WHO LOOKS AFTER THE HEALTH & SAFETY OF CAMPERS?
Skyline’s Director of Learning and Wellness is a certified Wilderness First Responder, and oversees all aspects of health and safety. Additionally, Skyline’s several lifeguards are certified in American Red Cross First Aid / CPR / AED / Bloodborne Pathogens. All other staff are trained in their responsibilities for response, treatment, reporting and follow-up. Our health logs maintain detailed information on all health matters.
Our Health and Wellness Team for the summer are dedicated solely to the care of health needs, and act within the policies which are annually reviewed by a licensed physician.
WHAT IF THE HEALTH CONCERN IS MORE SERIOUS?
Skyline is within about 6 minutes of EMS response; about 10 minutes to our closest Urgent Care, and about 25 minutes from large hospital emergency facilities. Our first call in serious matters will be 911, our second call(s) will be until we reach a parent/guardian.
IN WHAT SITUATIONS WILL I BE TELEPHONED?
Skyline will always attempt to reach you if:
Your camper spends a night or a significant part of any day in the infirmary.
An emergency call has been placed for your camper.
Your camper has been taken (but not a 911 call) offsite to seek further medical assistance.
Something occurs that you have requested contact about.
DO YOU ACCOMmODATE SPECIAL DIETS / ALLERGIES?
We are able to accommodate special dietary needs including gluten, dairy and nut free diets, low sugar diets, vegetarian diets and a variety of other allergies. Great care is taken by our staff regarding our campers with food allergies. We ensure that special meals are prepared separately to avoid cross contact. At Skyline we value the communal dining experience and make it a goal for every camper to enjoy the food from our dining hall. Meals are a special time at camp and we do our best to make sure everyone is healthfully nourished. Please click on the Special Diet & Allergy FAQ for more information.
DOES A CAMPER NEED ANY MONEY AT CAMP?
No. We have the Camp Store open only at check-in and check-out, where parents/guardians can be there. We allow the week at camp to be free of shopping.
STAFF QUESTIONS- WHAT IS THE COUNSELOR:CAMPER RATIO? HOW ARE COUNSELORS SELECTED AND SCREENED? ARE COUNSELORS ADULTS?
Our staff-to-camper ratio varies according to camp. For Special Needs campers, it is between 1:2 and 1:3. For Typical Needs campers, we exceed State and ACA guidelines, which vary according to age group (ranging from 1:6 up to 1:12). Activities are usually staffed by a minimum of two counselors. Our largest weeks have approximately 140 campers and 30 counselors.
Counselors are interviewed, have a minimum of three references, and undergo two or three (depending on age) background checks. Our counselors are paid staff. Occasional volunteer staff undergo the same process.
The majority of our summer staff are adults. We are composed of Counselors (18+); Junior Counselors (age 16+); and FLOSS (Future Leaders of Skyline Summers) participants (13-15). Staff must be at least two years older than campers before they are counted in the ratio.
Our Counselors are seasonal employees who are studying/working in various subject areas such as Education, Medicine, Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, Sciences, Languages, Architecture, Business, Music and more.
Our Counselors are at a minimum highschool graduates, ages 18+, who are kind, smart and hard-working. Many of them are in college, some of them college graduates. Some of them have grown up as campers here and/or spent a year or two junior counseling as teenagers. Some of them travel from overseas to join our team.
Our Counselors have ongoing pre-camp training before the season, then spend 7 full days and nights in training to learn our policies, procedures, culture, counseling skills, activity leadership, health and wellness, and teambuilding.
CAN I CALL MY CAMPER DURING THE WEEK?
Campers may not receive phone calls while at camp. You may send emails or regular mail to your camper. Be sure to include their name and their counselor’s name. Our mailing address is 5650 Sandhill Rd, Almont, MI, 48003.
Emails may be sent to camper@campskyline.org. Please include the camper's name in the subject line. We try to distribute emails at lunchtime.
SOMEONE OTHER THAN ME (LEGAL GUARDIAN) WILL BE PICKING UP MY CAMPER. WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?
Please use this Camper Release Form. Make sure to sign the form. This is REQUIRED for anyone other than a legal guardian/parent picking up or dropping off your camper.
FAQ - OVERNIGHT Camp
WHAT KINDS OF SOCIAL SKILLS DOES A SKYLINE CAMPER HAVE?
Our campers are active, socially engaged, interested in participating in activities and able to make activity choices.
Our campers share space in a cabin with five to nine other campers and a counselor or two, sleeping in bunk beds.
Our campers understand the boundaries we give them, in regards to where they can be as well as respecting the space of others. They understand the need to stay with the group.
Our campers respect themselves, each other and the staff working with them.
Our campers are able to function in a community setting without any form of violence or self-harm.
HOW are cabin groups chosen?
