Summer 2021 at the Bar 717 Ranch
Updated 3/15/21
After cancelling our summer session for 2020, we are excited to welcome campers and staff back to the ranch for the summer of 2021.
Our plan is to run Camp as long as we can do so safely, and we believe that we can. Our first priority is and always will be the well-being of our extended camp community. Armed with a year’s worth of information about managing the Coronavirus pandemic, and given promising improvements in testing and vaccine availability, we feel confident that we will be able to run Camp while keeping our campers and staff safe.
Although there are many specific details about next summer that we do not yet know, we have made some decisions about changes that must be made to our normal program. We’ve included details on these changes, and answers to a few common questions below. We will update this page with other information as soon as more decisions are made. Although we know that this summer will be different in some ways from a regular summer, we are excited to imagine how to adapt the magic of Camp to these unusual circumstances.
Policy Changes for Summer 2021
Although we remain optimistic that we will see some positive changes in the COVID landscape by the summer, we intend to require a period of quarantine followed by a negative COVID test—consistent with CDC recommendations—prior to arrival at camp. At present, the CDC recommendation is 7 days of quarantine and a negative test within 72 hours of arrival at camp.
As many of you know, we have historically offered various options for campers traveling to and from camp, including chaperoned flights and charter bus transport. With the health and safety of our campers, staff, and families being our top priority, we do not foresee that we will be able to offer any group transportation to camp this summer. We understand that this will mean significant travel planning for many of our families, but feel that it is the best choice for the safety of our campers and staff. As we get closer to the summer we will provide more information to help with transportation plans, including lodging suggestions and adjustments to our camper arrival times. For those campers that travel from beyond the west coast, we plan to work with you individually on special travel arrangements as we have in the past.
Based on guidance from public health officials and the American Camp Association, we have decided to use a cohort system to reduce the possibility of disease spread in our camp program. Each platform group will be considered a single cohort. Campers will stay with their cohort for parts of the day where social distancing and/or mask wearing is difficult. This will include all meals, showers, swimming, and overnight camping.
During program activities, events, and other times when cohorts mix, campers will be required to wear masks and social distance from anyone not in their cohort. Within cohorts we will use improved health and hygiene practices, such as increased hand washing and cleaning of group spaces, but we will not require masks and social distancing.
We plan to require cloth face coverings at times for both staff and campers this summer. Campers and staff should be prepared and willing to wear masks often during their time at camp. We hope to structure our program to also allow for time when masks will not be needed (such as when campers are with their platform group only.)
We are sorry to announce that we will not be allowing any visitors to camp during the 2021 summer season. Current public health, CDC, and camping industry guidelines suggest that maintaining a “bubble” is one of the most effective means of limiting COVID-19 transmission. We are lucky that our remote location and majority resident staff allow us to live this way most of the year, and we intend to limit as much outside interaction as possible this summer. Of course due to the new transportation plans outlined above, arrival and departure days will involve some contact with the world outside of camp, but outside of those days we will not have visitors while camp is in session.
Cilt Program Changes:
We plan to offer our CILT program this summer for campers finishing 9th-11th grade. However, due to Covid-19 procedures CILTs will not be able to work in the Kitchen or Trading Post this summer, as they have in years past. The CILT program will continue to focus on connecting older campers with leadership opportunities at Camp, including assisting in program areas, planning events, and acting as role models for younger campers.
Policy Changes For Family Camp Summer 2021
In the interest of the health and safety of our family camp community we will be designating seating and serving meals on the eating platform by household. We will consider your household to be your family/group that you are living with at family camp. Tables can accommodate 10 people, so if you would like to share meals with another family (of your choosing) during your week at camp, there will be an option to do that. However, in order to reduce the mixing of households during Family Camp, you will not be able to change your table arrangements after the start of the session.
We plan to require cloth face coverings at times for family campers over the age of two this summer. Family campers will be expected to wear masks when they are in Main Camp, or interacting with staff or other campers outside of their household.
We plan to provide morning childcare to campers aged 2-7 as we have in years past. We will require that children wear masks during childcare (with socially distanced “mask breaks”). If you plan to have your child attend childcare at camp and they have not worn a mask in the past, we ask that you help them practice mask wearing before the start of Family Camp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Enrolled campers who are 16 (or will be 17 during summer 2021) and would have aged out of camp this year are welcome to re-enroll for our 2021 season. We hope they will all join us!
Although we don’t know what the status of the pandemic will be by the summer, our approach will always be to follow public health guidelines as established by our county, the state, and organizations like the CDC. Additionally, the American Camp Association has created detailed camp-specific resources and guidance that will be updated for next year. We’re regularly in discussion with the professional camp community about best practices and we will communicate any details about necessary adjustments to practices and protocols as they become clear.
We are currently working to consider all the parts of our camp program under public health guidelines. This includes meal time procedure, larger group activities, program areas, and living arrangements. We will continue to update this page with policy changes as we make them. We believe that even with these changes we will be able to preserve the community and fun that makes camp truly special.
At this point in our planning we do not fully know what safety measures public health officials will recommend for the summer. We are also aware that testing and the COVID-19 vaccines may play a role at Camp next summer and we are continuing to monitor developments on those subjects closely. We will consider the pros and cons of the options for our upcoming summer, and will communicate with parents as we make decisions.
We are committed to transparent and prompt communication with our enrolled families. We have begun to make decisions about our 2021 season and expect to continue with planning through the spring of 2021. Continue to check this page regularly for updates, we will also email enrolled families with updates for any larger decisions.
Only you can make the decision about whether or not Camp is the right fit for your family this summer. It’s important to understand that there is some risk involved in any kind of gathering. But, we believe that risk is manageable in our Camp setting and that kids will benefit from being outside, connecting with their peers and friends, and experiencing the freedom and exploration that have always been the foundations of our camp experience.
In the event that we are forced to cancel camp because of COVID-19, we would offer families the option to roll over camp fees to next year, donate all or a portion, or request a refund.
If we run camp as planned in 2021, families who decide to cancel for any reason (including concerns around COVID-19) would be subject to our regular cancellation policy. When you enroll you will have the option to purchase camp tuition insurance provided by TripMate. For 2021, TripMate is offering several insurance plans. You can read about the Standard Plan and Enhanced Plan via the linked documents. Please note: We are not affiliated with TripMate. You are not obligated to purchase insurance from them. You may choose a different insurance company or not purchase any insurance. TripMate camp tuition insurance can only be purchased at the time you enroll your camper.