5 Ways to prepare your child for a residential special needs camp experience
Once you have made the decision to send your child to Camp Lee Mar you are now ready to start planning and packing for the summer. Here are a few tips regarding getting ready for a summer at camp:
- Be organized – this helps you and your child. Talk to us about your child’s needs and provide us with a copy of their I.E.P. and any other pertinent reports (speech, OT, PT, developmental pediatrician, etc.). At a Special needs camp like Camp Lee Mar a lot of planning and preparation goes into creating a safe summer learning experience, and we need our parents to be committed to their child’s camp experience. This helps your child, because the more we know about your child, the more we can do to create a smooth transition to the camp program while continuing to work on current goals. It also helps you to feel more comfortable knowing that you have shared as much as you can to help your child be successful in our program, and you have an open line of communication with camp.
- Packing for camp – Have your child help with shopping, labeling and packing. Many great conversations about camp can happen during this time. It will also allow your child to feel independent and make choices about what clothing items they want to take with them to camp.
- Visit Camp Pre-season – Open house is a great time to visit camp prior to the summer. You can drop off your child’s luggage and your child can pick out their bed. You can even pick up a summer camp calendar of special events and your child’s camp program. This is a great time to take many photos around camp and review your child’s camp program with them at home.
- Communication with camp – We understand that it can feel overwhelming for first-time parents filling out all needed camp paperwork and packing for the summer.Please feel free to reach out to us at any point during the process. We are here for you and can answer any questions you may have.
- Confidence – Your child will need to feel that you have confidence in them to do a great job at camp! It is your job to help them feel as confident as possible with their transition to camp; it is our job to help you feel confident and supported. Try not to share any insecurities that you may have with your child, but do feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns.
We are always happy to answer any questions you may have!
Written by Lynsey Trohoske
My name is Lynsey Trohoske, I am the assistant director at Camp Lee Mar. I have three amazing children, my middle child happens to be on the autism spectrum and is a camper at Lee Mar. I joined camp as a counselor in 1998 and loved the campers and their families so much that Camp Lee Mar became my second home!
