Amarillo experts speak on keeping kids safe while at summer camp

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) – As summer approaches, many parents may be signing kids up for camps.

Parents may have questions for camp operators about policies to keep their kids safe.

These questions include checking if the camp does background checks on staff members or if the camp has regulations on kids being alone with adults.

“Also addressing the tough issues of making sure that there’s no sexual predators, talk about the grooming type behavior. It’s okay to ask those type of questions. What is their policy on that?” said Joe Alarcon, CEO of Ceta Canyon.

“Have the staff had a criminal background check? If so, when was the last time because a lot of camps retain staff, and it’s not a one and done thing. So, when was the last time that we did a criminal history check because it could have been 10 years ago and a lot of things can happen in that time frame,” said Bohannon.

Shelly Bohannon with The Bridge Children’s Advocacy Center and Joe Alarcon with Ceta Canyon say there are ways parents can prepare their kids ahead of camp.

“Before children go, have that conversation with them if you haven’t about body safety; good touch, bad touch, you know what to do should something happen,” said Bohannon.

“I think as parents, if we encourage our kids to be brave, that if something doesn’t seem right, bring the question. They’re not going to get anybody in trouble because for us, we’re just going to look into it, and if something doesn’t seem right, then we are going to respond on that,” said Alarcon.

At Ceta Canyon, staff members are trained on the three R’s – recognize, respond and report.

“Make sure your child goes to these camps well informed and empowered to protect themselves, and that they have permission to have fun,” said Bohannon. “Right, because it is. Bottom line is it’s about having fun and learning and growing, and hopefully no child has a negative experience.”

Bohannon says parents should also debrief with their kids after camp as kids may disclose something that made them scared or uncomfortable while they were away.

“So when children come back from camp, we want to see them happy and excited to share and asking, ‘When do I get to go back?’ That’s what we want to see,” said Bohannon.

If you have suspicions of abuse or neglect, call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400.

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