Frequently Asked Questions
We know that you have many questions about what to expect at Wellspring Pennsylvania. Some of the questions we’re asked most frequently are answered below. For more general questions regarding Wellspring Camps, please click here.
- When and how often will my child be calling home?
- Can I send my child e-mail, mail and care packages?
- Will campers have access to computers – can they bring their iphone/itouch/laptop?
- Can I visit my child while at Wellspring Pennsylvania?
- Which Family Workshop should I attend?
- How much time will I have with my camper during the Family Workshop?
- How do you decide roommates? What happens if a camper doesn’t like his or her roommate?
- What happens if a camper gets sick? What medical facilities are there available?
- How do you deal with homesickness?
- How do you screen and select your staff?
- What if my child does not want to participate in an activity?
- When and how often will my child be calling home?
- Can I send my child e-mail, mail and care packages?
- Will campers have access to computers – can they bring their iphone/itouch/laptop?
Campers will not have access to computers or be able to access their personal email accounts while at camp.
Campers can bring their own cell phones for their calls home (although this is not required) which staff will keep secured until phone call times. No other wireless devices are permitted.
- Can I visit my child while at Wellspring Pennsylvania?
- Which Family Workshop should I attend?
- How much time will I have with my camper during the Family Workshop?
- How do you decide roommates? What happens if a camper doesn’t like his or her roommate?
- What happens if a camper gets sick? What medical facilities are there available?
- How do you deal with homesickness?
- How do you screen and select your staff?
- What if my child does not want to participate in an activity?
Initially campers have one phone call home a week and you are informed of when they will be calling by email at least six days in advance so you can be sure to be home. Once the campers are settled in, phone calls become more frequent and for a longer duration. Campers can also earn extra phone call time as part of the camp rewards structure.
Yes, you can send your child emails (to a central email address we will provide to you) which are then printed out and delivered during ‘siesta’, our hour of downtime following lunch. Please do not send attachments. All mail and care packages (please no food!) are delivered at that time. You will receive information about where to send emails and mail before your child leaves for camp.
Yes! And in fact, family involvement is strongly encouraged. Visiting weekends for Wellspring Pennsylvania occur on the Family Workshop weekends only; dates are provided in the enrolment packet. It is highly recommended that you attend a Family Workshop so that you can learn how best to support your camper once he or she returns home.
Deciding which Family Workshop to attend is mostly a personal preference. The most important thing is that you attend! The same information is covered at each workshop. We have multiple dates scheduled so that the most number of families can participate.
Many families are glad that they attend one several weeks before their child returns home so that they have time to prepare the home for their child’s return. And many parents report losing weight themselves after the Family Workshop as they join there child on the Wellspring Plan.
There are time slots provided during all of these Workshops to visit with your camper. As long as you are participating in the Workshop, your camper may leave campus with you during these visitation hours. Your camper may also go to your hotel with you in the evenings during the Family Workshop; once the Workshop has been completed on Saturday afternoon they are welcome to stay with you until Sunday evening if you would like. Also, once you have attended one of our Family Workshops, you may use a subsequent workshop weekend solely for visitation with your camper.
Campers are roomed with one other camper of the same sex, similar age and similar length of stay. We carefully read the information you provide and the answers your child gives to the camper questionnaire in the enrollment packet and match up campers of similar interests and background.
Campers spend very little time in their rooms and very rarely do we have conflicts with roommates; when we do, we work to resolve them immediately. More often, camp roommates form a close friendship that lasts long after camp has finished.
All staff are trained in Advanced First Aid and CPR through Red Cross and several members of senior staff have extensive First Aid training. We also have a full-time camp nurse. There is a walk-in clinic in Saltsburg and a major hospital and emergency services in Latrobe, PA, about 20 minutes away. Local emergency response time is under 5 minutes.
Homesickness is inevitable at some point at camp and may last 5 minutes or 5 days. It affects old and young alike. We find that keeping the campers happy and busy is the best cure for homesickness and we also ask that parents maintain an upbeat and positive attitude when talking with their children. While you are no doubt missing them greatly, you can best help your child readjust to camp life by focusing on the many positive aspects of their stay at camp – making friends, having fun, and becoming healthier. The ironic thing is that campers are always camp-sick when they return home!
We take a great deal of care when selecting and interviewing our camp staff. Our staff’s average age is 24 years old and the majority have expertise in nutrition, fitness and health. They all complete an extensive interview process that includes reference and background checks. We also require our staff to have clean driving records and further test them ourselves. All staff complete our mandatory staff training and we do not hesitate to dismiss a member of staff who does not meet our high standards. Our staff are role models to the campers and many return year after year because the experience is so rewarding
Everything at Wellspring Pennsylvania is based on the challenge by choice model. And we never ask a camper to do an activity that has not already been done on many occasions by our own staff. Our staff fully participate in everything from basketball to rock climbing and we always adhere to the strictest safety codes. If a camper is scared to try something new, like canoeing or water skiing, then we will provide extra support and enable them to participate as much as they can. We make sure that the activities are fun and work with the campers to ensure that we do more of the activities they like.
