Winter Camp FAQ - Monarch Camps

Current or former counselors (adults 18+) refer most of our new staff. Most of our counseling staff are college students working towards a degree and/or studying to become a teacher. We have an intense selection process and a mandatory two & a half day training session that allow us to choose and train the most highly qualified candidates. We look for responsible counselors who fit our active profile requirements. Most counselors have also attended our yearly 6-7 day training trip to sequoia & yosemite national parks. All employees are required to complete a an online background check and reference checks. In addition they must show proof of negative tb (tuberculosis test) in the last 6 months in order to be employed by us.

Our overall adult staff to camper ratio is never less than 1 adult to 8 children, but the exact ratio depends upon how many campers are in camp each specific day. Individual groups may be as small as 4 – 6 for 5 & 6 year olds or as large as 12 or more for 11 & 12 year olds. We average 8 – 10 campers for each group and each group is assigned a counselor (18+) and junior counselor (14-17) is assigned to a group as extra supervision. Group sizes will vary depending upon the nature of activities and age of the campers.

In classic day camp campers are grouped by gender and grade they are going into for the fall. Sports and specialty camps are mixed, but may be divided within the group based on skills and experience.

At camps we do everything we can to keep the same counselor with the group but sometimes it’s beyond our control. A counselor might change for various reasons, which might include changes in enrollment, and employee conflicts.

A juice box is provided, but NOT lunch. Except on Thursday’s we provide a Hebrew National Hotdog, bag of chips and juice/water/soda.

Please provide a separate snack and a separate lunch. The camper’s lunches are stored in our refrigerator. You may purchase lunch through our registration site for each day.

During winter camp everyone goes on the field trips and participates in the special events.

We contract with Brooks Transportation Bus Company since 2010. Not all their buses have seat belts. Safety Belts on a school bus can cause more danger when trying to evacuate during an emergency.

Our staff is not permitted to administer any medication (prescription or over the counter) to campers. Campers must carry and administer their own medication. We cannot be responsible for the administration or storage of any medication.

Each child is responsible for taking his or her medicine at the proper time. Our staff may remind campers that they need to take their medicine as a courtesy but we can not be responsible for ensuring that campers take their medicine at the proper time. Campers that have allergies or asthma are responsible for carrying and using asthma inhalers and epi-pens. If your child uses an epi-pen or asthma inhaler we expect that you have spoken to the child about proper usage. Also, please make sure that your child is aware that no one should touch their epi-pen or asthma inhaler and that they keep it on their person at all times.

Many staff members are certified in CPR and First Aid. We also have first aid kits that are carried by our management staff. In addition, the los angeles county sheriff’s department maintains a station on our campus that is staffed 24 hours per day 7 days per week.

The camp uses special indoor areas and low intensity activities on days in which it may be too smoggy or hot to be outside. Age appropriate movies, games, story telling, extended arts and crafts and of course more pool time are all part of our hot/smoggy day activity schedule. Our main gymnasium areas are air conditioned.

Monarch Camps follows the Los Angeles Valley College’s emergency procedure plans. All staff are trained and briefed on campus evacuation areas and emergency scenarios. We also have a 24- hour/7 day a week, la county sheriff department substation on campus. In times of emergency the LA County Sheriff’s Department takes the lead on all incidents.