DDC Integration Companion Program Registration
If your child (or children) requires an Integration Companion in order to successfully participate and attend camp, please read the following message regarding our program and registration procedure.
The Dorval Day Camp and its volunteer Parent Committee are determined to make the DDC as accessible as possible to children with special needs, aiming to give them the same experience as any other child at camp with the aid of an Integration Companion.
It is important for families registering their children in Dorval Day Camp’s Integration/Companion program to understand that we hire staff anywhere from 15 to 30 years of age to work with the campers each summer and that integration means all campers, including those with special needs, must abide by our rules of conduct.
These rules are especially enforced when it comes to violence and aggressive behavior. Dorval Day Camp has a zero-violence policy and reserves the right to cancel a child’s registration if violent or aggressive behavior reaches an excessive constraint level for our staff and other children attending the camp.
The capacity of our integration/Companion program is determined by the government subsidized funding that we receive and the number of staff that it allows us to hire. The camp aims to accommodate as many families as possible within these limits but unfortunately, we cannot guarantee them unlimited access to registration. We take in the demand, assess our available Integration Program budget and distribute the number of weeks and spots available as fairly and equally as possible among the families.
We make great efforts to recruit qualified and enthusiastic staff to work with our campers. Candidates go through a careful selection process prior to receiving pre-season, specialized animation and integration training. Be assured that we build a competent, youthful team who work hard to give our campers the best Dorval Day Camp experience!
Resident families, whose children require Companions, attending the DDC’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be able to register according to the procedure below:
- Following the actual AGM presentation the DDC Director will ask the families registering for the Integration Program to come see him one family at a time.
- The Director will collect each child’s Health and Conditions form. He will then note down the week’s that each family is requesting and ask that the weeks be enumerated according to priority.
- These families must still take a ticket number when they arrive and get in line at the Sarto Desnoyers Community Center. This number will determine the first come first served basis should the demand for certain weeks outweigh our capacity. *Please note that these families must still be present for the entirely of the AGM starting at 7pm.
- We will not be collecting camp fees of these families on the actual night of the AGM; they will be called in to make their payment(s) once the camp has assessed the demand according to its capacity.
- The Director will contact each family to let them know which weeks the camp can provide for the Summer Camp.
Families registering in the Integration Program will be contacted prior to the camp season (likely during the month of May) to come in with their children so that the camp staff can assess the needs of each child and prepare their profile. This allows us to prepare prior to the start of camp season and have everything necessary in place in order to give the children the best service possible.
Should you have any questions regarding the AGM procedure or Integration Program, please do not hesitate to contact the camp Director directly by phone or e-mail.
Families of children with special needs must complete Section 4: INTEGRATION FOR CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS on the Health and Security Form. The Companion Coordinator will arrange a meeting with each family to determine the needs of their child. This is an important procedure that allows the camp to set up the appropriate preparations in advance of the start of camp and coordinate a suitable companion. Registering a child who has special needs without indication, may lead to the cancellation of the child’s registration.