Going to summer camp is an exciting adventure that every child deserves to experience fully and safely – including kids with celiac disease and other gluten-related disorders! Whether you are a parent, teen or volunteer, this guide will help you make informed decisions and have productive conversations with camp staff. Think of this guide as a menu of topics to choose from, not a checklist to complete.
Our foundation is an all-volunteer nonprofit organization that administers Camp Celiac at Camp Arroyo in Livermore, California, for a week every July. Camp Celiac is entering its 19th year! We are happy to share our experience and knowledge to help kids everywhere experience the joys of summer camp.
In this guide, we often use Camp Celiac as an example. In choosing a camp, you’ll need to consider whether you want a dedicated gluten-free camp or a regular camp that can accommodate kids on a strict gluten-free diet. We offer tips for both. The information applies to both overnight and day camps.
This guide is an expanded version of information presented in a webinar hosted by the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Center for IBD and Celiac Disease, presented by Jennifer Iscol, president of the Celiac Community Foundation of Northern California, and Molly Stone, director of Camp Celiac, and moderated by Neha Shah, MPH, RD.
Why Attend a Celiac Camp?
Why Attend a Celiac Camp?
- Food safety: Many summer camps still cannot safely and fully accommodate a strict, medically prescribed gluten-free diet.
- Camaraderie and friendship: Participants make friends who face the same challenges. They love not having to explain anything, and they love eating everything without having to question whether it is gluten free.
- Mental health benefits: While there is not a lot of research on this topic, a University of California at San Francisco study in 2010 and a German study in 2020 found that attending a celiac camp increased quality of life and reduced stress for kids with celiac disease.
- Year-round and long-term support: Even though most celiac camps last only a few days or a week, the experience can provide long-term friendships and a sense of community belonging and support that help participants through challenges the rest of the year and throughout childhood and young adulthood.
- Leadership experience: Many camps give participants the opportunity to apply to become junior counselors (also known as counselors in training or CITs) and then counselors when they are at least 18. At Camp Celiac, many of our campers come back year after year, rising through the ranks to become junior counselors, and quite a few become adult counselors. Young adults look forward to camp as much as the kids.
The Basic Checklist for Choosing a Camp
Basic Factors in Choosing a Camp
- Location: Is the camp’s location convenient for your family? Is the environment appealing to your child and the facility in good condition?
- History: How long has the camp been around and what reviews or third party information can you find about it? Is it affiliated with a celiac disease group or organization?
- Staff ratio: How well will your child be supervised? At Camp Celiac, for example, we have 12 cabins organized by age and gender and each cabin generally contains eight campers, one or two junior counselors, and two adult counselors. It may seem like a high staff ratio, but counselors have responsibilities in addition to camper supervision, and it is exhausting 24-hour work, as some children need attention in the middle of the night. In addition, it is our camp policy that children are always with a minimum of two staff members.
- Size: Does your child prefer an environment with a lot of people and activity or a smaller, low-key experience? Larger camps may have more availability.
- Cost: What is the cost of registering and attending, including any supplies you need to buy? Are there scholarships, and is your child eligible for them?
- Dates: Do the dates meet your family’s needs?
- Refund policy: If your child needs to cancel for any reason such as an illness or change in plans, what is the refund policy? On the flip side, if the camp itself needs to cancel for any reason (for example, a wildfire in the vicinity or a problem with the facilities such as with power or water) are participants at least partially reimbursed?
- Program activities: Camps should be able to describe their general daily programming and have photos from past camps. For example, Camp Celiac includes swimming, a ropes course, climbing wall, an art yurt, archery, skit night, talent night, a dance with a DJ and photo booth, singing and dancing, and a campfire night with s’mores. Other camps may have quite different facilities, programming or traditions and some may have field trips.
More Items to Consider
More Items to Consider
- Siblings: Does the camp allow siblings to attend who do not have celiac disease or another gluten-related disorder? If not, how does this affect your family’s summer plans? At Camp Celiac, for example, we unfortunately do not have the space to accommodate siblings who do not have a gluten-related disorder.
- Cell phones: Does the camp allow campers to have a cell phone? At our Camp Celiac, we have a strict no-phones policy so the children are fully engaged. The campers do not have a problem with this policy, although surprisingly some parents find it a challenge to get used to not having constant communication with their kids. Photos and videos are not allowed, except by designated staff members. Adult staff have both cell phones and walkie talkies for safety, programming and administration.
- Updates for parents: During camp, does the staff email updates or post updates on social media? Particularly for parents of first-time or younger campers, this can be very important and alleviate concerns about how camp is going. At Camp Celiac we post updates on our Facebook and Instagram accounts.
- Homesickness: If a child is feeling homesick or anxious, how does the staff address that? At Camp Celiac, staff try to soothe the child in a variety of ways. If that is not enough, staff reach out to parents and either have them speak to the child, or much more rarely, pick them up to go home early.
- Staff selection and background checks: You can ask how staff are selected. At Camp Celiac, prospective adult staff fill out an application and are carefully selected by leadership. They are required to be fingerprinted for a standard background check.
- Staff training: You may wish to ask how staff are trained. Many of our staff have been with us for years, but all junior counselors, counselors and other staff go through an annual orientation and training the day before campers arrive. The training includes not only how to help run the camp and supervise campers, but topics like bullying, sexual harassment, and mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect.
