Rainbow Day Camp began in 1973 under the ownership and direction of Paul & Wendy
Young. Paul, a social worker, and Wendy, an elementary teacher, had been
life-long campers and decided that many children in Guelph would benefit from a
unique, day camp experience with a focus on the arts, and including a variety of
regular camp experiences.
The Young’s believed that all children,
regardless of their unique and special needs, should have the opportunity to
join in a summer camp adventure. After several successful summers, they
collaborated with the local Association for Community Living, the Autism Society
and Association for Children with Learning Disabilities and created a non-profit
organization with an exceptional Board of Directors. Through collective
decision, the Board hired more staff with special needs expertise in order to
move forward with a fully integrated program. In 1978, Rainbow Day Camp became
Rainbow Programmes for Children and became a registered charity.
Rainbow
has grown into a fully inclusive, non-profit summer camp that has offered
hundreds of children each a year, a fun and memorable camp experience.
Rainbow is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors who work diligently all
year round in preparation for each summer with the support of a year round part
time Executive Director. Our Board meets six times a year with Committee
meetings as required. Committees of the Board include: Finance and Nominations,
with ad hoc committees in personnel, fundraising, public relations & marketing.
Please see our Organizational Chart
Do your children love coming to camp? Are you interested in getting involved with a proactive group of dedicated parents helping to guide and plan Rainbow's future? WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Contact us about becoming a volunteer member of our Board of Directors - meetings are bi-monthly.
Please contact Tammy Oakley, President at info@rainbowdaycamp.com
or call 519-837-0387.
Rainbow is now an Accredited member of HIGH FIVEŽ, a program
of Parks & Recreation Ontario. Our camp is one of eight in Ontario and a leader a growing trend in recreational and
sport programs that recognize the value of the accreditation process.
HIGH FIVEŽ is a quality assurance program designed
to support the safety, well-being and healthy development
of children in recreation and sport programs.
Rainbow is committed to ensuring that every child participating at camp has a positive recreational experience.
HIGH FIVEŽ will ensure that Rainbow staff develop a high level of knowledge and expertise in healthy child development while providing our organization with the tools for enhancing and maintaining a high level of program quality. Research has identified five principles of healthy child development that are essential for quality programs: a caring adult, opportunities to play, make friends, master skills and participate. These principles support quality experiences for children - the kind of experiences HIGH FIVEŽ helps Rainbow to deliver!
Quote from a staff member..."Healthy Child Development is characterized by love. It involves experiential learning, lots of play and time to imagine. Healthy child development requires the patience and compassion of a role model who both respects and cares for the child and is able to allow them enough freedom to feel ownership over their experiences, but knows boundaries and is able to keep them safe from harm."
For further information on HIGH FIVEŽ please visit their website at www.highfive.org
Rainbow has received the following awards in recognition of our exceptional program:
