Dear CODA Member,

It was great to see so many people join us at CODACON20 in San Diego earlier this month. I hope you’re like me and already taking advantage of the techniques our speakers talked about to make positive differences in the way we run our camps. I know I’ve found myself using my hands with open palms more when I talk to someone and you can actually see peoples heads nodding in agreement when this is happening, thanks to our closing keynote speaker, Mark Bowden. This is something that will definitely be helpful when trying to convince that parent that’s on the fence abut whether to send their child to camp or not.

Speaking of helping camps… With Coronavirus a huge topic and and looking to remain that way as we start camp season, CODA would like to share some tips that will help you ease into the summer. We’ve spoken to several leading epidemic specialist from around the country on how you can best prevent the virus from spreading in the hopes of avoiding any issues at your camp this summer. Although there is limited specific guidance from the CDC for prevention in public (camp) settings, here are some general recommendations that might be considered:

• Screening all who will be attending camp, prior to arrival for fever or other respiratory symptoms
• Frequent hand hygiene of alcohol based hand rub or soap and water for 20 seconds.
• If your hands are dirty from playing outside, using soap and water is better than hand sanitizer alone. If you’re not sure how long you should wash your hands, try humming the “happy birthday to you”’ song twice in your head while you wash your hands, this will be the recommended 20 seconds
• Encourage everyone to cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze
• If anyone shows signs of illness, limit their contact with others as much as possible.

The CDC does expect the virus to eventually spread here in the US but states the immediate threat to the public remains low. One outlook the CDC has is the possibility of the virus to act like a seasonal cold or flu and for activity and spread to decrease as the temperatures warm up.While these are general guidelines at best, they will help prevent illness from spreading through your camp and are good practices for all campers and staff to follow. Another tip that we picked up on our CODA camp tour last year was to position the hand sanitizer for each cabin just outside the cabin door instead of inside the cabin. That way the campers and counselors have access to it before they even touch the cabin door knob. Use the links below for more information you will find useful.

“Stop the spread of germs” poster for cabins”

These are just a few of the benefits of attending CODACON20 and let’s be serious, there’s really no way to count the number of tips and new ideas we pick up from each other during our conference. It’s the perfect opportunity to spend time with each other including all of our wonderful sponsors. We are very fortunate to be able to bring you some of the best speakers in the country and incredible social events for our members and every one at the conference. This is all possible from the support our sponsors show us and I hope you do take advantage of the time and money they invest in our association and support them when you’re looking to improve your business. They help our association, they can and want to help your camp….give them a call! We’d like to recognize our first time sponsors that joined us in San Diego and welcome them into the CODA family. We’re all here for the same reason…….to help camps, help kids!