Following an incredibly successful 2021, we look eagerly toward 2022. In many respects, we continue to move closer to “normal.” The multi-tiered mitigation strategy is working, not a single COVID case connected to the farm with now over 2000 guests since March 2020. That said, COVID’s impact will be felt and we’ll continue to update this page in the leadup to the summer.
February 25, 2022
Please join the TCE Family February 28 at 7pm for a Town Hall discussion of the 2022 camp season.
We’ll answer questions, give a brief history of Farm Camp and share some of the reasons so many young folks love it on the farm. Early registration discounts have been extended thru March 7.
COVID is waning but still present and we’ll let you know what we know. Guidance is changing, including a new masking announcement coming from the CDC today. We stay current and flexible, and it’s been working!
Please register for the Zoom call, we will send you the link and look forward to “seeing” you on Monday the 28th!
2021 TCE PLAN (FOR HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND POSTERITY)
Overnight Camp and School Visits have been given the green light in Illinois and our plan is to run Farm Camp, Farm Stays and School Visits this year. Our team has been working and preparing for the better part of a year, in anticipation of the time we’d be permitted to run camp again. We’ll employ a multi-tiered mitigation strategy, based on expert guidance from the American Camp Association and learning from hundreds of camps that ran in 2020, in an effort to keep staff and campers healthy, to keep COVID out of camp, and to limit spread if it does come in.
To share what we know and how that impacts your plans and your family, we will continue to update this “2021 TCE PLAN” page. We will also host regular (monthly is what we expect, but it could be more frequent) “Town Hall” Zoom meetings, where we can discuss the latest data, news, plan and decisions. And we are happy to jump on the phone or a Zoom call to talk directly.
Thank you for your on-going support, we’re excited to be together on the farm in 2021!
September 1, 2021
Thank you so much for an amazing summer! We saw so many smiling faces, happy to be together again, happy to be outside, happy to feel the joy of the farm. Our family and team are so grateful to have shared this season with your family and your campers.
A few interesting datapoints:
- Since the beginning of COVID there have been over 2000 campers and farm stay guests on the farm and to date, not a single COVID infection connected to the farm. We did run a few BinaxNow rapid tests over the summer, and tested our staff as Delta spiked, thankfully all negative.
- As vaccinations rolled out, our whole staff has been fully vaccinated.
- Further, nearly every eligible camper was vaccinated.
- 2021 was TCE’s biggest summer yet with many sessions at full capacity. Farm camp is thriving, thank you!
June 12, 2021
Summer is upon us, we have a great team in place that completed staff training this week, and the CDC and IDPH guidelines are set for the season. The great news is that while COVID is still present in the world, vaccines and mitigation efforts will have camp looking more like 2019 than 2020.
The biggest thing we need from camp families – please have your camper COVID tested prior to arrival at camp. Ideally that is 1-3 days prior, if possible. Rapid is acceptable, PCR is best. Vaccinated campers and those who’ve been confirmed to have had COVID in the past 90 days do not need to test.
At camp, we’ve got an extensive plan in place. In a nutshell, the mitigation measures include:
– Each camper tested in the week prior to arrival (ideally 72 hrs prior)
– Vaccination for all staff
– On-site rapid testing to diagnose any camper with symptoms, so we know if a tummy ache is not drinking enough water or is COVID.
– Masks when indoors, OR when outdoors and unable to distance
– Cohorting by cabin for sleeping and eating, the instances where masks are challenging
– Distance, during activities and in the cabins
– Almost exclusively outdoor activities
– Frequent handwashing
– Scheduled, frequent sanitizing
– Daily health screenings (temp/symptom check)
The benefit of all of this is that camp is permitted and will happen. Even better, we’ll be able to have the high degree of individual choice that’s so key to camper’s experience.
Camp arrival is 9am on Monday. In CIT weeks, those in the CIT program (and their siblings) arrive Sunday at 6pm.
Pick-up is Friday at 2pm, with a 30-45 minute tour led by your camper.
DROP OFF AND PICK UP INSTRUCTIONS
March 18, 2021 – CAMP IS ON!!
As of today, overnight camp is permitted in Illinois, which means that FARM CAMP IS A GO! If you can’t tell, this makes us (and we hope you) very excited. For those who have registered, thank you! For those who’ve been holding out, we encourage you to look at your calendar sooner rather than later, as many sessions are nearing capacity.
What will camp look like this year? With vaccines rolling out quickly, testing becoming much more available, and a ton of learning from 2020, we have a good sense of the multi-layered mitigation plan required to keep everyone on the farm healthy. We’d like to update you on what we know and share details of the current plan in a TCE TOWN HALL ZOOM on April 7, 2021. We’ve also pushed back the early registration deadline to April 15, to give you a chance to have questions answered and make a decision about camp.
Farm Stays are booking quickly, and with the warm weather (and a number of families requesting cabins), we’ve moved up the opening of Farm Stay season to the weekend of April 9-11. The cabins and tents, coupled with tasty farm fresh meals, are ready for your enjoyment and escape.
School Visits are now permitted again too, and we look forward to welcoming your class to the farm. If you have dates in mind, we should talk very soon, as many schools are trying to secure a last minute spot in the Spring and actively plan for the Fall.
We can’t wait to have you back on the farm and to share time here together. Please register for the Town Hall Zoom, check your calendars for Farm Camp dates, and let’s plan together for a great summer!
TCE TOWN HALL ZOOM REGISTRATION
January 22, 2021
Today is a day of optimism on the farm! While much will continue to change in the coming months, we are pleased to announce that 2021 registration, for Farm Stays and Summer Farm Camp, is opening Feb 1. We hope that camp or a farm stay visit is on your radar.
The 2021 Farm Stay season will kick off the weekend of April 16-18. A stay on the farm has been a respite and retreat for many, and is fully permitted under current state guidelines. Every weekend was full in 2020 and families have already started to reach out for 2021. The cabins and tents, coupled with tasty farm fresh meals, are ready for your enjoyment and escape.
Summer Farm Camp 2021 is scheduled to begin the week of June 7 and run for 11 weeks. The plan includes CIT sessions, bridge weekends, pizza nights, and friends old and new. Our family and team, along with your favorite animals and farm projects are so ready to welcome you back! We anticipate that between vaccines, testing and what we’ve learned from the hundreds of camps that ran safely last year, we’ll be both permitted and prepared this summer.
Do we know exactly what June will look like? No, none of us really do, but we’re planning and preparing based on what we do know and creating flexibility and options to adapt to what might come.
To keep in touch as data and plans evolve, we are excited to host a monthly “Town Hall” Zoom meeting. Our first TCE Town Hall will be on Monday, February 1st at 6PM. Click HERE, or the button below to register.
Our commitment remains to do right by your family while maintaining the mission and future of the farm. With that in mind, we’re extending the early registration deadline from Feb 28 to March 31. We’ve also increased flexibility in our refund policy, to give your family more time to react to current health and safety.
So, what’s your next step? Start checking your calendars, view our Rates and Dates, join us on Feb. 1 to kick off our Town Hall series, and begin to plan for Farm Camp 2021!