If you have a question that is not answered here or if you would just like to talk to someone in person, please feel free to contact us via phone or email: 510-540-6025 or office@monkeybusinesscamp.com Click here for a printer-friendly version of our FAQs. You can access those policies here: Tilden Park Indian Camp (ages 5-7) Tilden Park Big Leaf (ages 8-10) Roberts Park (ages 5-8) Registration Questions Q: I have already attended a camp in the past. Do I need to fill out a new form? A: If you have attended Monkey Business Camp within the past 2 years AND there are no changes to the information you are all set! Q: Can I register for Summer Camp via the internet, phone or email? A: Click here. Q: Will I get a confirmation when your office has received my registration form? A: Yes, we send you a confirmation e-mail or phone call within 10 days of your registration. IMPORTANT: Contact our office if you do not hear from us. Q. Do the morning and afternoon extended care have to be reserved in advance, or can I add that later if I find out that I need it?  A: We prefer that you sign up for the care you need as early as possible so that we can plan accordingly. That being said, you may add later by sending a check to our office, noting who and what it is for. Here are the deadlines: The 8-8:30am care, available on a weekly basis, needs to be registered one week prior to the start of camp. It is not available on a drop-in basis. The 3:30-6pm care, available on a per diem basis, is open for both early fee sign-up (at least a week before the start of the program) and drop-in sign-ups for $25/day (when available, which 75% of the time, it is). Please note our Transfer of Extended Care Policy: Extended care days can be changed once for no fee; $10 fee for subsequent changes. Q: Do you offer single day registration? A: No, with the exception off the last week of camp in Tilden Park, which is open to all children ages 5-10 and trained youth leaders. We started offering this option when many schools began their first day mid-week before Labor Day. Q: Do you offer split session registration? A: There is no split registration unless the camp does not fill, in which case, one-week registrations become an option. Please contact our office if you would like to be considered for this option. It is preferable if your child starts the first week of a two week camp as s/he gets introduction to camp and campers. The one week split session tends to be 75% available for the Big Leaf site or the Oak site, not Indian Camp site. Q: I have an 8 year old and a 6 year old. Although you have two different sites in Berkeley and my children would be separated because of their age, is it possible that they can participate at the same site? A: Yes, this may be possible, although we have found that it usually does not work out so well, especially for the older child. S/he is ready to play with kids his/her age and is not challenged enough with the younger group. The kids usually do well on their own, as our staff is trained in helping with separation anxiety. The sites are also within minutes’ walk of one another, so it is not more trouble for the parents in terms of drop-off and pick-up. But, if you believe otherwise, please attach a note to your registration form with an explanation of why you think it would be better and we would be happy to consider it. Q. I will not be able to use one week of the two week session, but I have a friend who would like to share the spot with me. Is this a possibility? A: No, it sounds like a great idea, but we cover certain guidelines with the campers the first day and the second camper would miss this important introduction. Q: Does my child need to know how to swim to participate in the swim days? A: No. In Tilden Park , at Lake Anza, children can wade and play in the sand (we bring sand toys), so they do not need to know how to swim. At our Roberts Park locations, there are no swimming days. Q: My child is not a very good swimmer. What is your swimming protocol? A: We take the safety of all of our campers very seriously, particularly in the swimming areas. To that end, we have come up with a strict protocol which we cover in our Counselor training. Children are not allowed in the water above shoulder-level. A Counselor is required to swim with the campers and we increase that number to 2 if there are over 6 campers in the water. Finally, we assign another Counselor to play on the shore or the grass with campers who do not want to swim. This is all in addition to a full aquatic staff at both Lake Anza . Q: My child is turning 5 in September. Can s/he attend your camp? A: No, for children to attend Monkey Business Camp, they need to have already turned five. We look forward to seeing you soon! Payment Questions Q: Does the deposit apply to the balance? A: Yes. Your camp balance, due on June 1^st, will be the grand total minus your deposit. You may also pay for camp in full when you register. Q: Do you accept credit cards? A: Yes. Q: Can I set up a payment plan for Summer Camp fees? A: Yes. If you would like to use this option, we charge a one-time $20 fee and ask that fees be paid by Sept 1^st. Please compose a letter with a proposed payment plan. It must include all of the following in order to be considered: a statement saying that you agree to pay for camp in the following manner, payment due dates, amount of payments, and your signature. Send this letter with your registration form. Our office will contact you once it is received to confirm if it is agreeable with the Directors. Q: Do you have a sibling discount or a multiple week discount? A: Yes we have multiple week discount at each site. Visit this page. Q: Do you offer scholarships for your summer program? If so, how can I apply? A: Monkey Business Camp's scholarship fund is depleted this year. We rely on donations from the public and 2009 is proving to be an economically challenging time. That being said, we want to find a way for you to afford camp. If you are planning on attending our Tilden Park or Roberts Park location, please visit the East Bay Regional Park District for updates on their status: http://www.ebparks.org/activities/daycamps. In addition to this possibility, for all of our camp sites: We offer Personalized Payment Plans to families who would like to pay camp tuition in installments throughout the summer: deadline for full payment is Sept. 1.  