Future Reflections Special Issue: Blind Children with Additional Disabilities
by Carla McQuillan
From the Editor: The childcare service at NFB conventions has for many years been known as NFB Camp. Here are a description of this year's program, the schedule of camp hours, and various registration forms and permission slips. If you are considering placing your youngsters in childcare, please read the following information carefully and note that the deadline for registration, assuming that capacity is not reached sooner, is June 15. Here is the information.
If you are between the ages of six weeks and ten years, NFB Camp is the place to be at national convention in Dallas. During meetings and general convention sessions NFB Camp will be open for fun.
Our camp rooms are divided by age with toys and activities appropriate to the ages served in each room. We have rooms for infants and toddlers, preschoolers, and school-age children. The infants and toddlers spend much of their time in the room with occasional walks around the hotel and stories read from Braille books. The preschool group will enjoy Braille story time, a few arts and craft projects, and small group play on the hotel lawns. The school-age children will have special-guest presentations on writing stories, science and technology, music and movement, and blind people employed in different professions. In addition, we will have daily excursions to the hotel lawns for outdoor games and water play.
NFB Campers will enjoy their own banquet night activities beginning with their meal. Afterwards the children will be dazzled by the exotic animals of the Creature Teacher. Hairless guinea pigs, iguanas, and hedgehogs are just a few of the animals in the Creature Teacher's hands in this educational presentation. Immediately following the Creature Teacher's lesson, the children will relax with a movie and popcorn.
NFB Camp is under the supervision of Carla McQuillan, a longtime member of the Federation. Carla, who is the executive director of Main Street Montessori Association, operating three Montessori schools and a teacher education program, has directed NFB camp since 1996. Alison McQuillan serves as the activities and staff coordinator for camp. Alison monitors the daily programs, drop-off and pick-up, staff-to-child ratios, and ensuring that only parents and authorized adults are allowed into camp rooms.
Each of the three camp rooms has a supervisor who is responsible for the activities of that age group. These leaders are chosen because of their experience and demonstrated capacity to handle groups of children and workers. They are often staff members of Carla's schools. Other workers and camp volunteers are drawn from within the organization. We usually have a mix of blind and sighted teens and adults who trade off for the working shifts throughout the week.
NFB Camp maintains a list of people who are interested in providing care outside of the scheduled hours for camp. The list is at the check-in desk for NFB Camp. Parents are welcome to review names on the list if they are in need of caregivers during off hours. NFB Camp and the National Federation of the Blind are not responsible for the actions and behavior of those on the babysitting list. We do not screen the people; we merely maintain a central list for the convenience of convention attendees.
Because of the limited space, we require that parents wishing to enroll their children in NFB Camp complete and return the registration forms to follow no later than June 15, 2010. You may also email or call to reserve your child(ren)'s space: [email protected] or (541) 726-6924. Any questions can also be directed to Carla McQuillan at the same address, email, and phone.
Completed form and fees must be received on or before June 15, 2010.
Parent's Name________________________________________________
Address_____________________________________________________
City__________ State___________ Zip______ Phone _______________
Cell Phone _______________ Cell Phone _______________
Child(ren)'s Name(s) ___________________________ Age_____
Date of Birth___________
Child(ren)'s Name(s) ___________________________ Age_____
Date of Birth___________
Child(ren)'s Name(s) ___________________________ Age_____
Date of Birth___________
Include description of any disabilities or allergies we should know about:
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
Who, other than parents, is allowed to pick up your child(ren)?__________
____________________________________________________________
Per Week: $80 first child, $60 siblings No. of Children_____ $_________
(Does not include banquet)
Per Day: $20 per child per day No. of Days_____ x $20 child $_________
(Does not include banquet) S M T W TH (circle)
Banquet: $15 per child No. of children _____ $_________
_____Turkey Sandwich _____Cheese Sandwich
We understand that NFB Camp is being provided as a service to make our convention more enjoyable for both parents and children. We will pick up children immediately following sessions. We understand that, if our child(ren) does not follow the rules or if for any reason staff are unable to care for our child(ren), further access to childcare will be denied.
