Environmental Health

Report outbreaks (and suspect outbreaks) of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in your youth camp to your local health department immediately. Outbreaks should also be communicated to the Youth Camp Safety Project by the youth camp owner/operator, camp director or health director by phone to (609) 913-5115 or email: youth.camps@doh.nj.gov within 24 hours.

An outbreak may be occurring when:

• Several children with similar symptoms are in the same group
• There is an increase in absences with reports of similar symptoms
• Two or more children are diagnosed with the same reportable disease
• A single case of a highly infectious disease exists or is suspected to exist

Statewide Child Abuse Hotline:
1-877-NJ-ABUSE (1-877-652-2873)

New Jersey is a mandatory reporting state. Failure to report suspected child abuse or neglect is a disorderly persons offense.

What does this mean? - Any person with reasonable cause to believe that a child has been abused or neglected must report those concerns or findings immediately to the State Central Registry (SCR).

For mandated reporting training, contact the Department of Children and Families.

Check out the CDC's video about violence prevention.

Download the informational flyer.

The Youth Camp Safety Project will start accepting and processing applications Tuesday, March 5, 2024.

1. The application form is optimized for Adobe Reader. Click here to download the FREE Adobe Reader program.
   
   
2. If you cannot use Adobe Reader, please PRINT TO PDF to ensure your application answers appear as intended across different platforms.
   
   
3. Attach your application to a new email and submit along with payment receipts to youth.camps@doh.nj.gov.

The New Jersey Youth Camp Safety Standards was set to expire on December 11, 2022. Prior to the expiration date, the Program in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Legal and Regulatory Compliance (OLRC), filed a draft of rule revisions with the NJ Office of Administrative Law (OAL). The filing to OAL extends the existing rule for a period of 6 months. Proposed revisions to the regulation remain in the review process which includes a public comment period. Therefore, the rule effective December 11, 2015 which was set to expire December 11, 2022 remains in full effect and force until June 11, 2024. All new developments on the status of the rule will be communicated via our website at NJ Youth Camps. Click here for an explanation on the extension of the rule.

When you’re looking for care for your children during the summer, you want to find a program that’s convenient, open when you need it, and within your budget. Most importantly, you need a care program that makes sure your child is safe, healthy, and having fun for the summer! It can be a challenge to identify a high-quality camp provider, but we have some resources to aid in the process. How can you find quality child care? What does a quality child care program look like?

Summer is a great time to enjoy many fun outdoor activities, but high levels of air pollution and physical activity are a bad mix. Elevated levels of ozone or fine particles in the air can be harmful to health. Also, days with high levels of air pollution can trigger asthma attacks and worsen asthma symptoms in children. Asthma is common in NJ children and affects an estimated 8% of NJ children under 18. In 2021, more than 8,500 NJ children under age 18 went to NJ Emergency Departments seeking treatment for asthma.

Download the informational flyer

New Jersey youth camps can take steps to prevent heat-related illness (HRI) on days that have high temperatures and humidity. Children, especially those who are physically active, are among those individuals at higher-than-average risk for HRI. High heat days can also cause poor air quality, which can trigger asthma attacks or worsen asthma symptoms. Between 2017 and 2021, a total of 848 children under the age of 15-years old were treated at New Jersey Emergency Departments for heat-related illness.

Download the informational flyer