Researching summer camp options can be daunting when your child
has food allergies. To make things a little easier, use this
cheat sheet of seven questions about how food allergies are
managed at camp. Like school, a good camp experience for your
child depends on open lines of communication between parents and
camp personnel. Be sure to talk to camp staff about your child's
needs well in advance of the beginning of camp. 1. Does the camp
have a food allergy management plan in place? If not, it should.
The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) and the
Association of Camp Nurses have created a downloadable guide for
families and camp personnel about food allergy safety at camp.
The guide can be used to create the food allergy management plan
for a camp that does not yet have one. 2. Is there a nurse or
EMT on site? Most camps have a camp nurse or other medical
personnel on site. In addition to being available for
emergencies, the camp nurse often provides health education to
camp staff and campers, and ma