Frequently Asked Questions about Wellspring La Jolla
We know that you have many questions about what to expect at Wellspring La Jolla. Some of the questions we're asked most frequently are answered below. For more general questions regarding Wellspring Camps, please click here.
- How do we contact our child? Can campers keep their cell phones?
- Will campers have access to computers - can they bring their iPhone/iPad/laptop?
- How do you decide roommates? What happens if a camper doesn't like his/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?
- How are the trips organized and are they included in the cost?
- What is the food like?
- How do you track success?
- What if my child isn't significantly overweight?
1. How do we contact our child? Can campers keep their cell phones on them?
Being at Wellspring Camp La Jolla means having a break from daily distractions and immersing yourself in a healthy lifestyle. While cell phones are an everyday part of life now, they can also be distracting and decrease participation in activities. For this reason we permit occasional cell phone use at the start of your child's stay. The longer campers are enrolled and the more progress they make at camp, the more access they will have.. If you have an emergency, please call the Camp Office and we will reach your child immediately.
For privacy reasons all campers will be asked to refrain from posting photos and other details on camp on Facebook without the permission of all campers in their group.
We have three visiting weekends over the summer (which coincide with the end of the Family Workshops). If you are unable to visit do not worry, as campers will be kept busy having fun with our staff and we find that the lost art of letter writing can be a wonderful way for campers and parents to keep in touch. We also strongly encourage you to attend a Family Workshop during the summer so that you will be able to learn how best to support your camper at home, as well as earn the $300 Family Workshop Award.
2. Will campers have access to computers - can they bring their iPhone / iPad / laptop?
We do not have daily access to wi-fi or computers at camp - we are too busy being outside and having fun. Most campers will have e-mail access once a week and more often as they progress at camp.Campers should not bring laptops or any other electronics. First, because we want to focus on active activities, rather than sedentary activities, but also because these are very expensive items and Wellspring is unable to accept any responsibility for loss or damage.
Music is important - especially when working out or driving to a field trip - so iPods are allowed; but again, we accept no responsibility for loss or damage.
If you would be upset if you child lost or damaged a belonging the PLEASE DO NOT send it to camp.
3. How do you decide roommates? What happens if a camper doesn't like his/her roommate?
The rooms at UCSD are arranged in suites. There are 6 rooms to each suite and four of those rooms are singles and two doubles. There will also be a member of staff housed in each suite.
Suites are arranged so that campers of the same sex, similar age and similar length of enrollment live together. We carefully read the information you provide and the answers your child gives to the camper questionnaire in the enrolment 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 room-mates and those are always resolved immediately. More often camp room-mates form a close friendship that last long after camp has finished.
4. What happens if a camper gets sick? What medical facilities are there available?
All staff are trained in basic First Aid and CPR with either the American, British or Canadian Red Cross. Senior staff have extensive first aid training and we also have our camp nurses and EMTs. In addition, the campus police at UCSD are trained to deal with emergency first aid and we have access to the local hospital and emergency response units.
Camp staff and nurses deal with all minor first aid issues and non-emergency situations. For anything more serious, campers are transported immediately to the local emergency room or urgent care clinic.
5. How do you deal with homesickness?
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 child. While no doubt you are missing your child greatly, focusing on the positive aspects of being at camp - making friends, having fun, becoming more healthy - helps greatly in enabling your child to readjust to camp life. The ironic thing is that campers are always "campsick" when they return home!
6. How do you screen and select your staff?
We take a great deal of care when selecting and interviewing our camp staff. All our staff are over 21 years of age and the majority have expertise in nutrition, fitness and health. We always take extensive references from former employers and also screen our staff for criminal activity. 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 for one of the most rewarding jobs in the world.
7. What if my child does not want to participate in an activity?
At Wellspring Camp La Jolla the campers participate in a wide range of activities so it is rare they don't find something they enjoy. Furthermore, 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 kayaking or boogie boarding , then we will provide extra support and enable them to participate as much as they can. We rarely have campers refusing to participate because they simply don't want to. We make sure that we make the activities as fun as possible and work with the campers to ensure that we do more of the activities they like.
8. How are the trips organized and are they included in the cost?
The dates for our trips to local theme parks and attractions h. Some events are an established part of the camp calendar - such as our trip to Sea World on July 4th - while others depend upon availability and other camp events. For a schedule of the 2011 trips, click here.
Your length of enrollment at camp, the dates you attend, and how far advanced you are in the Wellspring Level System determine which trips are available to you. The only sure way to attend all your favorites is to enroll for the full summer and participate fully in the camp activities - with the added benefit that you will also lose more weight and have a better chance of maintaining that weight loss at home!
All trips are included in the cost. You may wish to provide your child with spending money to buy gifts and souvenirs.
9. What is the food like?
Our campers and staff all follow the same meal plan, which is both tasty and nutritious. We still have all the family favorites - burgers, mac n' cheese etc but it is made and prepared in a low fat, healthy way. We use great substitutions foods such as ‘Better Than Butter' peanut butter, which is much lower in fat than regular brands and we offer a range of choices at each meal, including vegetarian and (with advance notice) other dietary requirements*.
*Lactose and gluten intolerant campers can be easily accommodated. Kosher and Halal diets will incur an additional charge . In the past campers with religious dietary needs have done very well adopting a vegetarian diet for the summer.
Campers have unlimited access to our salad and fruits bars that also contain fat free yogurts, fruit and salad, cottage cheese, homemade soups, and a variety of other healthy options.
In their culinary lessons campers will also have the opportunity to try new foods and learn the different ways to prepare healthy foods so that they can continue eating "Wellspring-friendly" foods at home.
For more information about the delicious food at Wellspring Camp La Jolla, click here.
10. How do you track success?
We keep careful track of how the campers are progressing in not just their weight loss but also their fitness. We weigh each camper upon arrival and then each week of camp. Campers can choose to know their weight or not, but we also have scales around camp for campers to use in private should they wish (recent studies have shown that frequent weighing helps weight controllers to remain more on track with their program). At the mid-way point of camp you will be sent an e-mail detailing your child's progress, this will be followed by details of their total weight loss, fitness and suggested ideas for maintaining momentum after-camp upon completion of the program. We take campers' measurements at the start and conclusion of their program.
We also have extensive post-camp studies of our campers' progress, which you can view by clicking here. In addition, every camper has Continuing Care support through June 1, 2012 (including weigh-ins and food/activity monitoring) so that we can continue to track camper success and help with any struggles along the way.
11. What if my child isn't significantly overweight?
There is no minimum weight requirement at Wellspring La Jolla. As America's leading fitness camp, our focus is on living a healthy lifestyle that everyone can benefit from. Campers of any weight are welcome and our activities are tailored to individual strengths and preferences and access to unlimited fruit and salad bars means nobody goes hungry. Staff and campers alike follow our meal plan and exercise regime; with everyone focusing on learning how to be healthy not just at camp, but for the rest of their lives
