Parent Handbook
Communication
TBI program coordinators and volunteers will reach out on occasion with updates regarding your child’s participation at camps. For questions or concerns, please reach out to your camp director via email or via phone call, text, or WhatsApp. We ask that parents reach out in advance regarding absences or changes in drop off/pick up plans. Communication will always be with the parent/guardian listed in registration forms.
Parent involvement
We hope that parents can be an active part of their child’s education alongside TBI! Parents are asked to attend a camp orientation and an end of camp presentation. Additionally, in an effort to foster a spirit of collaboration, TBI volunteers will be visiting parents on a weekly basis during the duration of their child’s involvement in a camp program to share updates on their progress, reflect together, and consult about next steps. Parents who want to volunteer with TBI: as part of the logistical support team, as a medical care volunteer, or even by helping visit other parents as described above, are welcome to do so! Please reach out to the camp director if you would like to support in any way.
Registration Fees and Scholarships
TBI strives to offer high quality camp programming that is accessible to people of diverse backgrounds. TBI camps operate on a sliding scale, pay-as-you-can system with a registration fee that helps cover the cost of materials, staffing, and facility upkeep; full and partial scholarships are available to all who need. Additionally, parents are welcome to make donations beyond the cost of the registration fee to TBI if they would like.
Waivers
All participants are required to fill out a waiver that permits attendance and outlines for medical, photographic, transportation, and communication permissions. This waiver only needs to be filled out once per child before their first-ever institute program; it applies until they turn 18. If any changes in permissions or medical information need to be made, a new waiver should be submitted.
Illness policy and when to stay at home
Our first priority is to keep everyone healthy and happy at TBI programs! As such, we ask for your support in keeping the camp environment safe and healthy for participants, volunteers, and staff. If a participant has a fever, is vomiting, or has diarrhea, they should not attend camp that day. Participants must be fever-free for 24 hours and symptom-free from vomiting and diarrhea before returning to camp.
If a participant falls sick during a camp day, parents will be immediately notified and asked to arrange transportation for their child to be picked up. Additionally, the institute’s on-call medical volunteers will be able to assist with basic care at the parent’s request.
Inclement weather
In the case of inclement weather such as snow or freezing rain, decisions around cancellations/delayed starts will be made by the night before for full-day programs and the morning of for afternoon programs.
When there is a heatwave, participants will be kept inside as much as possible, substituting indoor activities for outdoor recreation, and counsellors will help participants drink water regularly.
Transportation
If the program your child is participating in offers transportation, you will have an option to indicate in your child’s registration form whether they need transportation. If your transportation needs or address change after registering, please reach out to the camp coordinators at least two weeks prior to the start of your child’s summer camp.
Parents who requested transportation expect to receive information around transportation 48-72 hours before the start of summer camp. Estimated pick-up and drop off time, as well as the name of the driver and exact pick-up location, will be shared. Parents will be put by the camp logistics team into a WhatsApp group with their driver and the camp director in order to allow for seamless communication. We ask that parents are patient on the first few days of summer camp, as drivers will need some time to get used to their routes and timings are refined through experience.
Parents should let the camp logistics coordinator know about daily changes in transportation (children will be absent, will be dropped off or picked up early) by 9pm each day. Parents must send a direct message to either the camp logistics coordinator or the camp director before we allow allows any child to leave the camp with another adult/at a different time than normal.
Pick up/drop-off
For pick-up, parents must provide a list of approved drivers for their child. If any change comes to the list, the parent who registered the child initially must reach out directly to the camp director to inform them of this change. The same procedure should be followed for early pick-ups and any other change in transportation schedule.
For programs based at the institute’s main campus, parents are asked to park their vehicles in the institute parking lot and walk their child up to the facility, so that the front area can be cleared for institute vans. Parents should stay with their child until they are checked in at the start of each day.
Code of Conduct
All participants are expected to abide by this code of conduct, which outlines the behavior expectations. These standards are shared at the start of every camp in an orientation.
Offsite travel
If any day program has an offsite field trip, parents will be made aware of details prior to that week of camp. Participants will be transported by background-checked drivers, primarily in institute vans or buses. Participants are put into small groups with camp counsellors who serve as their chaperones, and help keep all the participants safe during their field trips.
Our volunteers
Institute programs rely on a dedicated team of volunteers who serve as camp counselors, program coordinators, logistical support, nurses, and drivers.
All institute volunteers are cleared to work with minors. Volunteers 18+ go through a comprehensive background check run by a third party, Sterling Volunteers. Additionally, any volunteer driver (all of whom are 18+) must complete an additional special background check to check their driving record. Every program will have at least one volunteer or staff member present with first-aid and CPR certifications. Additionally, we strive to maintain a 1:10 adult to minor ratio and 1:5 facilitator to student ratio at all times in our programs for children and junior youth.
All institute volunteers receive training and orientation before beginning any volunteer work and follow the Institute’s policy for the protection of minors.
Lunch and snacks
Full-day programs at the institute have time for morning and afternoon snacks as well as lunch. Meal details are included in the registration form.
Curriculum
More information about the program curriculum can be found on our curriculum page.
Medicine policy and injuries
For children in elementary school or younger, parents will always be called before administering any over-the-counter medicine. For middle schoolers and above, parents can give permission in the camp registration form whether to allow program coordinators to administer basic OTC medication to their child or if they want to be called first.