More information about day camps including safety, emergencies, allergies or illness, and special needs is included in our All About Camp document.
Camp withdrawals
If your child will not be attending camp or is registered in multiple camps for the same week, withdrawals must be completed the week prior to camp by Wednesday at 9:00 am. Withdrawals after this time will not be approved.
Camp pick up and drop off
Children must be dropped off and signed out each day by a parent, legal guardian, or caregiver.
Photo ID must be shown each day at pick-up.
List the names of any adult who is allowed to pick up your child when you register.
Camp safety
At camp, your child’s safety is the priority. All our camp staff is certified in first aid every two years.
When you register for camp you’ll be asked if your child requires medication, needs an EpiPen for allergies, or has special needs.
Detailed information about our health and safety procedures will be provided to registered families in the All About Camp document before the camp start date.
Emergency or illness
If you need to contact your child in an emergency, please call the community centre. If your child becomes ill during camp we will contact you right away using the emergency contact information you provided at the time of registration.
Medication
If your child is taking medication, you’ll need to send your child to camp with that day’s dose of the medication. Camp staff will store the medicine in a safe place until it is time for your child to take it. Your child will take the medication on their own, supervised by staff. The parent or legal guardian medication consent form must be completed.
If a camper cannot self-administer their medication, a third-party medication administration consent form must be completed.
Allergies
If your child requires medication or has an EpiPen, you’ll also need to complete all three forms within the Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan Package, which includes:
- Anaphylaxis Emergency Plan form
- Epinephrine Administration Agreement form
- Parent / Legal Guardian Medication Consent form
All of our camps run as “allergy-aware” environments. This means that all of our staff are trained to use epinephrine self-injectors (EpiPen, Twinject, Allerject) in the event of a severe allergy attack.
As a precaution, your child will be required to carry two unexpired self-injectors while they are at camp.
Is your camper group ready?
To support the success, safety and inclusion of all programs and participants, it is important that all campers are “group ready”.
City of Mississauga camps are fast paced with a variety of activities and settings such as gyms, arenas, and playgrounds. Staff to participant ratios will vary depending on the program you register for:
- Junior Camps (4.5y-6y) – 1 staff for every 10 participants
- Senior Camps (6y-14y) – approximately 1 staff for every 12 participants
Multiple groups may be present in the same program space (e.g. two junior groups may be present in the same room). Camps may have groups ranging from 20-30 campers in one program space.
Before registering for camps, consider if the participant is able to do the following either independently or with some extra support within the ratios described above:
- Follows directions and instructions from a staff person/adult/caregiver (e.g. able to move from the program room to outside with limited prompting)
- Comfortable and able to interact in a group environment
- Able to follow the Camper Code of Conduct
- Able to participate in the program.
- Participation in programs is based on the participant’s individual needs; however, it is asked that participants demonstrate the ability to participate in as many of the program’s activities as possible
- Able to interact and participate in the program in a way that is safe for themselves and others (e.g. Staying within the program room)
If your child engages in behaviours at camp that may pose a safety risk to themselves or others, City staff will contact you to discuss support options for your child. This may include providing your own qualified support person to attend camp with your child. Please note the City of Mississauga is proud to offer first-time employment opportunities for young people, hiring program staff starting at 15 years old. Many of our program staff are high school students who may have limited experience and training in behaviour management and addressing diverse needs.
Special needs
If your child requires special support to participate in the camp, their support worker can attend camp with them at no extra cost.
You can also apply to have a dedicated staff member (called an inclusion facilitator) with your child every day at camp through our Recreation Support Program.