Summer Camps

The New School strives to provide a safe environment for our entire school community. At no time is that focus more relevant than it is right now. The safety and health of our students, faculty, staff, and families will lead how, when, and where we operate. So what does that mean for you and your child?

Summer Camp will open on June 8th. Staffers and administrators will be operating according to our health and safety plan developed in accordance with the Johns Hopkins University, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the CDC’s guidance for Youth and Summer Camps. It will be revisited and revised as additional information and guidance become available. Using this modified hierarchy of controls, Covid-19 mitigation at the New School’s measures will look like:

• Check-in and temperature checks
  You will be met in our “Drop off” area by a previously identified New School teacher. There will be no need to get out of the car, for your child will be escorted safely into the building. All campers, as staff will have done upon arrival, will have their temperature checked before entering the facility by a no-contact thermometer kiosk. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 or above will be sent home immediately. Upon entry, campers will be led to a handwashing station to wash hands.
• Physical Distancing
  We are creating physical barriers between students and adults and adding visual reminders for students to remember physical distancing. We are reconfiguring classroom spaces to accommodate pods, limit communal use, allow for physical distancing, and accommodate frequent surface cleaning.
• PPE
  All students (age two and up) and staff are required to wear nonmedical cloth masks.
• Outdoor activity
  In line with our established pedagogy, we will prioritize outdoor programming to afford the lowest risk of transmission.
• Engineering controls
  Shared and frequently touched surfaces such as door handles, light switches, and faucets will be prioritized. Additionally, tabletops will be disinfected between classroom rotations. Hand washing breaks and extra hand sanitizer will be available at all times.
• Administrative controls
  We are capping classrooms or pods at ten students to reduce contact between groups of students and staff and students and students. Wherever possible, we will be staggering staff and administrative hours and workspaces to minimize contacts between pods.
• Any suspected COVID 19 cases will be immediately isolated, and all families will be notified of possible exposure.
  In such a case, we will seek additional guidance from local health officials to determine the course of action.

Our traditional summer enrollments will allow us to accommodate physical distancing requirements. We can provide an incredible, developmentally appropriate space for your child to engage socially in a safe way.