of camp to discuss testing accommodations.
For Summer 2021, all local families will drive their children to camp. Please plan to depart camp shortly after drop off to ensure that your campers can begin their Ramah experience in a fun, safe, and meaningful way.
Things to know:
First Day of Camp
Last Day of Camp
• In the event that camp cannot open for kayitz (summer) 2021, all families will again be eligible for a full refund of their deposits and registration fees.
• If camp opens but it is not medically safe for your child to attend (due to his/her health or a family member’s), you will be able to cancel your child’s enrollment and receive a full refund. COVID-related medical information will be required in one of our pre-summer forms. If your camper or a family member has an underlying medical condition that puts them in a high risk category, please be in touch with us so that we can work with your family and your medical professionals to determine an appropriate plan for camp as well as a decision-making timeline.
• If camp opens and you choose to withdraw your child without a COVID-related medical reason, our regular refund policy will apply. Withdrawals made prior to March 1, 2021 are 100% refundable under this policy.
CANCELLATION DATE | CANCELLATION FEE |
On or before the last day in February, 2021 | None |
March 1 – April 1, 2021 | Full Deposit |
April 2 – June 1, 2021 | 50% of Tuition |
After June 1, 2021 | Full Tuition |
Click Here for the full regular refund policy
• If camp opens but cannot run at full capacity, and so we need to adjust our dates, families will get a refund if the revised schedule does not work for them. Families will be given an opportunity to opt-in or opt-out of this revised plan.
Key areas of focus
*We are working closely with a variety of agencies and organizations to establish protocols for operating in a safe and healthy manner. Key stakeholders involved in the development of our protocols include:
First, we thank you for your support. If you haven’t joined us yet in this critical fundraising effort, please consider a meaningful gift that will ensure decades more summers at Ramah Galim. We are truly grateful for any contribution you are able to provide right now. Please click here to support our Camp Recovery Campaign.
Our next town hall will be on March 21, 2021 at 4:00pm. During this town hall we will update our camp community on pre-camp expectations, safety guidelines and answering questions.
We hope this message finds your family healthy and safe amidst the difficult times in which we find ourselves.
We recognize that our world is still significantly different than it was several months ago, and we want to be open and honest with you about how we’re proceeding on the path towards a safe and successful summer in 2021. We will continue to update our community regularly and provide the most current information available to us to support our families in decision making.
If your family is in need of additional support during these trying times, feel free to reach out to Rabbi Sarah at sarah@ramahnorcal.org. We are here to help you in any way we can.
We have received many inquires about camp operations and our hope is to be able to answer them as they come up. As always, feel free to reach out. For general inquiries, email info@ramahnorcal.org and we will forward your inquiry to the correct person to respond.