Parent's Signature _____________________________________ Date ______________
Make checks payable to NFB Camp. Return form to NFB Camp, 5005 Main Street, Springfield, OR 97478; (541) 726-6924; and <www.mainstreetmontessori.org>.
NFB CAMP SCHEDULE
NFB Camp will be open during general convention sessions, division and committee meeting day, and the evening of the banquet. The hours for NFB Camp are tentative. The actual hours will be based on the beginning and ending of sessions so that parents can drop off their children thirty minutes before the start of session and must pick up their children within thirty minutes of the end of session. On occasion the actual end or beginning of session may be earlier or later than the agenda indicates. We charge a $10 per quarter-hour per child late pick-up fee. NFB Camp provides morning and afternoon snacks. You must provide lunch for your children every day.
Date NFB Camp Hours
Saturday, July 3 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Sunday, July 4 Camp is closed.
Monday, July 5 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Tuesday, July 6 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 7 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 8 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Banquet 6:30 p.m.-30 minutes after adjourn.
Times are tentative and will be based on thirty minutes after sessions adjourn. You are required to provide lunch for your child(ren) each day.
On Monday, July 5, 2010, NFB Camp will be sponsoring a trip for 5- to 12-year-olds to the Stockyard Station in Fort Worth. The children will gather at the hotel in the NFB Camp rooms at 9:00 a.m. We will board a bus and set out for the stockyards. First on the agenda will be a presentation by an authentic cattle herder. This demonstration will include a verbal description of the gear and attire worn by the herders, as well as some hands-on exploration. After that the children will witness one of the oldest and longest-running cattle drives in the country.
After a lunch break the children will experience the cattle pen maze. This was a favorite on the kids' trip in 2008. The children have to work their way through an extensive maze of cattle gates. We found the blind kids often fared better than the sighted ones on this adventure.
When we have spent time solving the maze, we'll get back on the bus and make our way back to the hotel. We estimate our arrival around 4:00 p.m. The cost for this trip is $40 per child ($30 each for those registered for the full week of NFB Camp); this includes all admission fees, transportation, lunch, and an NFB Camp T-shirt. Registration and payment for this trip must be made by June 15, 2010. Priority will be given to NFB Campers, with consideration given to other children on a first-come, first-served basis. This trip is for children ages five to twelve.
The field trip fee for 2010 is $40 per child, unless enrolled for the entire week at NFB Camp; then the fee is $30 per child. The tour leaves at 9:15 a.m. Please have your children at NFB Camp at 9:00. We will return at 4:00 p.m. Please be prepared to pick up your children at this time unless they are enrolled in NFB Camp.
Child's Name _____________________ DOB ______ $______
Child's T-Shirt Size: S M L XL
Sandwich Choice: tuna, turkey, cheese
Child's Name _____________________ DOB ______ $______
Child's T-Shirt Size: S M L XL
Sandwich Choice: tuna, turkey, cheese
Parent's Name _________________________________________
Address ______________________________________________
City ______________________ State _______ Zip ____________
Daytime Phone _______________ Evening Phone ____________
Field Trip Permission Slip
Child's Name ___________________________ DOB ___________
Child's Name ___________________________ DOB ___________
Emergency Contact ______________________ Phone __________
Emergency Contact ______________________ Phone __________
(Please list emergency contact names and numbers for people available to respond during convention.)
In the event of an emergency, NFB Camp has my permission to call an ambulance or to take my children to any available physician or hospital at my expense and to obtain medical treatment for my children. In most emergencies, 911 is called and the child is transported to the nearest hospital and seen by the doctor on call. (Parents are always notified as soon as possible.) This permission is effective the date this form is signed and continues for the duration of my children's enrollment at NFB Camp.
Parent/Guardian _________________________________________
Parent/Guardian _________________________________________
Date ____________________, 2010
Please return form and check or money order to:
NFB Camp, 5005 Main Street, Springfield, OR 97478