Because camp is a place to get out of your comfort zone and make new friends, we respect roommate requests as much as possible while ensuring that cabins are not entirely composed of children who already know each other. Generally we will not put siblings in the same cabin unless it is expressly requested. We group campers together based on age and gender.
Will campers who are not in the same cabin spend time together?
Yes. There are times in the day when campers are purposefully given time and choices to make in a broader community. These times include: Scatters every morning, Pool- Zone-Makerspace time every afternoon, and the All Camp Event every evening. We also pair cabins with another cabin for certain activities.
Will campers from older and younger camps have time to be together?
Yes. There are times in the day when campers are purposefully given time and choices to make in a broader community. These times include: Scatters every morning, Pool- Zone-Makerspace time every afternoon. They might also sit together at the morning Gathering if they need a little more connection. Sometimes we plan our All Camp Events and Campfires in the evenings to be together, and sometimes separate. They will run into each other at meals, but older campers start their meals a little later than younger campers and sit on a different outdoor deck.
DO YOU ACCOMMODATE SPECIAL DIETS & ALLERGIES?
Yes. You give the details on the health form, and we'll work with you to meet your child's needs. See the Special Diets and Allergies FAQ document.
CAN MY CAMPER leave during overnight camp for an appointment?
If they must, yes. Our program is made for campers to build relationships through wholly joining the community for the 6 days and 5 nights. Leaving and coming back is challenging for us to manage, and for the campers emotionally. That said, we’d rather have them here than not at all.
ARE THE STAFF ADULTS?
Yes - our leadership, health staff and counselors are adults. Our Junior Counselors are ages 16 and 17 and work alongside our adult counselors. There will be at least 1 adult counselor in each overnight cabin.
If your question is not answered here or in the general FAQ, please contact us!
FAQ - Special Needs CampS
Our campers have a range of different special needs. No particular label or diagnosis is categorically ruled in or out. Skyline is physically spread out and hilly, so some physical limitations can be too much for the camper here.
What kinds of social skills does a Skyline camper with special needs have?
Our campers are active, socially engaged, interested in participating in activities and able to make activity choices. Many of our campers have skills/talents they are eager to share with others while at camp.
Our campers share space in a room or cabin with a couple of roommates and a counselor, sleeping in bunk beds.
Our campers can communicate verbally and/or with sign language or with a mix of verbal and non-verbal signals.
Our campers understand the boundaries we give them, in regards to where they can be as well as respecting the space of others.
Our campers are able to communicate with staff when they need space away from the group, but understand the need to return to the group for the sake of safety and the program.
Our campers are able to function in a community setting without any form of violence or self-harm.
What kinds of daily living skills does a Skyline camper with special needs have?
Our campers are able to attend to toileting and showering independently, or with minimal reminders/assistance.
They use communal bathrooms that allow for privacy, while carrying their towel and toiletries with them to and from the facilities.
Our campers are independent in taking care of their personal hygiene needs (wiping, bathing, brushing teeth and hair, washing and drying hands, changing clothing, etc). Our counselors are trained to verbally assist from nearby while maintaining privacy of the camper. We only provide physical assistance in emergency scenarios.
Our campers wake at about 7am and go to sleep at about 9:30pm, with a one hour rest period in the afternoon.
Our campers walk through a serving line at meals, holding their tray and making decisions about what goes on their plate as we serve them. They eat outside on picnic tables.
Our campers dress themselves and keep their rooms tidy, packing a backpack each day with a water bottle, sunblock, bugspray, and anything else they want to carry around to activities.
Our campers walk up and down hills and trails to get everywhere we go, as a group.
What qualifications do the Skyline counselors who serve campers with special needs have?
Our counseling staff are seasonal employees who are studying/working in various subject areas such as Education, Medicine, Liberal Arts, Fine Arts, Sciences, Languages, Architecture, Business, Music and more.
Our counselors are at a minimum highschool graduates, ages 18+, who are kind, smart and hard-working. Many of them are in college, some of them college graduates. Some of them have grown up as campers here and/or spent a year or two junior counseling as teenagers. Some of them travel from overseas to join our team.
Our staff have ongoing pre-camp training before the season, then spend 7 full days and nights in training to learn our policies, procedures, culture, counseling skills, activity leadership, health and wellness, and teambuilding.
WHAT ARE THE STAFF RATIOS FOR THE SPECIAL NEEDS CAMPS?
While every camper has moments requiring individual attention, we are not staffed to provide regular one-to-one supervision for individual campers.
These camp sessions have about 30 campers and are staffed by about 14 adults, including health-care specific staff.
During Camp Joy, rooms have 2-4 campers in them with one counselor in each room.
During Camp Sassafras, cabins have 5-6 campers in them, with two or three counselors counseling each cabin.
DO CAMPERS SLEEP IN CABINS?
