FAQ

frequently asked questions and policies

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If you cannot find the information you need or would like to know more, please email info@campt.ca or call our office at 905-891-1889 or toll free at 1-888-892-1889.
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Please read our COVID procedures PDF here. It will be updated should any government regulations change.

At Camp Tournesol, we want all children to have fun and have an opportunity to learn. In order to achieve that, it is important that each camper conduct himself or herself in a respectful and appropriate way. Parents and Campers should review our guidelines together and ensure that your child understand them. Our code of conduct is based on the following 3 principles:

  • Don’t physically endanger anybody.
  • Don’t tease/put people down.
  • Don’t do anything illegal.

More specifically at Camp Tournesol safe, respectful, and appropriate behavior does NOT include:

  • Leaving an area without permission AND without a counsellor or a buddy for children under 6 years old.
  • Standing on tables or chairs.
  • Climbing trees or breaking branches.
  • Carrying or throwing sticks, stones or sand.
  • Being disrespectful to counsellors or other campers.
  • Disregarding counsellor’s instructions.
  • Water fights or throwing water.
  • Hitting, kicking, biting, wrestling moves or violence.
  • Swearing or explicit and violent language.
  • Stealing.
  • Consistent use of English / no efforts made to use French (for the French campers)
  • Putting arms or heads out of the bus window as well as standing or kneeling on the bus.

Here are the behaviors that ARE acceptable:

  • Making efforts to express yourself in French all day while trying to use English as rarely as possible.
  • Obtaining permission prior to leaving an area where your group is.
  • Always using proper language (no swear words or violent language).
  • Following instructions as given by counsellors.
  • Be respectful towards all the counsellors and your peers.

Any person found violating this code will be dealt with according to the following procedure:

  • Warning / discussion by their counsellor and appropriate consequences depending on the gravity of the behavior.
  • Meet with the Camp Coordinator and phone call to parent to identify a strategy to improve the situation.
  • After consultation with the Camp Director, parent will be asked to pick up their child from the camp for that day and discuss the issue with their child.
  • Expulsion from the camp.

Most of our campuses do have air conditioning. We do our best to keep your children comfortable but if this is a concern, you may prefer to keep your child at home for that day. Each campus without air conditioning is equipped with large fans.

In case of extreme heat, we will follow the following procedure based on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations.

In the case of a day with extreme heat:

  • The outdoor periods will be reduced to a maximum of 40 minutes in length and only once in the morning and afternoon.
  • Before going outside, all campers will be reminded to re-apply their sunscreen, and to drink lots of water. They can also bring their water bottles outside with them.
  • The outdoor activities will not involve lots of physical activity and will most likely take place in the shade (if possible) to avoid unnecessary heat exposure.
  • All recesses and meals will take place inside and the gym and/or hallways will be used for recess activities.
  • Where possible we will incorporate games with water, such as sponges etc…to refresh the children.

40 degrees weather: If the weather exceeds 40 degrees Celsius:

  • The campus coordinator will locate fans available at the school and place them in the gym to circulate cold air for the campers.
  • Reduce the outdoor activities to only ONE 40 minute period in the morning.
  • Can only go outside for a 5 minutes recess if there is shade available for everyone.
  • It is the responsibility of the camp counselors to assure that all campers are following the rules.
  • Modify the camp Schedule to cut out any excessive physical activity.
  • Continuously remind campers to DRINK WATER.
  • Our French Awards: Our French tattoos are awarded daily to campers who made efforts in French.
  • Our Badge System: There are 3 different French badges to be won during the week! You can read about our famous Badge system to see how impactful it is!

Read our blog here all about our unique approach to inspire young French learners.

Parents regularly ask if we will provide close supervision for children with allergies or other medical issues.

Of course! Every camper’s safety is our utmost concern.

All of our staff are trained for first aid, CPR, and administering an EpiPen. In addition, we have a supervisor onsite who provide support and supervision at each campus.

Do not hesitate to discuss your concerns with our staff at the office or onsite. In all cases, we count on parents to partner with us to make safety a priority. Help us with this process by providing as much details as possible when completing the medical forms!

Should your child be bringing any medication to camp, please let us know by completing this medication form and discussing it with your child’s counsellor on the first day of camp.

