When researching summer camps for your kids, you of course want to look for one that will teach your children valuable skills while allowing them to have fun with other kids their age. But when choosing a camp, you can’t forget about safety – after all, most camps are held outdoors and involve activities that can be dangerous if kids aren’t properly supervised and rules aren’t enforced. To find a camp that prioritizes children’s safety and accident prevention, use this question checklist from our Bucks County child injury lawyer:
- Does the camp maintain licensing and accreditation? Camp leaders should be able to show proof of state licensing and accreditation from the American Camp Association (ACA), a summer camp authority which requires camps to comply with more than 250 safety guidelines and regulations in order to receive its approval. If a camp does not have either of these things, it’s in your children’s best interest to remove it from your list.
- What is the staff-to-camper ratio? The fewer campers each staff member is responsible for instructing and watching, the lower the chances of an accident occurring will be. According to the ACA’s guidelines, there should be one camp staff member per every six kids ages 6-8. For younger campers, the ratio should be even smaller.
- What training must staff undergo? All camp counselors and other staff members should be prepared to handle any foreseeable emergency. In turn, they need to receive extensive training on everything from giving CPR to performing first aid to getting kids to safety in the event of a natural disaster. Before signing your children up for a camp, our child injury lawyer in Bucks County strongly suggests asking for proof that every staff member is trained in all aspects of effective emergency preparedness and response.
- What screening is used for staff and any visitors? To ensure that they can be trusted around your children, summer camp employees and guests need to pass annual criminal background checks. If a camp doesn’t enforce this important safety measure, it’s a major red flag that it isn’t a good place to send your kids.
- Are the facilities carefully maintained? Even if campers are being adequately supervised by a responsible staff member, it won’t prevent accidents related to unkept facilities or equipment. With this in mind, our Bucks County child injury attorney encourages you to inquire about the camp’s procedures for taking care of its facilities. You may even consider taking a tour of the grounds to confirm that everything is well maintained.
Hopefully, you will find these tips from our child injury lawyer in Bucks County to be useful in helping you land on the safest summer camp for your kids.
If Your Child Gets Hurt at Camp, Consult Our Legal Professional
Although selecting a well-staffed, well-kept summer camp accredited by the ACA will go a long way in minimizing the risk of your young children getting injured at camp, unfortunately it’s impossible to totally guarantee that an accident won’t occur.
In the event that your child is involved in a summer camp incident, you can trust the Heslin Law Firm to investigate what happened and determine who should be held liable. Even if it initially seems as if the accident couldn’t have been avoided, our skilled legal expert Mr. Gary Heslin may uncover that the camp staff could have done something to prevent it.
If you’d like to set up a free consultation to discuss your case with Mr. Heslin, the child injury lawyer Bucks County has depended on for over three decades, call our office at (215) 332-0300. And for more tips on keeping your kids safe this summer, read our list of best practices to prevent accidents when playing near water. We wish your family a fun, safe summer but urge you to keep us in mind in case you ever need skillful legal representation.