Camp Joy will lodge in Focus Hall.
Camp Sassafras sleeps in our rustic cabins.
DO YOU HAVE RULES ON PHONES, IPADS, ETC?
We encourage our entire camp, campers and staff to unplug while they are at Skyline. We find that with these devices in their possession, campers are unable to be present and take advantage of the community around them.
If campers with special needs do need music to unwind at Siesta (1:30-2:30 pm Monday through Thursday), we do allow them to listen to music on their headphones. If campers must bring a device to listen to music, they are not allowed to take their devices outside of their lodging. If this boundary will be too difficult for them to understand, please leave the device at home.
The clearest answer is that we do not want campers to have any devices with them at camp and that they should be left at home. Please discuss this with your camper and help them prepare for this week of being unplugged.
What is the enrollment process for a camper?
Our families are willing to work in partnership with us to help their campers succeed at camp, especially before camp. They are willing to communicate with us on an as-needed basis during the session, either over the phone or email.
We have an online registration system called CampBrain that we use for summer camp registration. You will need to know your email address to login. There is a link that you can click on if you need to reset your password.
The registration process takes you through one step at a time.
There will be a camper information form for all campers, new and returning, that we ask families to fill out during the registration process. This form asks general information questions and questions regarding your camper’s personal needs. This form ensures that we have all the information we need so we can ensure we are able to keep your campers safe and provide a positive camp experience.
If you are working with an organization or agency to cover the cost of camp we will need those details as well when you register.
All special needs campers will be put on the waitlist for camp. We need to look over the forms and information first before enrolling campers. In some cases we may need to schedule a phone call to go over the forms first before registering your camper.
If we are unable to safely serve your camper, we will let you know.
If we are able to proceed we will enroll your camper and contact you via email. If you are paying for camp you will need to pay the deposit at this time.
We have an Open House on Sunday May 5th, 2024 and will hope to meet you and your camper on that day.
Skyline is not able to enroll new campers until the Spring when we know if we have additional spaces available.
Prior to camp beginning we will send out emails and information over time to make sure you are prepared for what to expect.
If you have any questions about camp registration please contact Erin Stokes at erin@campskyline.org or 810-798-8240 ext. 102.
FAQ - Day Camp
Are Meals included?
Yes. Monday thru Thursday campers will be served a morning snack, lunch, and an afternoon snack. Friday campers will be served a morning snack and lunch.
What is the optional late night/overnight option for Day Camp?
The late night or overnight are additional opportunities for your camper to experience more of camp in a way that is not regularly offered at Day Camp.
Late Night: Instead of being picked up at the normal 5:00pm time, your camper will stay at camp, with our Day Camp Counselors, and eat dinner at camp, participate in an evening activity, and attend our all camp evening campfire and have a snack. If time and weather permit, we will then adventure on an night hike to experience camp in the dark. Campers will then be picked up at the Day Camp Hub at 10:00pm. Friday Day Camp still happens as normal for our late night participants. The cost for the late night option is $20. Sign up for this event will be available until the Tuesday before the late night. Late nights for 2024 are available on the following days:
Thursday, June 27, 2024 - during Day Camp 3
Thursday, August 1, 2024 - during Day Camp 7
Overnight: Instead of being picked up at the normal 5:00pm time, your camper will stay at camp, with our Day Camp Counselors, and eat dinner at camp, participate in an evening activity, and attend our all camp evening campfire and have a snack. If time and weather permit, we will then adventure on an night hike to experience camp in the dark. Campers will then return to their assigned cabins with our Day Camp counselors and have the chance to shower if needed and then head off to bed. In the morning, they will be served breakfast and then will join their color groups to finish off their week of Day Camp with their groups. The cost for the overnight option is $35. Sign up for this event will be available until the Tuesday before the overnight. Overnights for 2024 are available on the following days:
Thursday, June 27, 2024 - during Day Camp 3
Thursday, July 18, 2024 - during Day Camp 5
Thursday, August 1, 2024 - during Day Camp 7Who can attend the Late Night or Overnight?
This event is available for those campers that are participating in the week of Day Camp during the week these events are offered.
DO YOU ACCOMMODATE SPECIAL DIETS & ALLERGIES?
Yes. You give the details on the health form, and we'll work with you to meet your child's needs. See the Special Diets and Allergies FAQ document.
CAN MY CAMPER DROP IN & OUT FOR DAYS HERE & THERE?
No. Our program is designed to build on community and develop friendships, and to have activities that progress. Of course, appointments and illnesses etc., can arise, but we do not plan for single-day campers.
ARE THE STAFF ADULTS?
Yes - our leadership, health staff and counselors are adults. Our Junior Counselors are ages 16 and 17 and work alongside our adult counselors.
If your question is not answered here or in the general FAQ, please contact us!