- Gender accommodation: Does the camp accommodate nonbinary or transgender children? If so, what does the accommodation look like? Do the sleeping arrangements and daytime groupings for nonbinary and transgender campers and staff meet their needs, and are staff trained to be sensitive? At Camp Celiac our accommodation policies are evolving over time, based on the needs of our camp population. These can be complex topics for staff, parents and participants.
Medical Topics
Medical Topics
- Onsite medical staff: Camp Celiac always has one medical doctor and at least one other licensed medical professional onsite at all times. The director is an registered nurse and some counselors have related training. However, it is more common for a camp to have an onsite nurse but not a doctor at all times.
- Medications and supplements: At Camp Celiac, parents provide all prescribed medications to the medical staff at arrival and they are administered in our “Med Shed” by staff. For safety and continuity of care, campers may not keep medications with them. Optional supplements and vitamins are not allowed to be brought to camp.
- Emergency plans: The camp should have plans in place for different types of emergencies, and the plans should be easily accessible to staff.
- Sick policy: Camps should have a clear policy for what happens when campers develop symptoms or get a minor injury. At Camp Celiac they are seen by our camp doctor and treated for minor illnesses and injuries. Parents must be available to pick them up as needed. If they test positive for Covid-19 or another communicable disease, they are isolated. Parents or a designated guardian must be accessible by phone and available to pick up the child within a few hours as needed.
- Vaccination policy: Vaccinations may be required of camp participants.
- Covid policy: Camps may have different policies based on a variety of factors. At Camp Celiac, staff are required to be vaccinated for Covid-19 and boosted. It is currently optional for campers, as we follow county public health guidance. All camp participants must test themselves with an at-home Covid test kit prior to arrival and then we test them on arrival. If participants develop symptoms, they are tested again and the parents may be required to pick them up.
Questions to Ask About the Food if the Camp is 100% Gluten-Free
Questions to Ask if the Camp is 100% Gluten-Free
- What are the procedures for cleaning the kitchen prior to camp? Most, if not all, dedicated gluten-free camps will be using a facility that also hosts non-gluten-free camps. At Camp Celiac, the kitchen is closed for 24 hours to be thoroughly cleaned twice under the supervision of longtime staff familiar with our needs with regard to ingredients, cross contact, storage and equipment.
- How is GF safety maintained during camp? Do they restrict staff from bringing any gluten into the kitchen during the celiac camp?
- How are products chosen? Who is choosing the food products, reading labels, and ensuring safety? Does the criteria meet your child’s needs? For example, do they allow products made in shared facilities and do they allow gluten-free oats?
- What other dietary restrictions are accommodated? If your child has any other dietary restrictions, such as food allergies, religious restrictions such as kosher or halal, or preferences such as vegetarian or vegan, you’ll need to ask whether it is accommodated and how the kitchen staff ensures that your child is receiving safe, nutritious and varied foods. Camp Celiac is 100% gluten-free, 100% nut-free, and offers dairy-free, vegetarian and vegan options, but cannot accommodate other food allergies such as corn and soy.
Questions to Ask About the Food if the Camp is Not 100% GF
Questions to Ask if the Camp is Not 100% GF
Camps are getting better at accommodating gluten-related disorders, but it’s important to ask questions before signing up.
- Accommodation policies and procedures: Camp staff should be able to provide details that indicate they are knowledgeable, experienced and take this responsibility seriously.
- How many campers are GF? If they have more gluten-free campers, they may have more food options for them.
- Cross contact: Similar to asking questions when dining out, find out if the staff is knowledgeable about how to safely prepare and serve gluten-free food in a shared environment. Is there separate storage and prep space? Are there dedicated toasters, colanders and other high risk equipment? How are shared condiments handled? Does the staff undergo training or certification?
- Food products: Again, what is the criteria for product and ingredient selection, and does it meet your child’s needs?
- Other dietary restrictions: As mentioned above, does the camp accommodate all of your child’s dietary restrictions? Another question to consider is if the gluten-free food is allergen-free; in other words, whether they are lumping all dietary restrictions together, which can limit food choices, nutrition and satisfaction. Sometimes this is the only way a camp can afford to accommodate multiple dietary restrictions.
- Bringing food: Is your camper allowed to bring, store and then access their favorite foods and snacks? This may be important if the gluten-free food at camp is limited in quantity, variety, nutrition or appeal.
- Food-Related Activities: How does the camp handle food-related activities or crafts that contain gluten? How does the camp ensure that campers on a strict gluten-free diet feel included?
- Communication in advance and during camp: May parents speak to camp leadership and kitchen staff in advance to discuss the plan? Find out how gluten-free campers will access their meals; do they stand in line with other campers or get their food separately? How are gluten-free items identified? If your child has questions or is concerned about food safety while at camp, who should they ask?
Searching for a Camp
Searching for a Camp
National celiac organizations often publish lists of celiac camps in late winter or spring. Check the websites and social media of the Celiac Disease Foundation, National Celiac Association, Gluten Intolerance Group or Beyond Celiac.
Some lists include camps that are not 100% gluten-free but can accommodate kids with celiac disease. You can find more camps that are now accommodating by searching online or asking individual camps directly.
Camps run by large organizations may vary from from one camp to the next, so communicate with the individual camp in which you are interested.
Reminder: Camp Celiac registration opens February 1, 2025, at celiaccamp.org
Upcoming webinar: Stanford Celiac Center Presents: Summer Camp – January 23, 2025 6-7 PM PST
