Can Parents accompany their children on the camp? Yes, with a qualification. Many parents or other adult members of the family have chosen over the years to visit Costa Rica at the same time as our camps. There are a number of different ways that this has happened. Some parents or other family members have attended our Adult Spanish Immersion programs at the same site as their child’s camp or at one of our other locations in the country. Because of the different ways that the adult and youth programs are scheduled, students and parents are not tripping over each other, but are still in the same location. Another popular way is for the parents to fly down with their children early, travel around on their own and then when the program starts, drop them off with us. Conversely parents have also arrived in the country shortly before their child’s camp ends and then pick them up and then travel around on their own. The main qualification that we make for parents or other adults that accompany a student on our program is that they give that student enough room to experience the camp. Attending a dinner here or there or going on one of the camp tours is fine. Attending every single event, dinner and class with your child, while staying at the same hotel, is not fine. If parents want to combine a vacation or their own language learning program with their child’s, we are happy to have you. If you cannot let your child out of your sight, then our program is probably not for you or your child. Who will be my roommate? Will I have a roommate? For the Surf and Spanish Camp we stay in a hotel throughout the duration of the program. Students who are traveling by themselves will be assigned roommates. These roommates will be other campers of similar age and gender. If students are traveling with friends or family members, they can choose either to room together or separately. Please inform us of your preference prior to the program start date. For the Volunteer and Spanish and the Adventure and Spanish students they are housed individually with a local Costa Rican family. If students are traveling together and want to stay with the same family, we can do this, but for immersion purposes we do not recommend it. We can place students in the same neighborhood and is some cases next door to each other. What about insurance? Each student attending and ISLS camp is covered by AVI International comprehensive travel, medical and emergency insurance. This covers most treatments a student might need during the program, including medical evacuation. It also covers loss or damage to bags or possessions. One thing that is not covered is trip cancellation. If you wish to purchase this separately, it is available upon request at an additional cost. Before the camp begins, students and parents will receive a complete description of the insurance coverage included in the program. If students are already covered by family insurance, that is fine, as well. What happens if a student has an accident or gets sick? Do you notify parents? If an accident, illness or any other emergency should occur, the student’s parents or legal guardian will be immediately contacted. If medical attention is required the parents will be informed of the doctor’s evaluation and prognoses. All treatment will be cleared with parents before proceeding unless we are unable to get a hold of the parent and the situation is such that immediate attention is required. Each parent will be required to sign a medical release form in case this should become necessary. Are there emergency contact numbers? Upon signing up for and ISLS camp, each student will receive a program packet. In this packet will be all of the emergency contact numbers for the camp of their choice. This will include all of the phone numbers and e-mail address for the counselors, hotels and Spanish schools. Parents will be able to get a hold of the lead counselor at any time, 24 hours/day, on their emergency cell phone. How do students leave Costa Rica? Do you get them on their planes? At the end of each program, students will be transported by our van to their prospective flights. Counselors will accompany each group to the airport, walking them through the check in lines and getting them their seat assignments. They will be with the students up to the security check in line. At this point the students will pass through on their own to their gates. The San Jose International airport (SJO) is a very small and convenient airport. Students will be able to go to their gates very easily and get on the plane. Should something happen after the time that the student has left the counselors at security, they will have phone cards and the lead counselor’s cell phone number and can contact him or her immediately. How much money should students bring? We recommend that students bring down no more than $200 per session. The reason for this is that almost everything is covered in the price of the program. In addition to the airport exit tax, the only things that students usually spend money on are extra drinks, dessert, gifts and souvenirs. If students want to do any of the massages or spa treatments, $50 is plenty. Most students come back with money they did not spend. What is the Student/Counselor ratio? At each camp we have a 7 student per counselor ratio. This guarantees a high level of supervision. In addition to the counselors are the Spanish teachers, language school personnel, our drivers, hotel staff and host families. We have been doing these Spanish language programs for many years in these destinations and have a large local workforce. What steps do you take to keep the students safe? For all of our Youth Spanish and Adventure Camps, safety is the highest priority. In everything that we do, from choosing the camp locations and types of hotels and host families to picking adventure outfitters for our tours, creating a safe and enjoyable environment is our guiding principle. The camps are located in small communities with low crime rates. All of our hotels are in safe areas with security staff, medical facilities, emergency equipment and bilingual employees. All of our tour operators are licensed by their prospective governments and meet all standards of training and equipment maintenance. We do a safety seminar with the teens at the beginning of each program. During the camp, students will never be allowed outside the hotel, school, host family or organized activities by themselves. During free time students must be with other students and check out and in with the lead counselor or their host mother. Each location has boundaries outside of which campers are not allowed. Nightly curfews and our zero tolerance policy for drugs and alcohol are strictly enforced. Students are only allowed to swim or surf at the