Accommodation & Inclusion Policies

Gender, Equity and Diversity

Our mission is to provide a safe and welcoming environment for all campers, their families and staff. Becoming an anti-discriminatory, anti-racist and inclusive organization is a process and we appreciate your understanding, support and allyship in this continued effort. Our camps are designed particularly for girls in order to focus on gender diversity in STEM and provide a learning environment that helps girls boost confidence, build supportive friendships, receive mentorship and become inspired by female leaders and role models. We know that stereotypes, social expectations and lack of representation often dissuades girls from pursuing interests in STEM, and we hope to help girls overcome this.

Our registration process allows you to select female, male, non-binary/gender nonconforming or prefer not to say on the application. We would never forbid any camper from joining our program; however we do know that some children may not feel entirely comfortable with our content (see FAQ “Can Boys Attend Girls Rock Math?” for more information.)

In order to be as inclusive and equitable as possible during camp we will work with your campers to ensure that diversity is valued and campers receive the support they need at camp. This means:

• We have group agreements emphasizing treating people well in terms of our differences
• Affirming and using someone’s desired pronouns, name or identity
• Group reflection and discussion of these topics as they come up in camp

Disclosure:

Read the camp descriptions carefully and select the camp that is best for your child.

We create curriculum to align with grade level standards and take seriously your child’s social experience at camp. Read about the Skills and Standards with each camp description if you are not sure if the content will be too easy or hard for your child. If your child is too young or not ready for a camp, the content may be over her head and their camp experience will be frustrating and not fun- this isn’t how we build confidence and enjoyment of math! If your camper is too advanced for the topic, it will also not be a good experience. We have more details in the FAQ to help families who have children who are behind or advanced in math. We cannot refund camp fees if you register your child for a camp that does not fit their social/emotional/academic level.

Full disclosure of your child’s medical, emotional and behavioral status upon registration is required in order for us to create the most fun and safe camp experience for your child and for all campers. Our staff are highly qualified and have the ability to work with a wide range of learners, including those with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, or those who have IEPs in mathematics, but we can only do so when we have the information and time to create a plan of action ahead of time.

If a camper’s behavior requires constant redirection, pulls staff resources/attention away from the group, or has created safety concerns for other campers or families, the camper will be sent home as our smaller staff may not allow us to dedicate as much time to children who require more resources. Sending a camper home due to behavior difficulties is a last resort and is something we have nearly always been able to avoid in the past. We will always communicate with you before we take this step.

If your camper needs one-on-one support during camp, a trusted adult helper is invited to attend camp with your child at no additional cost, so long as our ratios are under the state maximum. Please let us know what your camper needs and/or make arrangements by emailing us at camp@girlsrockmath.org no later than June 1.

Nondisclosure of medical, psychological or behavioral challenges may result in a child being sent home from camp without refund. Any information you provide is confidential and will only be shared with our educational staff members.

Learning Needs

Girls Rock Math camps are multi-age and allow for a range of learners to approach the content together. Most of the time a typical learner should do just great in a camp designed for the grade she is entering in the fall. If you have a child who struggles with math or is advanced, please see our FAQ to determine if your child should be placed in a lower or higher camp. Our registration system will not allow children too young, too old, or outside of the grade band listed in the enrollment forms to register for a camp they are not eligible for. If you believe your child should be placed in a camp outside of the range available to her for any reason, please contact us at camp@girlsrockmath.org and we can discuss the best placement for your child.

If your child has a learning difference, please specify what kind and how we can support your child in the Learning Profile during registration. Our staff is trained to work with a wide range of learners, including those with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and those who have IEPs in math, but we need to have that information in advance to best prepare for your child.

We ask that you select the camp for your child based on where you believe she will be most successful. You can view the Skills and Standards for any camp in the camp description on our website. We cannot refund camp fees if you register your child for a camp that does not fit her social or academic level, have not disclosed her learning needs, or have not provided our staff with information needed in order to support your child academically at camp.

Social Emotional and Behavioral Supports

We ask that you disclose important information about your child’s social and emotional regulation and its effect on her behavior so that our staff can best support your child at camp. If we determine that your child will need additional support, or if you indicate that your child would benefit from extra support at camp, we will reach out to you in May or June to determine how we can set your child up for a successful week at camp.

If your camper receives 1:1 support at school or would benefit from this at camp, we ask that you complete the Aide Form and provide a trusted adult such as a parent, grandparent, or nanny to attend camp with your child. Please let us know what your camper needs and/or make arrangements by emailing us at camp@girlsrockmath.org no later than June 1.

We understand that all children will have big emotions bubble up from time to time and are prepared to help our campers navigate complicated feelings if they arise. However, if your child is prone to physically and/or verbally aggressive behavior, or running away and hiding behavior, we will not be able to provide the level of support necessary to care for your child at camp.

Likewise, at this time, we are not staffed to serve campers who require a higher level of specialized support in attending to daily living skills such as toileting, bathing or dressing.

Medical information

We understand that medical information is confidential and do not need a detailed health history for your child to attend camp. However, if your child has any health condition that may impact their experience at camp, may present at camp, or may be exacerbated by camp activities, we ask that you provide us with information to keep your child safe at camp. This includes:

• Food and environmental allergies
• Asthma and other conditions that may need treatments at camp
• Medical conditions that require staff knowledge in order to provide a comfortable camp experience for your child. For example, a condition that requires frequent bathroom breaks or low impact activities
• Seizure conditions, heart conditions, diabetes, or other medical conditions that could result in a life threatening situation at camp

All staff members are trained in CPR/First Aid and can administer an EpiPen in an emergency but are not trained medical personnel. If your child has a medical condition that requires extra staff training or additional adult supervision we ask that you disclose this in advance so that we can make sure your child can be served appropriately in our program.