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Thank you for your interest in Ramapo for Children.
Ramapo is one of the few sleep-away summer camps serving children with social, emotional, and learning challenges. Located in Rhinebeck, NY in Dutchess County, our campus provides a safe, predictable, and highly structured environment, which fosters the development of positive social and learning skills. An extremely high counselor-to-camper ratio helps children who need more support, supervision, and attention to experience success.
What you'll do...
During each of our three summer sessions, 175 campers swim, hike, play sports, enjoy playgrounds, work together to climb rope courses, camp out, reinforce literacy and science-related skills, and participate in activities such as music, drama, arts and crafts, and ceramics. Counselors lead activities and serve as role models and "coaches" to help campers participate positively in new and familiar experiences.
Looking for rewarding work...
Ramapo offers outstanding training and a hands-on experience with children with special needs. Staff consistently report that the expereince was very meaningful and helped then grow professionally and personally. No previous experience in this type of work or special course is necessary for counselor employment. What's more, you can earn college credit for your work here. We accepting applications now.
Credits for Fieldwork Course
Through our affiliation with the National Program on Non-collegiate Sponsored Instruction (National PONSI), we offer a fieldwork course worth 6 credit hours to our camp counselors. The on-site college course, "Field Experience in Special Education" can be credited in one of the following disciplines: Education, Special Education, Educational Psychology, Therapeutic Recreation, Group Dynamics, Outdoor Recreation, Physical Education, Recreation, Camp counseling, or Community Service. The credits you earn this summer could also make it possible for you to take a reduced course load next fall. The fee for the college course is $52.
Please obtain approval from your college to take this course before arriving at camp. The procedures for obtaining approval vary from college to college. However, it is probably best to begin with the Registrar's office and to ask to speak with the person that is in charge of Transfer Credit Evaluation.
You may sign up for the college course upon arrival to camp.
The course includes:
- an overview of instruction during orientation week.
- a nine-week fieldwork and seminar phase.
- a daily Dialogue Journal project (required).
Students will learn:
- to apply theory and practice to solve problems in a therapeutic milieu.
- to live and work with children with special needs.
- to acquire skills and knowledge unobtainable in a classroom experience.
Location: Camp Ramapo, Rhinebeck, NY.
Length: Minimum of 400 hours of supervised field experience (9 weeks) in a residential summer program for children with special needs; in addition, 50 hours (6 days) of initial classroom orientation, lectures, and workshops, 9 one-hour weekly seminars with course instructors, and 9 one-hour weekly consultations with course instructors in the field.
Dates: June 26th - August 19th, 2011
Objectives: Establish relationships with children; promote positive social behaviors; plan, implement, and evaluate educational and recreational experiences for children; motivate children and use appropriate resources to facilitate learning; observe and record children's behavior; relate to and cooperate with supervisors and co-workers; describe principles of child growth and development; identify educational resources, methods, and materials; engage in constructive self-assessment of strengths and weaknesses in relation to working with children.
Instruction: Students work directly with children on learning-centered activities for a minimum of five hours each day and spend a minimum of one hour daily in preparation. Students maintain a daily dialogue journal that includes descriptions of children, observations and recording of children's behavior and educational progress, recording of teaching experiences in the educational program, questions and concerns about their work, and personal reflections on the nature and meaning of the educational experience. Students read and respond to, in writing and in group discussion, selected materials drawn from professional literature; topics include praise and encouragement; preventive discipline; using reading materials with special needs children; conflict management; promoting the development of social skills; project-based learning; group decision making; learning disabilities. Initial camp counselor training is an intensive six-day experience that helps prepare staff to work with children with emotional, learning, and behavior problems in a dynamic, outdoor environment. Topics include safety and health issues, communication, diversity, behavior management, experiential learning through recreational activities, educating children with learning and emotional problems, physical and emotional abuse, dealing with children's developing sexuality.
Credit recommendation: In the lower division baccalaureate/associate degree category, or in the upper division baccalaureate degree category, or 6 semester hours in Special Education or Therapeutic Recreation; or6 semester hours in Camp Counseling, Outdoor Recreation, Group Dynamics; or 6 semester hours as an elective in Education, Physical Education, Recreation, or Educational Psychology; or 6 semester hours as Community Service; or 6 semester hours as a general elective (1/01).
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