Fun, Sun & Splash Day Camp

Please click here to review our COVID-19 Protocol. Thank you

The basic fee for one week of Fun, Sun & Splash Day Camp is $175.00.  This includes all necessary field trip fees and transportation.  The only extra money you would need to send with your child is for extra snacks or lunch on trips such as: Adventureland, Omaha Zoo, Slideways Karting & Fun Center, Lake Ahquabi, Gray's Lake, etc. 

Updated 6/12/20: For 2020, our campers will be split into two smaller groups. The CDC recommends "cohorting groups" that do not mix with other camp groups. Van 1 will meet at the Clive Special Events Building.  Van 2 will meet at the Clive Parks & Recreation office.  Drop off and pick times remain the same as a normal summer (listed below).  The two groups will have separate staff and schedules each week.  Otherwise, the following takes place during a normal year.

Our home base for camp is the Clive Special Events Building, located right next to the Clive Aquatic Center.  Address is 1801 NW 114^th St.  See map at bottom. 

Drop off is between 7:30-9:00am.  

Pick up time is between 4:15-5:30pm.  

Our activities and field trips typically start at 9:15am, so it’s important for your child to arrive on time.  We kindly ask you to have your child picked up promptly before 5:30pm.  

For the accountability and safety of our campers, we ask parents or guardians to sign their child in and out of camp every day.  The sign in/sign out sheet is located on the SE Building kitchen counter.

Note:  The 2020 schedule is a bit different than normal.  While we are still hopeful that we may have a swim time at the Clive Aquatic Center, nothing is confirmed.  We may be able to utilize some swim time in between the Clive Aquatic Center's parent/child swim lessons

Fun, Sun & Splash Day Camp typically consists of a field trip or activity each morning, followed by an afternoon of swimming at the Clive Aquatic Center, however, some field trips will occur all day.  Camp Schedule

A detailed weekly agenda will be emailed to parents one week prior to first day of camp with a list of items needed and more details of that week of camp.

Our camp "weekly highlights" are typically finalized by the end of February!  So please know, if reading this information before that date, many more programs & field trips are being finalized as you read this information!

Park Day:  During each FSS camp week, typically one day is set aside for a "park day."  We value getting the kids outdoors and experiencing nature and green space in different capacities.  We rotate to different parks throughout Polk County and Dallas County. 

2020 Schedule
Week 1:  June 8-12
Week 2:  June 15-19
Week 3:  June 22-26
Week 4:  June 29-July 3
Week 5:  July 6-10
Week 6:  July 13-17
Week 7:  July 20-24
Week 8:  July 27-31
Week 9:  Aug 3-7
Week 10:  Aug 10-14
Week 11:  Aug 17-21

1. Lunch & Afternoon snack*     
2. Comfortable walking shoes   
3. Sunscreen     
4. Swimsuit & Towel

*Campers are allowed to bring money for a snack at the concession stand and to field trips; however, we are not responsible for any lost or stolen money.  Should you choose, you are welcome to put that money into a named zip lock baggie, and our daily Program Leader can store in our staff backpack. 

The CDC recommends group cohorting to minimize the spread of COVID-19.  As such, Fun, Sun & Splash has been split into two groups with max of 13 kids per group.  These groups will not interact.  So to ensure we have friends who want to be together, please complete the Friend Request Form.  Thank you

ATTIRE
We want your child to be comfortable at camp, so shorts and a t-shirt are just fine.  On cooler days a hoodie, or sweatshirt, especially on cooler mornings, may be needed.  

TRAVEL DAY SHIRTS
New in 2019, on days we travel to places like movie theaters, Iowa Cubs games, Zoo, Adventureland, bowling alleys, we will have your child change into a lime green “Clive P&R t-shirt” for the trip.  You do not need to purchase the shirts.  We reuse them and launder them daily.

Very simply, it is imperative our staff (and the kids) know exactly who is part of our group.  Being able to identify your child from a short distance is very important on some of our trips.

Likewise, our staff members will be wearing bright yellow “Clive P&R t-shirts” for your child to easily identify their leaders quickly and from a distance.  We take great pride in getting to know your child throughout camp, but sometimes your child may not remember exactly who their group leader is.  For this reason, our staff wears the easily identifiable bright yellow shirts with the Clive logo.  

Additionally, on days we travel to larger locations, our campers wear a lime green wristband with our camp contact information.    

Our Program Leaders have at least two summers of previous camp supervisory experience.  Our summer staff consists of current full-time teachers, and/or education, leisure services, or nursing students.  Staff members with those backgrounds are best equipped to handle the variety of situations that arise on a day to day basis.  But not only their experience matters, we value detailed-oriented, energetic, organized, neat and orderly, trustworthy staff members.