See next question. Q: How do I submit a Personalized Payment Plan? A: Please register via snail mail.  Fill out a registration form and include a $50 deposit, and a letter with a proposed payment plan. It must include all of the following: A statement saying that you agree to pay for camp in the full Dates you will make payments (last payment must be by Sept 1) Amount of each payment Your signature.   You may submit individual payments online with a credit card (we will provide you with a link) or send all checks to the office with postdates and we will deposit when appropriate.  You letter will serve as a contract.  Our office will review the proposal and get back to you within a week to confirm.   Cancellation Policy Q: What is your cancellation policy? A: If you cancel by June 1st, you will receive a full refund minus a 25% charge on your deposit. If you cancel 14 days in advance of your child’s registered enrollment date AND we can find a replacement for your child’s registration, you will receive a 50% refund. NO OTHER REFUNDS. See transfer of session’s policy as alternate. For short term sickness during camp, please call regarding transfer availability.  For 5 day or longer absences due to illness, please submit a written request with a doctor’s note to transfer to another MBC program within a month after camp ends. Q: Can I transfer my child who is currently enrolled to another session or site? A: Upon availability, deposits and payments may be transferred to another summer session up until one-week before the start of a program. A $10 processing fee will apply for each change. General Program Questions Q: What if my child does not want to do an activity? A: The wonderful thing about our camp is that there are usually 2-3 options to choose from, so that kids can find what they like. On the occasions when there is an activity that all the kids participate in and your child really does not want to or cannot join, we have them read or draw. Q: I am thinking of registering my child for a month of camp with the same theme? Will she be doing the exact same things? Is this wise? A: That is wonderful that you want to come for a month. We have found that kids who stay longer really enjoy it, as they know the routine and staff, yet still have new challenges and experiences. Each camp is different, with new projects planned. Of course, some favorites, like swimming, carnivals, water balloon tosses, treasure hunts and BBQs are repeated, but who wouldn’t want to do those twice! The only theme that we offer more than once each summer is the Drama and Performing Arts sessions. We adapt a new play for every drama session (even at different sites!) so every session is a totally new experience. Q: How well does your program serve an active boy? A: We pride ourselves on serving the needs of all types of children. Our programming, occurring entirely outdoors, provides a rich environment for an active child. The daily schedule includes time for group field games and traditional sports like soccer, kickball, and softball. We hire staff, both male and female, to organize and direct these games in a fun and loving manner. We also hike and go swimming once a week. Many boys enjoy our camp immensely. Some have said that they prefer it to traditional sports camps, as they have time for other activities. Q: How tiring is Sports Camp? A: We will have one period during the day for an hour where we will learn about a sport and play it.  The other hour long time period, we will have a couple art projects, which then overflow into board games or parachute games (fun stuff like that), depending on the day.   In between, we have lunch, book of the day, and a "journal" time where kids draw, do activity pages, that kind of thing.  We purposefully put in these times, so that kids would rest a bit, as sometimes they will not if something active is going on. In the morning, kids will play over at the climbing structure and we have things set up in the gazebo (like LEGOs, for a quieter type choice). Q: What is the group size? A: In Tilden Park, about 30-40campers at each of our sites; at Roberts Park, 20-28 campers. Q: Will you split up the group into different age groups? A: There are two sites at Tilden Park, one for 5-7 year olds, at the Indian Camp Picnic Areas near the Little Farm; the other for 8-10 year olds at the Big Leaf Picnic Area across from the Pony Rides.  At Roberts Park in Oakland , there is one mixed age group for 5-8 year olds, and we divide the group into different ages for activities during the day. Q:  What if my child is an older 7 and all his friends are 8? A:  We realize that some kids are in grades with older children, so it usually works out fine to register your child for the older kid's group.  Go ahead and do so, and write us an e-mail or note on the registration form.  You can also contact us before hand if you have any questions. Q: What is the counselor: child ratio? A: 1:8 for Tilden Park's younger group site (Indian Camp); 1:11 for Tilden Park's  older group site (Big Leaf); 1:9 for Oakland mixed age group Site (Oak).  Youth leaders, about 1/10 campers, help support the counseling team. Q: What is the daily schedule of Summer Camp? A:   The daily schedules are posted: Tilden Park Indian Camp (ages 5-7) Tilden Park Big Leaf (ages 8-10) Roberts Park (ages 5-8) The schedule will also be included in the parent packet sent to all families in May. Please call us if you would like more information. (510) 540-6025 The Directors are happy to talk with parents. Q: What are your rainy day plans? A: We have 2 indoor sites where we can meet in the event of ongoing rain. Q: At Tilden Park, do you spend anytime indoors? A: In Berkeley, we occasionally visit the Environmental Education Center. Q: Is your site in Tilden Park in an area with a lot of yellowjackets? My child is afraid of being stung? A: Both sites have not had an issue in the past year. The sites are in heavily used areas of the park, so the rangers attend to any nests immediately. We also hang yellojacket catchers, which work very well. Of course, there is a chance of a sting, but they have not been regular. Q: Do you provide snacks?  