For Families
Health and Safety
General Wellness
We take the topic of wellness seriously at Mountain Meadow Ranch, as we want every member to feel their best and thrive! Hydration, heat control, and sun and foot protection are important parts of that.
Campers are required to have a water bottle with them at all times and staff are trained on various ways to ensure the consistent drinking of water throughout the day at activities, meal times, and in the cabin. On particularly hot and dry days, we start all meals with a full glass of water. Gatorade or other hydration supports are available at the Camp Nurse.
Cabins are not equipped with AC as our average evening temps dip into the mid 50s, allowing for natural airflow to cool the cabin overnight and once shut up in the morning be kept cool through the day. Mountain Meadow Ranch has a lot of grass, shade, and aquatic areas which keep the grounds cool and comfortable through the day. The Camp Nurse keeps her cabin nice and cool to afford a comfortable space to take a break for any particularly heat-sensitive campers.
Counselors ensure that sunscreen is applied before any activity that takes place in open sun and reapplied as necessary. If your child is sensitive to the sun, sending them with a sun guard shirt and hat to wear goes a long way at higher exposure activities such as the Pool and Lake.
Shoes are required at all times at Mountain Meadow Ranch, unless at the pool area or the lawn around the Lagoon. Close-toed shoes are required at many activities.
Health
Communal living means a lot of close quarters and shared space. We encourage common sense healthy hygiene such as frequent hand washing, avoiding touching your face, and avoiding sharing food, beverage, or other items. Hand sanitizer is dispensed at all meal and snack times as well as hand washing facilities in the dining hall bathrooms. Campers are screened for lice and other common health concerns first thing upon arrival at Mountain Meadow to ensure any existing conditions are addressed before communal life begins. The health of the camp family is very important to us, no one wants to spend their camp stay in the infirmary! However, we can only be as healthy as each member. For this reason, we strongly ask that campers not join Mountain Meadow Ranch if they are sick or were recently exposed to a sickness or other communicable condition such as pink eye, athlete’s foot, etc.
“I really appreciated that it felt ok to check in with a director over text – she never made me feel I was being overbearing. I want to give a special shout out to the Camp Nurse, I am so grateful my daughter felt safe and comfortable talking to her and seeing her every day. I felt like she was strong, competent, caring and funny and that is an amazing combination for someone that needs to be trusted by the campers. I felt safe that she was truly looking out for my daughter and helping her stay healthy. Thank you so much for that.”
Overall Safety
Mountain Meadow Ranch is an accredited camp with the American Camp Association (ACA). The ACA is a community of camp professionals who, for over 100 years, have joined together to share knowledge and experience and to ensure the quality of camp programs. ACA is the only national accrediting body for camps and their standards focus on health, safety, and risk management, and are used as benchmarks by government entities. Being an ACA accredited camp ensures that we are providing a safe and high-quality program for our campers and staff.
Supervision
Supervision varies by age group and averages at about 6:1. Cabin sizes vary from 8-16 campers with 2-4 counselors per cabin and are assigned by age/grade/gender. Staff are trained on camper interactions and best practices, including strict adherence to the rule of three: no one-on-one time unless it is in clear view of other camp members.
Emergency Response Protocol
We know that you entrust the care of your child to us each summer and do not take that lightly. In the event of any significantly altered programming, families are contacted via email. As necessary, direct phone calls may be made to ensure contact has been established with each family. MMR implements a Standard Response Protocol of HOLD – SECURE – LOCKDOWN – EVACUATE – SHELTER for emergency response at camp.
In addition, as a summer camp in California, we recognize that wildfires are the most common risk for evacuation or altered programming. We have a close relationship with the local Lassen-Modoc Cal-Fire Unit and Lassen Sheriff’s Department. This means that if a wildfire or other large-scale incident is potentially going to impact our area, we are notified early to ensure the safe and calm evacuation of our camp community.
Air Quality Protocol
Air movement in our area is constant, this means that the likelihood of experiencing prolonged AQI at any level is rare, although not impossible. For those that like to check online AQI readers, please be aware that Susanville is 10 miles away from Mountain Meadow Ranch, in a valley, and online numbers are often pulling data from surrounding areas (Reno, Quincy, Chester). Mountain Meadow Ranch has an on-site AQI sensor to measure and respond to real-time air quality.
All campers, and especially campers with asthma or other sensitivities to air quality, are monitored closely by staff and our HealthCare Personnel (RN) for symptoms of air pollution. If symptoms occur: The camper might need to take a break, do a less intense activity, stop all activity, go indoors, or use quick-relief medicine as prescribed. If symptoms don’t improve, parents will be contacted and medical help contacted.
Our Air Quality Protocol is to respond to prolonged and decreased air quality early, similar to a fire, well before any campers may experience symptoms requiring medical attention. We follow the Air Quality and Outdoor Activity Guidance for Schools from www.airnow.gov and apply to our summer camp context.
Food Allergies and Dietary Restrictions
Our camp kitchen is equipped and happy to provide alternative meals and snacks for those with allergies or dietary restrictions and preferences. We have welcomed campers and staff of a variety of food considerations: vegan, vegetarian, kosher, halal, gluten-free (from sensitivity to celiac), peanut allergy, nut allergy, egg allergy, dairy allergy, etc. You can let our camp kitchen know your camper’s food needs on their Health Form under “Nutrition.”
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Mailing Address | PO Box 610, Susanville, CA 96130
Google Maps | Mountain Meadow Ranch Summer Camp
Phone 530.310.9281
Email [email protected]
