A special note regarding personal information about your child

A Special Note Regarding Personal Information about Your Child

You will notice that on our health form and application we ask you for certain specific, personal
information about your child. In some cases it may be about allergies, medications or medical conditions, and in other cases it may be about your child’s hobbies, interests and temperament. We ask for this information for one reason only, to make sure we are prepared for your child in every way so he/she has the smoothest transition to camp possible. Some parents are reluctant to share certain information with us because they wonder if the information will be kept confidential or if it will in some way stigmatize their child. After all, camp can be a “fresh start,” and many parents worry that if they tell us too much, we may misinterpret the information and refuse to accept their child. In some cases parents have told us their child has sworn them to secrecy because they are too embarrassed and don’t want anyone to know about things like bed wetting, a tic disorder, ADD, an IEP (individualized educational plan) they are on at school, or a history of some kind of trauma. We understand and respect that concern. Having said that, let us tell you why it’s a better idea to share that
Our Partnership
When you entrust your child to our care, we are sure you do it with one thing uppermost in your mind – that your son or daughter have the safest, happiest experience with us possible. We have the same goal. We want you to think of us as your partner in your child’s well-being. We can keep our end of the partnership only if we have the information to prepare our medical staff or leadership team to ensure your child is well cared for and free to have the best session of his or her life! The better prepared we are before camp the better we can help your child be successful once he/she is here. Once you share information with us, we will share it only with the people who will have direct contact with your child. This may be our medical staff, the Head Counselor, Kitchen Manager, or your child’s counselors. If you have any special concerns about confidentiality, please let us know so we can sort them out together. If your child is worried about privacy, reassure him or her that other campers will not know and only the adults who can help will know.
Stimulant Medication
An increasing number of children are on medication for ADD/ADHD (Concerta, Ritalin, Dexedrine, Adderall, Strattera), depression or other psychological condition. These medications allow the child to take advantage of all that a school environment has to offer. Camp is no different in this regard, but some prescribing physicians are not familiar with camp and may take a child off medication without knowing the full implications. If your child is on a psychotropic medication and you are planning to or have made a change in that medication any time up to six weeks before camp, please discuss it with us. Thank you for working with us to help provide a happy and memorable camp experience for your child. Please call us if you would like to discuss anything in greater detail or if you prefer talking to us rather than putting it on paper. We are excited about the summer and are looking Gwynn Valley Camp – 301 Gwynn Valley Trail, Brevard, NC 28712 – 828-885-2900 - Fax: 828-885-2413 – [email protected]

Source: http://www.gwynnvalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/A-Special-Note-Regarding-Personal-Information.pdf