These are some of the questions we anticipate you might have looking ahead to summer 2021. Our answers are based on what we know now and current best practices for COVID safety at camp. The American Camp Association and Y-USA have worked with Environmental Health & Engineering, Inc. to develop a "Field Guide for Camps on Implementation of CDC Guidance." This document, which helps inform WLC's policies, will continue to evolve. Our plans will likewise evolve alongside best practices and New Hampshire's COVID guidelines.
WHAT IS CAMP DOING TO PREPARE FOR THE 2021 CAMP SEASON?
We know that preparations must start now to offer camp and ensure a successful summer. We have our year-round staff team, as well as members of our Board working on our reopening plan. Some information we can share with you currently are some facility and operational upgrades. As we move closer to spring and are informed of new guidelines, we will share more information with our camp community.
In the meantime, some of these upgrades will include:
- Maximizing ventilation in cabins
- Adapting our dining and food service processes
- Transforming our Infirmary by adding additional space for COVID testing, examination, and isolation areas
- Modifying our drop-off and pick-up procedures
- Redesigning camp/group gatherings
- Restructuring programming
IS REGISTRATION OPEN FOR THE 2021 SEASON?
Registration is open NOW and can be found on our website. Sessions are filling fast. Our Senior Unit is currently full for 1st and 2nd Session. As sessions fill, we will start a first come first serve waitlist. In order to have your son's name on the waitlist we ask that you fill out an enrollment form online. We will notify you if your son is on the waitlist.
ARE YOU ENROLLING THE USUAL NUMBER OF CAMPERS OR ARE THERE LIMITED SPOTS THIS SUMMER?
We are confident we can work within the state guidelines to open at our normal capacity of 110 campers.
WHAT IS THE CANCELLATION POLICY FOR THE 2021 SEASON?
All money is refundable until March 1st. Our Tuition Balance Deadline is April 1st in which after this date no money is refundable unless WLC must cancel the camp program.
For families that still have a $500 deposit with us from summer 2020, you will have until March 1st to let us know how to handle that deposit (roll over to 2021, refund or donate). In order to receive the Early Enrollment Discount you must enroll online by December 1st.
All cancellations must be in writing and submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. This policy is our traditional policy.
IF I SEND A DEPOSIT, BUT THEN WLC CANNOT OPEN, WHAT HAPPENS TO THAT MONEY?
Same as what happened in 2020. If WLC cannot open in 2021, you will have the option of rolling deposits or tuitions paid to the following summer, receiving a full refund or donating to our fundraising campaign.
IF CAMP HAS TO CLOSE DUE TO COVID ONCE THE SESSION BEGINS, WILL I GET ANY OF MY MONEY BACK?
Yes – your refund is prorated based on the number of days your son has been at camp.
We are continuously gathering information regarding the summer and will make updates as needed. Please see the questions and answers below to see what we are currently planning:
IS WLC CREATING A BUBBLE?
Currently, yes, we plan to create a COVID-free bubble, using a combination of testing and quarantining. Staff members will spend their days off within camp and WLC will host only vaccinated visitors outdoors, in a secluded area with no access to campers. With very few exceptions, no one inside the bubble will leave until they depart camp for good. Anyone who does enter camp this summer will follow masking and distancing protocols.
WHAT WILL WLC ASK OF CAMPERS AND STAFF BEFORE THEIR ARRIVAL?
At this time, the state’s COVID guidelines for overnight camps require non-vaccinated campers and staff to participate in pre-arrival low-risk behaviors (attending school and doctor's appointments) for 14 days, a negative COVID PCR test taken 5-7 days prior to arrival, a second negative COVID PCR test taken on arrival at camp, and a third negative COVID PCR test taken 5-7 days after arriving at camp. We are asking that our vaccinated campers and staff also participate in low-risk behaviors prior to arrival.
WILL YOU COVID TEST DURING THE SUMMER?
We plan a series of three COVID diagnostic tests for all campers and staff to establish our bubble. The first will be taken by unvaccinated campers at home before departing for camp. The second will be taken by all campers and staff immediately upon arrival and before entering WLC’s campus. A third test will be administered to all campers and staff a few days later to further confirm our bubble.
Additional tests would be administered if a camper or staff exhibits COVID symptoms. We expect our healthcare staff will be able to administer tests on-site at WLC’s health center.
MY SON TAKES A TRAIN / BUS / PLANE TO WLC. CAN HE COME TO CAMP IN 2021?
Absolutely. Our testing and cohorting procedures allow for campers to come to camp as they normally would.
WILL CAMPERS OR STAFF COME FROM OTHER COUNTRIES?
Campers and staff coming from outside the country will be subject to the same measures as campers and staff who come from any significant distance, testing after they arrive in the country but prior to arrival at camp. The United States’ travel guidelines make bringing foreign campers and staff to camp difficult, but not impossible.
WHY AREN’T THERE 7 WEEKS OF CAMP
This summer, we are creating a seven-day break between sessions, rather than our usual 24 hour turn- around between Sessions 1 and 2. The break will allow us to thoroughly clean the facility, and gives the staff a mini-vacation to restore their energy before welcoming a new batch of campers. Our staff members will stay inside the WLC bubble for 9 or 10 weeks and will not be able to leave camp on days off, as they normally do. The mid-summer break will give them much-needed time for self-care and to prepare for our Session 2 campers.
HOW OFTEN WILL YOU CONDUCT HEALTH SCREENINGS?
There will be daily health screenings to check for COVID symptoms. Campers will have a thorough check-in with camp’s healthcare staff once per week. In addition, we will conduct regularly scheduled screenings to monitor everyone at camp.