If so, what do they consist of? A: We serve snack for the extended care campers (those who stay after 3:30pm). We serve fruit and crackers, 90% of which is organic. For example, we love to serve melons during the summer, bought from Full Belly Farm. We ask parents to send an extra snack in case their child gets hungry during the day, since they are more active than at school. We also have occasional morning tea and cooking projects (e.g. during Japan Day, we make sushi, during Mexico Day, we make guacamole and serve with chips. Again, our commitment is to serve organically grown in our cooking projects as well.) Q: Will Stacy Raye or Heather Mitchell, the founders of Monkey Business Camp, work directly with kids this summer? A: Stacy is on leave this summer. Heather & Taylor O’Connor (Interim Director May 15-Sept. 1) will oversee the entire program. They visits sites regularly and do programming with the campers. Both will be involved in helping the staff on site. Q: I have a 6 year old and a 10 year old. We will be registering in Berkeley. I will be unable to pick up one camper on time. How do you deal with this? A: The sites are a two minute drive apart on most days. On swim days, the drop-off and pick-up area is the same. We give you a 10 minute late leeway because of this factor. Click here to see a map of the Big Leaf (Tilden Park site for 5-7 year olds). Click here to see a map of the Big Leaf (Tilden Park site for 8-10 year olds). Click here to see a map of the Roberts Park location. Q: Do you leave your sites in the parks at any time? A: Yes. For example, we walk to different areas for picnic lunches, to play in creeks, to go on candy treasure hunts, to hike, to visit the Environmental Education Center and the Merry Go Round, etc. During these times, as always at Monkey Business Camp, there is excellent supervision. We do not travel away from the site by vehicles. A note will be left at the site if all staff and campers are away. Drama/Performing Arts Camp Questions: Q: I'm thinking about signing my son up for the Drama/Performing Arts Camp. Do you think there will be other boys there? A: Yes, boys have always attended our Drama sessions. A few think they will not like it when they start, but 95% of the time, their minds are changed, whether they ended up in the performance, or helping with sets or ushering. Q: My child does not like Drama and is afraid of performing, but this camp fits best into our schedule and I want my child to attend Monkey Business Camp. How to you approach the kids who do not want to perform? A: We have found over the years that many campers are excited to perform, while others are scared or uninterested. There are 3 ways we deal with this. First, they can help only with painting sets, helping out back stage, handing out programs on the day of the show. Second, they can be in a large group act on stage. Third, after seeing things in action, they decide to do more than they thought, and our staff creates space for them in the performance. Q: We will be gone for the performance. Is this a problem? A: It is not ideal. If you can arrange to leave afterwards, it would be highly preferable. If it is not at all possible, please write this detail on your registration form so we can notify the site staff. Magical Mystery Tour Camp Questions: Q: What happens in this camp exactly? A: During this camp, we have a different theme for each day and do activities, some related, some not. For example, during 1970s day, we tour a VW Bus and do a tie-dye project, but also may hike to a lake and play soccer. During Japan Day, we might make sushi and learn origami while also playing Capture the Flag. During Carnival Day, we would set-up carnival games for a fun event in the afternoon and in the morning might do an art project and play board games. It is a wonderful summer camp session to come to! Pirate Camp Questions: Q: Will there be sword play? A: Occasionally some pirates will want to do this after creating a cardboard replica. With strict supervision and a martial arts-type attention to respect, they engage in limited sword play. Q: Will my daughter be interested in Pirate Week? A: Without a doubt. Whether she likes playing games or doing art or both, she can find activities to suit herself. Woodworking Camp Questions: Q: Will my child work with tools? A. Yes, but only those that are appropriate. Electric tools are used on site by Allison Oropollo, the guest teacher, only.  All activities are closely supervised. Safety Questions Q: Will my child be safe in your care? A: Safety is number one for all of us at Monkey Business Camp. If the kids are not safe, then none of us can really enjoy ourselves. We are proud to say that in 11 years of camp, our safety record is excellent. We provide a thorough training for our staff, and all of our Counselors are CPR certified. At least one staff person on site is always First Aid certified. Q: Do you have parent references? A: Yes we do. Please contact our office to access this information. There are also quotes from parents available on our website here. Q: Who will staff the Summer Camp? How do you screen your staff? A:  Most sites have a Site Director and a P.M. Director who stays for the extended care program. They will be joined by 1-3 other counselors to round out the team. Our search for a qualified, fun, diverse, caring, safety-conscious team is very rigorous.  It includes a phone interview, individual interview, a multiple employer reference check, and 3 days of training. Check out staff here. Q: Do you train your Counselors? A: Yes, Counselors participate in 3 days of training and have team meetings once/week during the summer.  Site leaders have an additional day of training.  We cover important safety information, share games, bring in guest speakers, and act out scenarios to train our staff to effectively trouble-shoot any conflict that arises. Team communication is also an important topic.  The training also serves as a vehicle for knowing the philosophies and procedures that make Monkey Business Camp special.