Kid Codes
We rely on the Kid Code system as vital to ensuring the safety of all children at camp. Thank you in advance for respecting this policy and the staff enforcing it.
When registering your child for camp, you will be asked to create a Kid Code. This is a secret code known only by the adults authorized to pick up your child from camp and staff will only release a child to an adult who provides the correct Kid Code. In lieu of a Kid Code, we can also accept a valid, government-issued ID from the adult who registered your child or any of the individuals listed as emergency contacts.
If an individual arrives to pick up your child without knowing the Kid Code, or if the child says the Kid Code out loud in front of an arriving adult before they are checked out, we will need to contact you or an individual listed as an emergency contact for permission before we can release your child to them.
If you forget your Kid Code, you can refer back to your original registration confirmation email where it is listed. For safety reasons, we are unable to give out Kid Codes over the phone, however, we can confirm whether or not the code you give us is correct. We can also remind you of your Kid Code when you drop off your child at the start of camp.
Kid Code Guidelines
- Select a one or two word code or phrase, preferably in English.
- For safety reasons, never use a child’s name, nickname or a parent name as the Kid Code (name of a pet, etc. is okay).
- Please do not tell your child their Kid Code, or if you do, please explain the importance of keeping it secret and not saying it aloud while at camp.
Potty Policy
The following is the camp policy as written in the staff training manual.
Never take a child to the bathroom by yourself.
In the Education Center
If a child needs to use the restroom facilities, a camp staff member should take a minimum of two children of the same sex and accompany them to the restroom. Before campers may enter the restroom, the staff member should make sure there are no other individuals in the restroom and it must remain clear while campers are inside (this includes zoo staff as well as visitors). If there is another staff person or member of the public in the restroom, the camp staff member should remain inside, but only if they are of the same sex. Otherwise, once the restroom is clear, the staff person should remain outside with the doors blocked open and not allow any other staff member or member of the public in until all campers have left the restroom.
On Zoo Grounds
Never leave a child unattended.
While out on zoo grounds, the entire group will stop at a public restroom. One camp staff member will remain outside with the children who do not have to use the facilities and the other camp staff member will enter the facilities (as appropriate) with the children and remain there until all participants are finished. The staff person should never remain alone with only one child in the restroom.
If the camp employees are not of the same sex as the children, the employee should make sure there is no one in the restroom before the children enter and other people should not be allowed in the restroom while the children are in there alone (this includes zoo staff as well as visitors). Obviously this is difficult for other non-camp individuals, so it is optimal that children take restroom breaks while at the Education Center. The Taiga building and Zoomazium have restrooms that are open to individuals only. The West Entry restrooms are also seldom used and a good place for camp restroom stops.