Forms and Policies

Essential Eligibility Criteria

These requirements are not intended to be exclusionary, but to provide a safe and positive environment for both campers and staff members. As such, using ACA guidelines as a framework, we have formulated the Essential Eligibility Criteria (EEC)below to not only determine if the Alleghany experience is a good fit for your camper but also to know criteria for contacting Elizabeth to confidentially discuss specific needs your camper has to thrive at Alleghany and to determine our ability to provide those needs as we are limited in our ability to provide rehabilitative or therapeutic program. We may ask you to pick up your camper and voluntarily withdraw should any MESH issues arise during her stay which exceed our ability to serve your camper or present a danger to herself or others.

It is our goal to partner with parents and guardians to work together to determine if the Camp Alleghany program will be a positive experience for your camper prior to her enrollment. Safe participation in the programming at Camp Alleghany requires certain physical, mental, emotional, and social health abilities, and you will understand that we are limited as to the types of accommodations we are able to provide by the scope of our program and facilities. As each camper’s ability to participate is unique, decisions to accept a participant are made on an individual basis. As such, we request that parents/guardians contact Elizabeth upon enrolling their camper to discuss any of these points, should they be concerning to you.

Please use the following criteria, developed according to American Camp Association recommendations, as a guide to assess your camper’s readiness for Camp Alleghany. A baseline for participation in our programming, without added accommodations entails the following:

Participants are:

• Entering 2nd through 10th grade; Leaders-in-Training are entering 11th or 12th grade.
• Female in gender, in keeping with our mission to serve the unique needs of girls in today’s world.
• In good health physically and emotionally, and have the ability to participate as part of a supportive community in a socially healthy way.
• In good mental, emotional, and social health and be able to function in a group setting in a positive and cooperative manner that displays tolerance and respect for self and others.
• Able to interact responsibly in a group and work together as part of a team.
• Equipped with the emotional maturity to handle the sleep-away-from-home aspects of the camp program, including living independently in a group setting and taking care of their own personal needs: dressing themselves, sleeping independently, showering independently and adequately, brushing their hair, teeth, etc.
• Able and willing to follow all instructions and refrain from behaviors that pose a risk to self or others and are expected to contribute to a safe learning environment, using respectful language and appropriate physical behavior as detailed in the Camper Code of Conduct.

Camp Alleghany will endeavor to provide individuals with disabilities integrated (that is, not separate, except in special circumstances) access to our programs – and to make reasonable modifications to facilitate that access, so long as appropriate and practical. Camp Alleghany is, however, limited in the accommodations we can make given the nature of our operations. Camp Alleghany will not be able to accommodate a disability if that accommodation would be considered “unreasonable” in terms of cost, safety considerations, or an alteration of the fundamental nature of our program.

Confidential Information

Upon consideration of these criteria and the determination that your camper is able to participate in the programming at Camp Alleghany, please consider any other factors that could impact your camper this summer. Whether your camper is new or returning, if she has experienced any of the following this year, please contact Elizabeth to partner with our staff to make certain that this summer’s camp experience at Camp Alleghany is a successful one for your camper.

Contact Elizabeth if your camper has:

• Had any physical health concerns including recent illnesses, broken bones or sprains, concussion, mobility issues, surgery, etc.
• Had any mental health concerns, including anxiety, depression, self-harm, trauma, suicidal ideation, or any case in which your camper has required the care of a mental health professional or a school counselor in the past school year.
• Been diagnosed with any learning challenges, including dyslexia, ADHD, etc.
• Been prescribed medication for any MESH, learning or behavior conditions
• Had a difficult year at school either academically or socially
• Experienced any changes to her living situation or family life, including separation, divorce, or death of a loved one.

Our goal is to confidentially exchange information about your camper, camp life, and any behaviors of concern in order to ensure that your camper is able to participate in the programming at Camp Alleghany, and, if necessary, make any required accommodations. We also want to make sure that our staff is able to be equipped, when possible, with a plan to facilitate that camp experience within the professional constraints of our programming, as the staff at Camp Alleghany does not specialize in serving those with special needs, including mental, social, emotional, or behavioral difficulties.

Mental Health (MESH)

There has been an increased focus on mental, emotional, and social health (MESH) issues at camp. These issues have become so prevalent in our society, and camp professionals are making these a top priority We have adapted the following from the ACA article “MESH Essential Eligibility Criteria: Creating a Recipe for Camper Success” by Diane Tyrrell, CCD, MAEd and the ACA’s “Assessment of a Camper’s Behavior of Concern” in order to be certain that we at Camp Alleghany are doing what we can to work with parents and guardians to manage mental, emotional, social health in addition to physical health at camp.

“This information won’t come as a surprise to health providers, counselors, clinicians, teachers, or even [parents and guardians] who’ve seen a rise in depression, anxiety, and related incidents firsthand. The number of kids and young adults struggling with MESH issues is staggering. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than three million adolescents aged 12–17 reported at least one major depressive episode in the past year, and more than two million reported severe depression that impeded their daily functioning (Schrobsdorff, 2016). According to research presented at the 2017 Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, the number of children and adolescents admitted to children’s hospitals for thoughts of suicide or self-harm more than doubled during the last decade (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2017).

According to a survey by the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors, more than half of the college students who visited their campus counseling centers during the 2015–16 academic year reported symptoms of anxiety (Tate, 2017).”

These statistics, as well as our own experience with a rise in MESH issues affecting the camper experience at Camp Alleghany, have made partnering with parents essential for assessing camper eligibility to give Camp Alleghany staff and potential campers (and their parents/guardians) the