Accommodations will be determined in collaboration with caregivers prior to camp, and these accommodations will be adjusted throughout your camper’s time at Camp CuriOdyssey. 

Before the camp season, you will receive an email from Alexis Bullock, our Equity and Engagement Program Manager. In this email, we will ask a few questions to better understand your camper’s needs and experiences in other education and camp settings. 

The Equity and Engagement Program Manager and Camp Inclusion Assistant will work together to summarize your camper’s needs and suggest support strategies. This summary is provided to camp staff at the start of your camper’s camp session. 

Throughout your camper’s time at Camp CuriOdyssey, our Camp Inclusion Assistant will check in with you and your camper about their experience and adjust the support strategies.

At Camp CuriOdyssey: 

• Campers are in groups of 12 campers (Pre-K - Kindergarten) to 16 campers (1st - 4th Grade) with 3 staff and 1-3 teenage volunteers.

• Campers eat lunch outside with campers and staff from across multiple camp groups. Pre-K - Kindergarten campers eat together at the CuriOdyssey patio or Bayview Grove. 1st - 4th Grade campers eat together at picnic tables in Coyote Point Park.

• Campers participate in multiple hands-on activities in both indoor and outdoor settings. Activities might involve sound, wet or sticky materials, bright lights, live animals, physical activity, and outdoor environments with uneven surfaces and varied weather conditions. Gloves, noise-canceling headphones, stirring sticks, and breaks from camp are available to all campers, and modifications can be made to activities to accommodate limited mobility. 

• Transitions between spaces and topics are frequent throughout the day.

• Camp groups explore CuriOdyssey and Coyote Point Park, and campers must stay with the group and follow safety guidelines.

• Campers use the restroom independently, including wiping.

• Staff maintain certain staff-to-camper ratios, meaning that campers must be able to stay with their camp group for most of the day.

• We cannot provide 1:1 aides for campers, and camp families must provide their own aide for their camper if they would benefit from/require a 1:1 aide in the camp environment.

• Frequent Transitions: Because of the different spaces we utilize and the number of activities per day, transitions between spaces and topics are more frequent during Camp CuriOdyssey.

• Public Place: Both CuriOdyssey and Coyote Point Park are open to the public, so campers will have to stay close to their camp group while navigating public spaces and share animal viewing areas, exhibits, and open spaces with the public. 

• Outdoor Environment: During nature activities, campers will encounter wild plants and animals, uneven surfaces, and varying temperatures/weather. 

• Live Animals: In our zoo, behind-the-scenes activities in Junior Keepers camp, and during facilitated up-close Animal Encounters, campers will meet some of the live animals that call CuriOdyssey their home. Extra safety guidelines will be in place to ensure the well-being and safety of both animals and campers.
  

Having a 1:1 aide in camp is up to each camp family’s discretion. We recommend your camper have a 1:1 aide if: 

• Your camper has a 1:1 aide in school or other educational settings.

• Your camper has difficulty staying with their group during activities, transitions, and/or unstructured free time.

• Your camper needs assistance with using the restroom or eating because of a disability or medical issue. 

• A therapist, teacher, or other professional has recommended that your child have a 1:1 aide in camp settings.

If our planned support strategies are not successfully supporting your camper, our Camp Inclusion Team will be adaptive and work with caregivers and campers to adjust what accommodations we offer. If we have made all reasonable efforts to support your camper’s needs, we may make a recommendation for 1:1 aide support for a camper to get the most out of Camp CuriOdyssey. 

If Camp CuriOdyssey cannot support your child so they can safely participate in our camp, even with accommodations and/or 1:1 aide support, Camp CuriOdyssey leadership will schedule a meeting with you to discuss excusing your child from camp and provide a prorated refund for the remaining camp days/sessions. Please review our Camp Information, Policies, and Procedures to learn more about camper safety.

If you would like to update your camper’s list of needs/accommodations, please contact abullock(at)curiodyssey.org or log into your ACTIVE account and click the “Edit Registration Forms” button next to your camper’s name to update your registration forms directly. No diagnosis or use of previous accommodations is required in order to receive accommodations.