FAQs

On the travel day, all campers should carry separately, in a day pack or small carry-on, articles needed for the first night of camp: a jacket, a sleeping bag with a flashlight, pajamas, toothbrush and toothpaste.

Footlockers or trunks are the best method for sending your child’s clothes to camp, and for storing belongings while at camp. We can have extensive fog, and traditional suitcases do not keep clothes dry. If you are looking for a sturdy footlocker, try everythingsummercamp.com (800) 535-2057. Stores like Target also have inexpensive trunks or storage containers that will keep clothes dry.

Be open and honest on all forms to help make sure we have as much information as possible about each camper. The medical form and confidential questionnaire will only be read by the directors and the camp nurse. It is important that we have an accurate picture of what to expect with each child, so we can prepare the rest of the staff. Also, try not to introduce any major changes in the weeks leading up to camp, including changes to their schedule or medications. If there is a change close to the start of camp, please be sure to contact the office at (707) 847-3494.

Let your camper know that homesickness is normal, even for returning campers (or counselors!), and reassure them that they will have a great time at camp. In fact, it is not a “sickness” to miss home. We all miss home sometimes, but be sure to tell them that you hope they have a lot of fun and that you are looking forward to hearing about what they are doing while they’re at camp. Also remind them that you believe in them and that they are ready and able to spend a session at camp. Your support and confidence in their abilities goes a long way towards their success.

In all of our experience we have found that campers have the most well rounded experience when they tent with someone new. However, we understand that sometimes tenting with a friend can help calm any nervousness about the camp experience. If this is the case we do require a mutual request from both parents to pair friends together in a tent.

Please let us know if your camper has a friend who they are hoping to share a unit with. We arrange our units by age and grade, and as long as they are within the same grade we should be able to make it happen.

Our living units are put together so that campers are with children within their own age range, and thus units are dependent on the ages of the other campers at camp. However, we do take other factors into consideration, including school grade.

The best time to reach someone in the office is from 9am to 5pm. However, during these hours, there may be times when we are all out and about on the farm and you will reach our answering machine. We will call you back as soon as possible. We regularly monitor the machine after hours for urgent messages. We do check email daily at , but if you have an urgent matter, [email protected] please call (707) 847-3494.

We have several reasons why we ask you to leave all personal electronic items at home. Farm Camp is an amazingly beautiful place, and part of the experience is learning to appreciate the natural world around us. Our climate can include substantial fog. Dampness is not friendly to electronics devices. Electronic devices also segregate the community and isolate campers from each other. Cell phones are wonderful communication tools, but they contribute to homesickness at camp and are also a distraction from our program. Thus, we ask that children do not bring these items to camp. For those campers who are traveling on the first day of camp, our counselors will collect all phones and electronic devices at the airport. Any items at are found while at camp will be confiscated and returned to the child at the end of the session.

We have found that care packages of food and candy cause problems (e.g. skunks), and we ask that you please do not send them. We provide the kids with a lot of fun treats. If your child needs clothing, books, or other non-food items, please call us to let us know that you are sending a package. All packages will be opened in the office before disbursement, and all packages containing food will be disposed of. Please inform friends and family of our policy. Thank you for helping us with this.

The Health Form must be completed at least 4 weeks before camp starts with special note of any health changes. We must receive this form before your child arrives.  Also, if you will be traveling at all while your child is at camp, we must have an accurate itinerary of where we can reach you, or an alternate person, at all times, to call in emergencies. We do not require a Physician’s Note or Exam – all we need is the Health History from completed by the parent or caregiver of the camper.

Farm Camp requires that all campers be immunized per the 2019 CDC Recommended Immunization Schedule as prevention for all communicable diseases such as Influenza, Measles, Whooping Cough, Chicken Pox, etc. This is important to the well being of our entire camp family.

Medical exemptions can be made with a physician’s statement outlining the specific nature of the physical condition or medical circumstance of the child for which a licensed physician does not recommend immunization, each specific required vaccine that is being exempted and whether the medical exemption is permanent or temporary. If your child develops symptoms of any communicable diseases, they will be masked, quarantined and sent home immediately. Farm Camp reserves the right to send unvaccinated campers home in the event of a communicable disease outbreak.

At Farm Camp, we prioritize the safety and health of our campers and staff above everything else.  Because of our location on the coast in Sonoma County, our emergency preparedness focuses on wildfires. While fire risk cannot be fully eliminated, Farm Camp works to mitigate and actively prepare for these situations. We are not at risk for catastrophic flooding.

Farm Camp is accredited by the American Camp Association which requires us to annually notify the Timber Cove Fire Department and Sonoma County Health Department of our dates of operation and number of occupants. We are fortunate to have an excellent relationship with their team, and are in contact with them if an incident happens.

Farm Camp has an office landline, director’s cellphone with service through Verizon, and a Starlink satellite system that provides internet access and WIFI-calling.  Directors also have the Watch Duty app to receive notifications in the event of any activity in Sonoma County and the surrounding area. Similarly, we are signed up with Sonoma County’s SoCo Alert System and the Code Red Mobile Alert App. We closely monitor all county wildfire and emergency alerts that may impact camp.

The Timber Cove Fire Department is less than 4 miles down the road, and a Cal Fire Station is just a bit further down the coast. The Farm Camp leadership team and Stagecoach Ranch Leadership team have an annual walk through with the Timber Cove fire chief at the beginning of the summer to review and approve all emergency procedures. Our team has excellent communication with the fire department and they are an invaluable resource and support for our camp’s safety.

Staff are trained in our full Emergency Procedures before camp starts each summer and are reminded throughout to stay aware of all protocols. We perform fire checks on all fires made at camp to ensure they are completely out.

In the event of an evacuation, there are several different planned routes out of camp that can be taken contingent upon the situation. If an evacuation occurs, depending on the location and our proximity to the fire, we have several bus companies we are connected to who will come to pick up those on site. Campers and staff would then be brought to a local meeting point or back to the Bay Area.

If there is a fire very close to our site, the camp is designated as a staging ground for the local fire department. We have a lot of open meadows on site and a large indoor space in which we can shelter. Our site is equipped with many layers of fire defense, fire hoses, enough respirator masks for all campers and staff members, and medical equipment at camp.  If a fire is imminent and does not allow for evacuation out of camp, campers and staff would shelter in place or walk to a nearby evacuation route at the direction of the fire department.  

Farm Camp has Emergency Parent Communication plans in place. In the event of any nearby wildfire or other emergency situation, Farm Camp will email and text all families as soon as it is safely possible. If we are evacuated formally, we will communicate directly with every parent or guardian.

Clothing and supplies such as T-shirts, hats, toiletries, stationary, stamps, stuffed animals, batteries, and more! To give parents more flexibility, you can pre-determine how much you would like your child to spend at the camp store. Prior to your child’s first day of camp, log in to your Farm Camp account and go to “View Account” to deposit funds into the Camp Store account.