Safety & Security

We realize there is a lot of uncertainty amid the COVID-19 situation. What remains certain, however, is our commitment to the safety and security of our students, parents, staff, and university partners. All decisions we make are rooted in this philosophy of students and families first.

To assist in our planning, we've created an internal Coronavirus Taskforce to monitor the global situation and provide recommendations on how Summer Discovery can adapt. Our goal is to provide proactive, timely and transparent communication so our families can make the most informed decisions about their summer plans. We successfully ran on-campus programs in summer 2021 and 2022 and are excited about expanded opportunities for summer 2023.

Safety is our number one priority. When your student is on campus – they become our kid too. And just like we want the best for our own kids, we want the safest and most enriching experience for our Summer Discovery students when they are in our care.” 

- Jimmy Musiker – Co-Founder and Executive Director

Student safety isn't a one-person job; it takes a community approach. That's why we've partnered with experts in the field to keep our students protected. We also have partners that provide emergency services should they be needed. 
 

• Universities - At each of our partner universities, we work with university housing, campus safety, student health and wellness, and counseling centers to make sure our critical safety protocols and plans are in place should they be needed. Our university partners provide their guidance and expertise in the field of campus safety.
• Insurance - Summer Discovery works with Trip Mate Insurance Agency Inc. to provide optional travel protection and medical coverage for our U.S. and Canadian students and GBH Insurance for our international students. Should it be needed, students can access 24/7 medical assistance, emergency evacuation, global medical records services, world-class hospitals and more. We also partner with AMSkier, the country’s largest insurer of summer programs and camps, to provide emergency services in times of crisis. 
• Staff - Our campus directors average more than 14 years of experience. Many are teachers, educators, professors, counselors, and principals that spend their summer serving our students. All of our Resident Counselors are 21 years or older and have been through Summer Discovery's safety training. We utilize background checks and extensive screening protocols for all staff members to ensure the best quality support for our students. 
• Parents - Parents have an active role to play in student safety. Our parents must complete student forms that provide essential information about student needs, health, and visitation allowances. Parents must approve all external visitors. 

We've been delivering pre-college experiences to high school and middle school students for over 40 years.  And after four decades, we are still learning.  Safety and security challenges are always changing. Each year, we evaluate and evolve our safety protocols to assure our standards and processes are top-notch and meet current trends. Below are just a few of our notable practices. 

• Student Ratios   
  We are intentional about our student to staff ratios. We want our students to be on a first-name basis with all our staff. We want staff to know faces and names. This creates a more enriching experience for our team and your student! Even more importantly, our low student/staff ratios also help us ensure the safety of our students.
• Home Areas 
  Each university campus has been evaluated, reviewed and physically walked to determine the areas most suitable for our students. Students are given a map of the "home area" for their campus upon arrival. Students must not leave the home area without supervision by one of our staff members. We want students to have freedom, but it must be balanced with the responsibility to stay within the home area. 
• Safety Protocols
  The key to safety is having a process. When we take our students on off-campus trips, we have systems in place for making sure all students are accounted for traveling to the destination, at the destination and returning from the destination. We make rounds nightly to ensure all students are in their rooms at check-in times. We have sign-in and sign-out processes to ensure students are where they are supposed to be.  Expectations are provided to students in their Student/Parent Handbook before arriving on campus and are reviewed at orientation. Students that don't follow given safety practices risk termination from our program.
• Identification
  All students are required to have a campus-issued or Summer Discovery ID. This ID card allows us to restrict access to buildings and residence halls to Summer Discovery students. ID's are required to be worn at all times on a Summer Discovery-provided lanyard.
• Personal Attention
  If your student is not feeling well or has a medical emergency, we won't send them off to fend for themselves. Summer Discovery staff make all medical appointments, accompany students to medical facilities, manage and distribute all  medications (both prescription and non-prescription), and notify parents after or during medical visits. We meet our students at the airport on pick-up and transport them back to the airport on departure day. Your student is more than a number; they are a part of our family.

For over 11 years, David Mallen has worked in higher education and pre-college program settings to assess and mitigate risk in student conduct, student wellness, and compliance capacities. David advises on policies and collaborates with campus partners to ensure every detail is addressed when it comes to providing a safe learning and living environment for our students.

“The best safety plans are the ones that exist in plain sight but do not detract from the program experience. To that end, parents can feel confident that Summer Discovery holds itself to the highest standard to assure that students will have a memorable and safe summer experience.”

-David

When attending our programs, your child is our responsibility. We are honored that so many parents have entrusted us with their students over the past 40 years. Our goal is to provide peace-of-mind to parents and a valuable experience for our students. If you have any questions about our safety practices or policies, please contact the office at info@summerdiscovery.com or call 1 (516) 447-4907.