Parent Information
Homesickness
We have had an increasing problem with parents talking their children into being homesick. A week at camp is designed to help children gain self-confidence. Please help them grow; it will strengthen your relationship and better prepare them for the world.
The staff at Camp Shalom prepare for the inevitable cases of homesickness and are skilled at working with children who suffer from separation anxiety.
Cell Phones
Cell phones are the single most disruptive force at camp. Camp Shalom is meant to be "a place and time apart." Please be respectful of our rule.
Cabin Buddies
If two children both request to be in the same cabin, we will do our best to honor this request. Parents, please consider ALL the children at camp when requesting cabin buddies. We try to break-up groups of 6 or 7 friends into two different cabins because it is not fair to the campers not connected to this group.
Mistakes in cabin assignments are occasionally made, but solutions are always found. Be patient and talk with someone on the leadership staff. We will work together to fix a problem.
Please keep in mind that many of the youth who attend a week of summer camp find it much more rewarding to make new friends and immerse themselves in building a new community in their cabin.
Email sent to campers at camp is more expensive, labor intensive, time-demanding, and unreliable than parents realize. Camp Shalom is not able to handle email messages to campers.
Care Packages
Care Packages are highly discouraged. They create a divide between the children who receive packages and those who don’t. While many times the campers share with their cabin mates, there are the times where this does not happen and it creates a difficult situation for campers and staff.
Have family members write letters to campers. It is a memory that a child can hold onto for the rest of his or her life. Letters can be mailed to camp, dropped off at check-in, or dropped off at the camp office.
Lost and Found
At the end of each week, various items are left behind by campers. Here are some tips to prevent forgetting items and what to do if belongings are missing after your camper returns home.
Before camp:
Label ALL of your camper’s belongings including their pillow and sleeping bag.
Leave all electronics and valuables at home.
During Friday Pick-Up:
Check the lost-and-found table located in the Program Center. Do a quick check that you take home everything brought to camp (many sleeping bags and shower caddies are left behind during Friday check-out).
Post Camp:
Check for any items that were accidentally brought home by your camper that do not belong to your family. Make note of anything lost while at camp and call or email the camp office with a description of the item (563-323-2790)
Check-in Procedures
Total payment of a session is due prior to your child’s arrival at camp. Payments can be dropped off, mailed, or processed online. If mailed, they must be sent to our Davenport office.
Check-in time is between 2:00 – 4:00 pm. Please do not show up early hoping for early check-in as our staff is preparing for the week until the scheduled check-in time. If your child is going to be late, please be sure to make arrangements with the camp office prior to check-in date.
- Park & drop off gear on the soccer field. Staff will be there to assist you.
- All campers must “check-in” at the registrar’s table in the Program Center. Before we can accept your child they must have a health screening. A healthcare volunteer will be responsible for reviewing the information you provided on the heath questionnaire during registration.
All medications, prescription and non-prescription, must be checked in with the camp healthcare coordinator. Medications must be in properly labeled and sealed containers. Please be sure to update any medications your child will be bringing to camp in his or her online account.
Check-out Procedures
Time: 11:00 am
- Pick up gear and park your vehicle in the same place you dropped off gear.
- Closing Worship is at 11:00 am. Parents are encouraged to attend and participate.
- Please remember to pick up your child’s medications!
- Check lost-and-found before leaving camp.
- All campers must sign out with their counselor prior to leaving.
Refund Policies
Overpayment: Refunds for overpayment can be given as a check/credit card refund, applied to a store purchase, or given back as a donation. Overpayment refunds expire at the start of the new calendar year. Notification of overpayment will be given via email.
Cancellation Refunds: A total refund (less the $75 non-refundable deposit) will be granted if there is another camper to take your child’s spot. If there is no camper to take your child’s place, a refund cannot be given after June 1st. The $75 deposit is non-refundable regardless of whether there is someone to take your child’s place in a session.
Expiration: At the end of the calendar year, refunds become donations to camp. Registration fees cannot be transferred to a summer camp session in the next calendar year.