WILL WLC PUT BOYS IN PODS OR COHORTS?
We are uniquely designed based on our Unit structure and size to allow for Unit cohorts. Boys will be limited to their cohorts during the first week of the session until we can confirm our bubble and anytime it is necessary to move activities indoors. During the second and third weeks of the session, as long as boys are outdoors, we anticipate Units will be able to mix throughout camp as usual.
WILL BOYS BE ABLE TO MOVE FREELY THROUGH CAMP? WILL THEIR ACTIVITIES BE LIMITED?
In general, we do not anticipate any limits on boys' movements through camp or their choice of activities. There will be some restrictions in place during the first few days of each session, while we wait to confirm the results of COVID testing. We aim to establish our healthy bubble as quickly as possible so we can transition to our normal program without delay.
WILL WLC DESIGNATE THAT CERTAIN BOYS USE CERTAIN BATHROOMS?
Yes, until we receive the results from the third COVID test, boys will be expected to use their Unit’s wayside.
WILL WLC OFFER TRIPS IN 2021?
We plan to offer trips this summer, although we will limit our destinations to less heavily-traveled areas. Overnight trips will likely be limited to later in each session. If your son is interested in out- camping trips, please make sure that they let us know in the camper confidential part of CampDoc. Priority for trips will first be given to those campers that choose tripping as a priority activity and then to the boys who are in their last year of their Unit (example: second year Middler).
WHAT WILL MEALS LOOK LIKE?
We will dine outdoors a lot this summer – whenever possible. We will have a cafeteria style service where kids can still choose from multiple options (think Chipotle Restaurants). Campers will receive their food on a tray and will bring their tray outdoors to their designated seating area. We are asking all campers to bring their own outdoor folding chair with folding tray. When we must eat indoors, each unit will be separated into a different space.
WILL YOU REQUIRE MASKS? IN WHAT SETTINGS?
We only anticipate needing masks if Units are mixed, indoors, and cannot maintain safe distance from one another. Staff that work with multiple Units will also be wearing masks. Campers will be required to bring mask on out camping trips in case they encounter other parties on the trail.
WILL THERE BE EXTRA CLEANING?
Yes. We plan to increase sanitation and cleaning this summer. Staff will regularly sanitize activity areas and materials, camp vans, etc.
WILL WLC CHARGE ANY EXTRA FEES DUE TO COVID?
There is a possibility that we will need to charge a small COVID fee. We are exploring touch-less water bottle filling and hand washing stations At this time, we are also unsure of the COVID testing expense. The at-home test prior to camp will be the responsibility of the family.
MY SON WAS GOING TO BE AN LIT IN 2020. NOW WHAT?
We are developing a Junior Counselor program for boys who would have been LITs in 2020. These will be paid counselor positions with enhanced guidance and mentorship from WLC's senior staff. Boys
interested in the Junior Counselor role will need to apply. We will have more details on that program before the end of the calendar year.
MY SON WAS GOING TO BE AN SECOND YEAR SENIOR (15 YEARS OLD) IN 2020. NOW WHAT?
Normally, boys who turn 16 by the time camp starts are eligible to be Leaders In Training (LITs), but this summer they're also welcome to return for another camper year.
WILL 2020 COUNT AS A CAMPER YEAR IN TERMS OF CAMP PATCHES?
Yes! If you were registered to be a camper 2020 AND return in 2021, we will be counting the 2020 summer towards your Bill Larry Boy/Bill Larry Man for the year. Patches will be given out during the traditional camp ceremony times in 2021.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF MY SON GETS COVID WHILE HE'S AT CAMP?
We are designing our protocols to prevent COVID coming to camp this summer. However, if a camper or staff member is diagnosed with COVID during his session, they will immediately be isolated and, per state guidelines, have to go home. It is our hope that you will have made prior arrangements that someone will be able to pick-up your son within 6 hours of camp notifying you. Please plan accordingly.
WHAT IS WLC’S PLAN FOR THE OVERALL COMMUNITY IF SOMEONE GETS COVID?
We will follow New Hampshire and CDC guidelines. The person diagnosed with COVID would be isolated immediately and leave camp as soon as possible. In the meantime, the camp program will revert to the same program we will run during the first few days of each session (complete separation of Units). The camper's cabin will quarantine for 10 days and we will monitor for symptoms throughout camp.
WILL PARENTS BE INFORMED IF SOMEONE AT CAMP CONTRACTS COVID DURING THE SUMMER?
Yes. We will immediately notify families by email.
HOW WILL YOU HANDLE NON-COVID ILLNESSES? WHAT IF A BOY NEEDS TO SEE A CLINICIAN OUTSIDE OF CAMP?
WLC's healthcare staff will handle illness and injury at camp as they always have while taking added precautions against COVID. We will work throughout the winter and spring to develop modified procedures at the infirmary, but likely it will look and feel much as it always has. To the extent that we can minimize trips to the clinic, we will – telehealth appointments are a possibility. Should a camper or staff require treatment at the local urgent care center or emergency room, they will follow appropriate COVID safety protocol while off-campus and will follow a re-entry procedure upon returning to camp.
As we plan for Summer 2021 we will be deferring to the guidelines provided to us by the State of New Hampshire as well as the CDC guidelines. If you are interested in learning more about those guidelines please see the links below.
ACA Camp Operations Guide Summer 2021
New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS)
Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
World Health Organization (WHO)
Johns Hopkins University & Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center
HOW CAN I HELP?
Thank you for your ongoing interest in supporting our camp community. We acknowledge that our return in 2021 will require us to adapt. These adaptations will require a rather large financial commitment. If you would like to support our efforts through donation, please CLICK HERE.