safety overview

Staff and Volunteer Recruitment 

All staff and volunteers working directly with children are required to: 

• Complete a detailed application including three professional references. 
• Participate in a comprehensive interview with Camp leadership. 
• Perform the following nationally accredited background checks: County Criminal Record Search, US-SOR Combo National Criminal Record Search, NPSOR National Public Sex Offender Registry, and Social Security Number Trace. 

Mandatory Staff Training

A comprehensive orientation is provided for all staff and volunteers including: 

• All staff participate in state-regulated mandated reporter training.  
• Drills for staff including those related to lost campers, intruders, fires, evacuations, medical emergencies and weather warnings.  
• Additional levels of training and certification are required including CPR, waterfront safety, lifeguard certification, archery, ropes course, and equestrian for Camp leadership and specific program staff. 
• Social-emotional training for camper-facing staff. For camper independent programs, formal Therapeutic Crisis Intervention training is given for summer staff leadership.  

Volunteers are given an abbreviated format of all categories of safety training during a volunteer orientation prior to each programming session. 

Camper Screening

• Members of Camp’s leadership team review children’s applications, which include a medical and psych-social evaluation, prior to Camp. Doing so allows staff members to anticipate behavioral concerns and plan accordingly. Camp never tolerates bullying of any kind. 
• Highly trained staff work closely with campers at all times and intervene behaviorally, when necessary. 
• If behavior modification plans are not successful, a child may be sent home. 

Key Staff Requirements

• All staff and volunteers wear a visible name badge when onsite, indicating that they are part of the Camp team.  
• For Connecticut summer programs: Two adult staff members are required to sleep in the camper room every night. 
• For Connecticut summer programs: The supervision ratio for activities is typically one adult for every four children. 

Emergency Accessibility and Communications 

While the magic and safety of Hole in the Wall is felt at both physical locations, each site has formed relationships with our community and developed protocols to ensure the well being of campers, families, staff and volunteers at all times. 

Connecticut Location 

• Fully equipped infirmary staffed by up to five physicians and between 10-15 nurses in the summer. Weekend and family programs are staffed with one physician and between two and five nurses. 
• All program areas and cabins have phone systems for communicating emergencies. 
• Camp’s fire alarm system is directly linked to the fire department.
• Camp has a strong relationship with a general hospital 20 minutes away and a nationally ranked children’s hospital 45 minutes away. 
• Camp has three helicopter landing zones in the event that air transport is required. 
• Throughout the summer, leadership staff members communicate constantly via a two-way radio system. 
• At our Connecticut Location, Camp’s front and rear gates are locked at all times. 

Communication Post-Camp 

• Any staff/volunteer interested in an in-person visit must be approved by Camp leadership. 
• If staff/volunteers are going to email, text, telephone or exchange letters with a camper, the staff/volunteer must first contact Camp leadership. The Leadership team will then obtain permission from the parent/caregiver. 
• Staff/volunteers are not permitted to initiate or accept an invitation to connect to a camper via any social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, etc.