What does 'private, unlicensed' summer camp mean?
 

Private, unlicensed means that Big Brain Adventurers is not licensed by the Government of Ontario or Ministry of Education, and is not covered under the Child Care and Early Years Act. The Ministry of Education does not have a specific licence for day camps for children 4 years old and up. Therefore, Big Brain Adventurers summer camp program is not required to follow the certain ratios for children ages 4 and up that a licensed childcare centre or a licensed summer camp program would have to follow.
 

What is the Camp Facilitator to child ratio?
 

Although Big Brain Adventurers is an unlicensed summer camp program and is not required to follow certain ratio standards outlined within the CCEYA, the ratio standards for Big Brain Adventurers have been set as: 
 

• 20 children with 2 camp facilitators (ratio 1:10) + 2 high school aged Camp Leaders (extra helping hands)

• 30 children with 3 camp facilitators (ratio 1:10) + 3 high school aged Camp Leaders (extra helping hands)

Typically, a ratio of 1:8 is the standard for a preschool classroom within a licensed childcare centre, while school age ratios are 1:13 for kindergarten and 1:15 for school age. This low school-age ratio is to ensure all children and staff feel comfortable and safe within the program while engaging in meaningful, play-based learning opportunities. Big Brain Adventurers is proud to guarantee that all children within the program will be provided small group experiences as one of our philosophies is to offer meaningful relationships and interactions between educators and children to cultivate deeper play-based learning experiences.

 

This concept is opposed to licensed camps that follow ratios of 1 adult to 13 children for kindergarten-aged children (1:13) and 1 adult to 15 children (1:15) for school-age children (grades 1-6). Many licensed summer camps may also have children with medical diagnoses and disabilities without any extra support,  as well as other unlicensed camps are not required to follow any ratio standards and take as many children without carefully considering the importance to upholding a ratio standard.

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What is the cancellation policy?

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Cancellation notice must be given by June 1st, 2025 in order to receive an 85% refund. An administration fee of 15% will be charged. Credit for alternative program weeks during the 2025 summer season or 2026 camp season will be issued in lieu of cancellations.