To learn more about our subsidies click here

Our team works very hard on securing locations that are both centrally located and have amenities such as air conditioning and ample green space. Campuses are opened and confirmed as contracts are negotiated with our hosts.

We hope to have all campuses opened for registration before January of each year. In the rare situation where a host is no longer able to rent to us, we will do our best to offer an alternative campus near by. Refunds will also be offered.

We usually recommend to not wait to register as our programs will close once they are full.

Come and splash with us at our French Camps!

In all of our French Camps throughout the GTA, we have fun-filled water days on-site!

These highly-anticipated “water days” at our French summer camps, are packed with fun water games and outdoor activities for campers to have all of the summer fun!

We encourage your child to bring a “litterless” lunch on water day. Because these are all outdoor programs; please make sure to pack the following:

  • a water bottle to refill,
  • change of clothes / wear bathing suit
  • a towel
  • a litterless lunch,
  • sunscreen,
  • good walking shoes

In case of severe weather conditions, the water day will be canceled and cannot be rescheduled. More details will be included in the parent handbook for the year.

In mid-May, campers will receive a package which includes a detailed itinerary, address of accommodation, and a list of things to bring. Any further questions can be directed to us once you have reviewed the package.

Here are links to forms we sometimes require for campers.

Medication form (If you would like counsellors to administer medication for your child.)

EpiPen form (For any child bringing an EpiPen to campus.)

Waiver for un-immunized children (Required if your child is not fully immunized*. Signatures of both parents are REQUIRED to ensure all parties are in agreement.)

*Immunization against COVID-19 is not required.

Policies

Unfortunately there will be no credits or refunds given in the case of illnesses or an outbreak at camp. Parents may choose to register at their own risk.

If you choose to keep your child home because of an outbreak at camp there will be no credits or refunds given . If your child has tested positive for Covid or a related illness, our medical emergency policy will apply. To negate the risk of an outbreak, please do not send your child to camp if they are experiencing any symptoms of Covid-19 or other illness.

Please note that these protocols are in accordance with the latest guidelines from Public Health. As new updates to the guidelines become available, we will update our guidelines and protocols to match the up to date recommendations of the Public Health Guidelines. 

View our detailed COVID procedures document here.

Day camps cancellations:

  • There will be an administration fee of $40.00 (plus HST) PER week per camper withheld on all refunds.
  • Refunds for the registration fees are ONLY issued for cancellations submitted 30 days prior to the beginning of camp. Any client-requested cancellations less than 30 days before the start of camp, will unfortunately not be eligible for refunds.

Program Options:

  • Refunds for meal plans, extended care or busing service are ONLY available more than 7 days prior to the beginning of camp.
  • Extended care and/or busing and/or meal plan cancellations within the accepted period WILL incur a $5 administration fee unless the cancellation is done at the same time as the registration.

Change of week or programs: 

  • Up to 30 days before the first day of camp, you may switch the week you are registered for at no charge, as long as there is space in the program.
  • ONLY one free “week-switch” will be offered.
  • Any subsequent requests for a change will incur a $20 administration fee.
  • In cases where the “week-switch” involves the short week, where the fee of the new week is less than the original week, an administration fee of $10 plus HST will apply.

Medical emergency:

  • In the event that a family must cancel due to medical reasons prior to the first day of camp, a credit note may be offered with a doctor’s note.  Only a credit note for future programs and for the registration fee is available. Please note that unfortunately, requests for credit notes for partial weeks can not be considered or issued. Campers who attend the program for any length of time can not receive compensation for time missed for any reason.

Although we benefit from a very high approval rate from the families who choose our camps, we make no guarantees that every child will appreciate our efforts. Therefore, in the unlikely event that a child is unhappy with our Camp Program, a refund will NOT be provided.

Virtual Camps:

Unfortunately, we do not offer trial classes and there can be no refund or changes after the first day.

More info:

  • There will be an administration fee of $20.00 (plus HST) PER week per camper withheld on all refunds.
    • Refunds for the registration fees are ONLY issued for cancellations submitted 30 days prior to the beginning of camp. Any client-requested cancellations less than 30 days before the start of camp will unfortunately not be eligible for refunds.

