Episode 14: Keeping Your Kids Safe at Summer Camp with Cherie Benjoseph

In preparation for a summer filled with fun and exciting summer camp opportunities, I am welcoming Cherie Benjoseph, LCSW on The Heartful Parent Podcast today.

Cherie has worked as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker for over 30 years in various school settings. Currently she works at the Director of National Outreach and Education for the Center for Child Counseling. 

In 2009, Cherie founded the KidSafe Foundation, a non-profit with a focus on child sexual abuse primary prevention. KidSafe has many programs for parents and educators, but today we are talking about CampSafe which is geared towards providing strong foundational knowledge of child sexual abuse prevention and awareness within a  day camp or overnight camp setting.

Cherie shares with us two imperative conversations parents or caregivers need to have if you are sending your child to camp this summer. First are the questions you must ask the director of your child’s camp in order as part of the process of researching and vetting the camp you choose for your child. And second are the conversations to have with your kids, starting way in advance, so they know what to expect, what healthy boundaries might look like, and what options they have for protecting themselves and who to go to if something feels off. 

Cherie and I share an absolute love for camp, and the experiences it can bring to our children’s lives. But it is our job to project all the children!

So Cherie encourages us to not only have these tough conversations with the directors of the camps and help our kids feel prepared, but also make it the norm that camps participate in a program like CampSafe as part of their own process to keep kids safe at their camps. 

Find out more about CampSafe, and the other programs offered by the KidSafe Foundation at their website: kidsafefoundation.org and connect with Cherie and the work she does for the Center for Child Counseling at centerforchildcounseling.org.

Note: I offer resources and support for child safety with Savvy Parents Safe Kids as part of The Heartful Parent Collective. Sign up to get resources from me delivered right to your inbox! You are not meant to do this alone!