Destination Science

My son attended camp at the Fullerton Arboretum the week of 07÷20÷15 and had a great time. I would have given them 5 stars but the reason for the generous 3 stars is because I am concerned that the staff is not well trained when it comes to children with severe allergies.
My son has a peanut allergy. On Day 1 of camp, I turned in the required medical form and informed the camp worker that his epipen was in his backpack. She said that she would take the epipen and place it in another location, which made sense in the event my son would require it, they wouldn’t have to dig through a lot of backpacks.
On the last day of camp, I forgot to retrieve the epipen. I emailed the camp over the weekend stating that I would pick it up on Monday. Long story short, they cannot locate the medication. The medication was in a red bag that was labeled «Allermates Medicine Bag». I even emailed them a picture of the bag. One of the camp employees looked through the items (lunch bags, hats, miscellaneous lost and found) leftover from the camp and could not locate it. The site director thinks it may have been packed up with supplies and sent off to the warehouse since there are no more camps scheduled for that location.
You would think that when the workers were packing up and saw a bag labeled with the word «medicine», they would investigate who it belonged to (my son’s name and emergency contact information was in the bag). Or maybe it wasn’t packed up and the staff just left the bag laying around the whole week of camp which causes me concern that if my son really needed it, they would not have had access to it. Medications should be locked up and there should be better controls over them. At the end of each camp, the staff should ensure that the medications are returned to the owner.
To give them a little credit, the site director has spent a lot of time trying to locate the medicine but even said herself that «it doesn’t look good».
Like I said earlier, my son really did enjoy the camp and asked if he could attend again next year. Before this incident, I would not even hesitate to say yes but now I’m not so sure. The staff hasn’t given me the impression that they take allergies and controls over medication very seriously.

This is the email I had to write to Customer Service.
Hi,
I’ve had a very disappointing morning.
I arrived around 8:10 in the morning at parking lot #25 as stated in the attached directions. I just downloaded the form last night. Both my kids were enrolled for camp for the next two weeks with 8 am early check in.
There’s no signs in the parking lot.
We walk to Hoagland Hall and room 108 is completely empty and dark. I’ve attached the form that I’ve downloaded from the website and pictures of the empty and dark rooms.
The first time I called the 1−888−909−2822 was at 8:21 am. I informed them of what was going on that I thought I was at the right place. The person on the phone stated she would call the director and get back to be within 5 minutes.
At 8:30 am I did not hear back yet therefore I called. This person was able to tell me that I was at the wrong place. I should be at Wellman hall room 109 and the check in parking lot was lot 15. I don’t know why the first phone person could not have told me that information.
I walk with my kids to Wellman Hall. I do see 1 destination science camp sign. I don’t see anybody. We arrive at room 109 and it is empty and dark.
We walk around the building and there is nobody there at all.
So at 8:42 am I called again. Whoever was on the phone said there should be people at both the old and new site now, which was obviously not the case as I was physically at the new site.
At this point I could not wait any longer. Obviously I had paid for early 8 am check in for a reason. I’m running very late for my day.
Whoever I spoke to on the phone did say I would get a full refund.
As I’m heading out back to parking lot #25 where I parked, I see tons of parents with their kids there for destination science camp (as it is getting closer to 9 am now). It is very clear to me I was not the only one who got the wrong information.
It’s very unfortunate that this happened. I am still expecting FULL refunds for both children for both weeks.
I’m only sending this email so you guys can figure what when wrong and try to fix it and ensure it doesn’t happen again in the future.
Between 8:10 am and 9:00 I was at UC Davis on campus and at this time I am still not sure why Destination Science camp staff members was not able to connect or find us. Nobody even tried to call me at any point.

I worked here over the summer, and I loved everything about the program. It not only teaches your children about science, but it also helps them to evolve socially. Overall, all of the kids in the camps are fantastic. Not to mention the staff members! The staff members are not only trained for the science program supplied by Destination Science, but they are also either teachers in elementary schools or going to school to become teachers.
Whether you are looking to apply or to send you kid to camp, I would try it at least once! There are locations all throughout Orange County, Los Angeles County, Riverside County, San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, and Florida. We are also looking for new locations to host our camps.

Destination Science is great summer camp program, filled with innovative ideas and products. They strive for excellence here at training camp teachers and site directors. Most of the teachers are actual teachers or have some type of teaching experience.
Destination Science is spread out throughout Southern California, Northern California and Florida. Each camp has their own site director as well as a regional director to help coordinate efforts throughout the camps. Some camps may also have LITs, which stands for Leadership in Training. This is great for young teenagers who want to get ahead by helping out with a fantastic program. It looks great on college applications too.
The camps are structured to be fun. You have the option to drop your child or children off for either half day (no lunch) and full day (lunch). There is also snack time for the kids as well. You start with songs, recognition awards for various activities and then the camp opens up the themes of the week. There are usually four revolving themes. Each theme consists of something different. The camp experience is a lot of fun for children as they get to take home a lot of awesome prizes and their projects at the end of the week. Destination Science is also a Green company and they are finding ways each year to reduce the amount of waste that might be generated from their products. They gave out reusable bags last year to the kids that were perfect for carrying home their projects as well as future use as a laundry hamper, carrying beach equipment, etc.
I worked for Destination Science for three years. The lessons I learned from teaching here are valuable. You learn a lot about yourself and you learn how to adapt on the fly. Teachers should also be aware that not everything goes according to plan so you must be able to overcome those obstacles. If you would to become a teacher or site director, make sure you check their website. You also should have a working car (for the majority of people you will not be in the same site all of the weeks you signed up for).
If you like working with kids, sign up with this company. Parents, if you’re looking for a great summer program for your children, consider signing up with Destination Science. If you sign up with more than one child, there are discounts available. Make sure you check with either Destination Science or if the camp is hosted in conjunction with a city’s Parks & Rec dept, consult with them.

Great camp, I have worked with their teens!!! Wonderful program!