Change of week or programs: 

  • Up to 30 days before the first day of camp, you may switch the week you are registered for at no charge, as long as there is space in the program.
  • ONLY one free “week-switch” will be offered.
  • Any subsequent requests for a change will incur a $10 administration fee.
  • In cases where the “week-switch” involves the short week, where the fee of the new week is less than the original week, an administration fee of $10 plus HST will apply.

T-shirts should be free of violent, racial or sexual content. There will be outdoor games and arts & crafts each day. Please ensure that your child is dressed comfortably and is wearing appropriate clothes…they will get messy!!! Running or walking shoes are a must, flip flops or dress shoes are not recommended…this is a very active camp.

Camp Tournesol is very pleased to be able to offer extended hours at all our campus. If you are registered for the before care, you may drop off your child at the campus anytime after 8:00 AM. If you are registered for the after care, you must pick up your child before 5PM or 5:30PM depending on the campus. The counsellor(s) who will supervise this program are all counsellors for the day camp as well. Campers must be registered in advance to use this service. Registration and payment will not be accepted at the door.

Late pick-ups will be charged $10 for every 10 minutes after 4:00 PM (or 5PM/5:30PM for extended hours depending on the campus) with a minimum charge of $10. There will be no exception. A credit card must be on file for penalty fees.

Please ensure that ALL your child’s belongings (including re-usable containers for lunches) are labeled with your child’s full name so we can return it to them. Lost and Found will be displayed each morning on a table, encourage your child to take a look at it. At the end of summer, there is always a pile of campers belongings left at camp. 

As a way to manage the problem of lost belongings, we are encouraging our campers to label all belongings. We have partnered with Mabel’s Labels, a company with all types of labels that are colorful, indestructible and fun! Go to www.mabelslabels.com to place your order. There are even customized Camp Tournesol labels now available if you click on the top right of the screen. We look forward to sending campers home with ALL their belongings this summer!

Your child should bring a light morning and afternoon morning snack as required as well as a nutritious lunch. They will have ample time to eat at lunchtime. We do NOT provide food for the campers except on Fridays, where all campers will be offered freezies, and a pizza add-on is available. Chewing gum is NOT allowed at our camp.

Peanut and nuts allergies: We have campers with severe peanut and nut allergies. We ask your cooperation to help us make the camp environment as safe as we can for them by not sending any snacks or sandwiches with peanut and nut products during the whole week.

Pizza Lunch: If you would like to take advantage of our pizza lunch, you must have pre-ordered and paid for the pizza. Pizza lunch must be ordered a week in advance in order to give our caterer ample notice. Please review your confirmation to make sure that all your pizza lunches are ordered as you intended. We regret that orders during the week of camp CANNOT be accepted. If you are unsure, please verify with the office.

Litterless lunches: We would like to ask that you send “litterless” lunches and snacks as much as possible at the Camp. Garbage facilities are very restricted and it helps keep the grounds litter free. Please use reusable containers for all your drinks, water bottles and snacks. Let’s make our camp an environmentally friendly place.

Children with a severe food allergy must not eat even tiny amounts of the food that cause them to have an allergic reaction. A severe allergic reaction can come on quickly and cause death. Even when a child tries to be careful, an accident can happen. A child with a food allergy and their family are responsible for staying safe but need help from other children, parents, and counselors to help reduce the risk of an accidental exposure.

How can I know if a certain food contains tree nuts or peanuts?

  • Read product ingredient labels carefully to make sure they do not list any source of tree nuts or peanuts in the food. Often, different names are used for tree nuts and peanuts.
  • Avoid foods and products that do not have an ingredient list.
  • Recipes sometimes change or use other ingredients so read labels every time you shop.
  • Be cautious of bulk food items as they may have come into contact with trace amounts of nuts.
  • Food allergic people should not eat products with a “may contain” warning with respect to their allergen(s).

What is the difference between tree nuts and peanuts?

Almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts (filberts), macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts (pignolias), pistachio nuts and walnuts are all tree nuts.

Peanuts are part of the legume family and are not a tree nut.

What measures does Camp Tournesol take?

  • Our food service does not serve peanut butter or nuts of any kind.
  • We ask that parents and caregivers refrain from sending peanut, tree nut, or other nut-based foods to camp. 
  • We do not allow parents to bring in food to be shared with other campers without the explicit permission of each family.

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