beach when and where lifeguards are present. At all three beach camps we meet with the local head lifeguard to go over rules of the beach and the current tide conditions. We always try to anticipate any possible dangers so we are better able to avoid them. Have you had a student seriously injured in the past? Thankfully, we have never had a student seriously injured on one of our Youth Spanish and Adventure Camps. Every year we have our share of cuts, scraps, bruises and upset stomachs, but no broken bones or life threatening accidents. In each case that was deemed necessary for a student to see a doctor, the parent or guardian was contacted. We have had many ear infections and on one camp we even had an outbreak of strep! In these cases students were taken to the local hospital or clinic and given medication to cure their ailments. Parents are notified of any injury or illness that their children may have and their made aware of any medication that has been prescribed. Rules? The ISLS Youth Spanish Camp Rules constitute the foundation of safety for all of our programs. We want our students to have a safe, healthy and enjoyable time with us and this means following our very reasonable rules. Breaking of these rules will result in loss of privileges and in some cases dismissal from the program without refund. Drugs, alcohol and tobacco are not permitted on the program and ISLS reserves the right to search for illegal substances if counselors deem it necessary. If a student is caught drinking alcohol or doing illegal drugs, their parents are immediately notified and the student will be sent home. We have a zero tolerance policy and parents will be liable for any additional costs incurred in sending a student home. Behavior that is detrimental to the safety and enjoyment of all students will not be tolerated. Health & Vaccinations? Since our programs are located in different places, we recommend that you check with the CDC at www.cdc.gov and with your local physician. You may also check with a local travel clinic in your area for up to date health information. It is each parent’s responsibility to know if any vaccinations or other precautions are required for the country and location of the camp you choose. As a rule of thumb, we recommend that each student have their Hepatitis A shot as well as their Tetanus shot updated. |
FAQ'S
Arrival? How are students met at the airport?
For all three Teen Camps: Spanish and Surf, Spanish and Volunteer and Spanish
and Adventure, there are five program start dates: June 21st, June 28th, July 5th,
July 12th and July 19th. Students attending the Surf and Spanish Camp in Playa
Dominical must arrive on the chosen start date no later than 1pm. Students on the
Spanish and Volunteer and Spanish an Adventure must arrive no later than 3pm.
If students cannot arrive before these times on the start dates, it is an option for
these students to arrive the night before. There is a $125 cost for coming in the
night before. In most cases, students’ travel arrangements are made by their
parents. We will attempt to help parents make these arrangements and make sure
that as many students as possible arrive on the same flights. Once flight
arrangements have been made, ISLS will need to be informed of all pertinent
information including; airline, flight number and flight time. Before the start of each
program we will give parents a list of all other students traveling on the same
flights. Parents and students from the same area many times get together to meet
beforehand to get acquainted. In the confirmation packet for the program will be a
bright yellow sticker with the ISLS logo on it. Each student is required to wear this
upon exiting the airport in their destination country. Once students arrive in Costa
Rica they will have to go through customs and immigration. Once they have had
their passports stamped and have picked up their luggage, they will exit the
secure airport terminal. Waiting at the exit will be the counselors for their program
with ISLS signs and signs listing the names of the students who are arriving at that
time. Wearing the sticker will help the counselors spot the students among the
exiting passengers. Students will then be taken to the waiting school van where
they will stow their bags and wait for the other campers to arrive. Once all
students from a given plane have been accounted for, they are transported to
their arrival hotel. It will be at this time that they will be able to contact their families
back home to let them know that they arrived safely.
Arrival? How are students met at the airport?
For all three Teen Camps: Spanish and Surf, Spanish and Volunteer and Spanish
and Adventure, there are five program start dates: June 21st, June 28th, July 5th,
July 12th and July 19th. Students attending the Surf and Spanish Camp in Playa
Dominical must arrive on the chosen start date no later than 1pm. Students on the
Spanish and Volunteer and Spanish an Adventure must arrive no later than 3pm.
If students cannot arrive before these times on the start dates, it is an option for
these students to arrive the night before. There is a $125 cost for coming in the
night before. In most cases, students’ travel arrangements are made by their
parents. We will attempt to help parents make these arrangements and make sure
that as many students as possible arrive on the same flights. Once flight
arrangements have been made, ISLS will need to be informed of all pertinent
information including; airline, flight number and flight time. Before the start of each
program we will give parents a list of all other students traveling on the same
flights. Parents and students from the same area many times get together to meet
beforehand to get acquainted. In the confirmation packet for the program will be a
bright yellow sticker with the ISLS logo on it. Each student is required to wear this
upon exiting the airport in their destination country. Once students arrive in Costa
Rica they will have to go through customs and immigration. Once they have had
their passports stamped and have picked up their luggage, they will exit the
secure airport terminal. Waiting at the exit will be the counselors for their program
with ISLS signs and signs listing the names of the students who are arriving at that
time. Wearing the sticker will help the counselors spot the students among the
exiting passengers. Students will then be taken to the waiting school van where
they will stow their bags and wait for the other campers to arrive. Once all
students from a given plane have been accounted for, they are transported to
their arrival hotel. It will be at this time that they will be able to contact their families
back home to let them know that they arrived safely.
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