Our camp staff are selected after in-person interviews and pass a comprehensive background check (OneSource company).  More specifically, our background checks covers these areas:  Nationwide Federal Criminal records, Global Report records, U.S. Nationwide Criminal records, Sex Offender Registry, and Statewide Criminal records.  Our camp staff also pass Pre-Employment Substance Abuse Testing. 

Our staff are CPR/AED & First Aid certified.  As part of our standard staff orientation and training, our staff are also certified in American Red Cross Basic Water Rescue.   

A huge plus of our Fun, Sun & Splash camp is our low counselor-to-camper ratio!  Our staff to child ratio is 1:6.5.  American Camp Association standard is 1:10.

https://www.acacamps.org/campers-families/planning-camp/preparing-camp/how-choose-camp-safety-tips

We take your child's medication needs very seriously and want to ensure your child is following proper medication, dosages, and timing of medication when they are taking their own medication.

Medication Administration Record

We take great pride in effective, efficient communication with you, the parent!  Most of pre-camp and reminder type communication will come from our Camp Director - Jeff Lucas, Recreation Coordinator, City of Clive. 

When registering your child for our camp, please use an email that you check regularly, as well as making sure you cell phone number is listed correctly.  Through our software program, we can send you important reminders via email & text message. 

We appreciated these parent comments regarding our communication to parents...

"Communication this year was great!  We were told about impending bad weather in advance, were updated about the heat, and important field trips were informed prior to with info."

"I appreciate Jeff's ongoing communications about the week's activities and general information related to the camp program, activities, and changes. I also appreciate his responsiveness." 

15 passenger vans are used for all transportation.  We understand the importance of this extremely crucial task.  Our “cargo” is precious and we treat it as such. 

All staff members who are driving our vans are 18 years or older, and in addition to their standard Iowa driver’s license, have obtained a valid Iowa Class D Chauffeur’s license.  In our preseason meetings and trainings, we have set very clear expectations on how to drive when your child is in our care. 

2020 Update: Typically, we offer four two-week sessions of FSS that includes swim lessons at the Clive Aquatic Center.  Those sessions were cancelled.  But typically the following applies to a normal summer. 

One option many parents choose during the camp registration process is "Fun, Sun & Splash w/ Swim Lessons."  This camp option includes two weeks of regular camp programming, but also includes a two-week session of swim lessons at the Clive Aquatic Center!

If choosing this option, your child will be enrolled in the 8:30am session time slot.  So please have your child dropped off to our camp staff by 8:15am.  Our camp staff will take care of getting your child to and from their swim lesson. 

2020 Fun, Sun & Splash w/ Swim Lessons Options:
Weeks 1 & 2:  June 8-19
Weeks 3 & 4:  June 22-July 3
Weeks 5 & 6:  July 6-17
Weeks 7 & 8:  July 20-31 

When registering, you'll be asked what skill level we need to enroll your child.  Should you need help remembering what level your child has passed, login to your account and view your child's class history.

As always, you can call our Clive Parks & Recreation office for more assistance.  (515) 223-5246

Camp is held rain or shine.  Should severe weather and/or extreme heat force our outdoor plans to be adjusted, we have a plan for that! 

A huge perk of our Fun, Sun & Splash camp program is our dedicated, safe, indoor facility - Clive Special Events Building!  

Other area attractions we may visit if needed:
Hop A Lot Inflatables 
GameDay Arcade
Merle Hay Lanes - Bowling
Des Moines Botanical Garden
Urbandale Indoor Swimming Pool
Clive Special Events Building - movies, games, arts/crafts

2020 Update:  We still plan to visit Adventureland!  Our staff will be reminding our campers to not touch their face, mouth, etc. We'll also be taking periodic hand washing breaks.  Our camp staff will have hand sanitizer with them at all times.  Otherwise, the following applies to a normal summer. 

Needless to say, our campers (and staff!) really enjoy visiting Adventureland!  To see when we visit, please see our summer camp schedule.

We also offer a new Adventureland Pass Deal!

As you may know, we typically spend a portion of our afternoons at the Clive Aquatic Center.  Knowing that, we have decided NOT to visit the water park portion of Adventureland. Two reasons...1) Our campers are swimming and enjoying the Clive Aquatic Center for a good portion of our camp schedule, 2) Most importantly, we have safety concerns bringing a large group our size to the water portion of their park.  Trust us, we still have plenty of fun on the ride portion of the park!! 

Note:  You are welcome to send extra spending money with your child on trips like Adventureland, Iowa Cubs, etc.  If you would send that money in a marked baggie, our daily Program Leader will store in our staff backpack.     

Things happen and the best of plans can change...we get it.  So we are flexible.  Full refunds are allowed up until the registration deadline.  The registration deadline is tone week prior to the first day of that week's camp.  

For example, the registration deadline for week 4 of camp (June 29-July 3) is Monday, June 22.  

After the registration deadline, refunds are not allowed.