You must to upgrade your Flash Player to view this site properly, please click here to upgrade now.

Frequently Asked Questions

We know that you have many questions about what to expect at Wellspring Wisconsin. Some of the questions we’re asked most frequently are answered below. For more general questions regarding Wellspring Camps, please click here.

Can I visit my child while at Wellspring Wisconsin?
When and how often will campers be calling home?
Will they have access to computers – can they bring their iphone/itouch/lap top?
What type of housing will my child have at Wellspring Wisconsin?
How do you determine room-mates? What happens if they don’t like their room-mate?
What happens if my child gets sick? What medical facilities are there available?
How do you deal with homesickness?
How do you screen and select your staff?
My child is not naturally athletic – how do I know he/she will like the activities offered at Wellspring Wisconsin?
What if my child does not want to participate in an activity?
Wellspring Wisconsin is located on a university campus…is it safe?
My child isn’t sure she wants to attend a fitness and weight loss camp this summer. What should I do?

Can I visit my child while at Wellspring Wisconsin?

Yes! And in fact, family involvement is strongly encouraged. Visiting weekends for Wellspring Wisconsin occur on the Family Workshop weekends only; dates are provided in the enrollment packet. It is highly recommended that you attend a Family Workshop so that you can learn how best to support your camper once he or she returns home. There are time slots provided during all of these Workshops to visit with your camper. Once you have attended one of our Family Workshops, you may use a subsequent workshop weekend solely for visitation with your camper if you’d like. Your camper may leave campus with you during these visitation hours. Your camper may also go to your hotel with you in the evenings during Family Workshop weekends if you’d like.

When and how often will campers be calling home?

Initially campers have 1 short phone call home a week and parents will be informed of when they will be calling by email at least 6 days in advance so they can be sure to be available. Once the campers are settled, they can begin to earn more phone call time as part of the camp rewards structure.

Beginning the second week of camp, campers will have email time each week. They are also encouraged to send letters & postcards home.

We encourage parents to send their child emails (to a central address we will provide), which will be distributed to campers daily at mail call. Letters and postcards from home are welcome and encouraged as well! And feel free to send care packages, but please do not include food, as campers will have plenty of delicious Wellspring food throughout the day. Non-food care packages are great practice for parents and kids alike to begin discovering rewards and celebrations which are inline with the Wellspring Plan.

Will they have access to computers – can they bring their iphone/itouch/lap top?

Campers will have access to their email accounts (if they have one), via a mutli-computer room on campus – beginning in the 2nd week of camp. Then, like phone calls, additional email time is linked to our rewards program.

Campers can bring their own cell phones for phone calls home, however, these (and any device with signal-transmitting capability) will be kept securely by camp administration, and used only during dedicated phone/email time.

Campers may bring iPods or other portable music devices, understanding that these items will be stored securely until appropriate times for use.

We do not recommend that campers bring a lap-top or any other electrical item of value. Things often get lost and broken at camp and we prefer that you don’t take the risk with such valuable items. Any such items that arrive at camp will have to be kept by camp administration until appropriate times for use, if applicable.

What type of housing will my child have at Wellspring Wisconsin?

All campers and staff at Wellspring Wisconsin stay in a dormitory building on the UW-Platteville campus. Campers are assigned to bunk groups by age & gender, which create a secure, single-sex core activity group in which campers quickly feel settled and supported. Campers live in 2-person dorm rooms, with plenty of staff in residence with each bunk group. While dorm life differs naturally from life at home, campers will be in comfortably air-conditioned rooms, and are encouraged to bring favorite pillows, stuffed animals, etc. to help them feel at home. Our staff goes to great lengths to make campers’ dorm halls a welcoming, enjoyable home-away-from home.

How do you determine roommates? What happens if they don’t like their roommate?
Campers are roomed with one other camper of the same sex, similar age and similar length of stay. We carefully read the information you provide and the answers your child gives to the camper questionnaire in the enrollment packet and match up campers of similar interests and background. Campers spend very little time in their rooms and very rarely do we have conflicts with roommates and those are always resolved immediately. More often camp roommates form a close friendship that lasts long after camp has finished.

What happens if my child gets sick? What medical facilities are there available?

All staff are trained in basic first aid and CPR/AED. We will have a camp nurse on site, and our senior staff along with UW-Platteville campus security personnel are trained to deal with emergency first aid. We also have access to the local hospital and emergency response units.

Camp staff deal with all minor first aid issues and non-emergency situations. For anything more serious, campers are taken to the local hospital, just a short distance away from campus, and with a full array of urgent/emergency care services.

How do you deal with homesickness?

Homesickness is inevitable at some point at camp and may last 5 minutes or 5 days. It affects old and young alike. We find that keeping the campers happy and busy is the best cure for homesickness and we also ask that parents maintain an upbeat and positive attitude when talking with their children. While you are no doubt missing them greatly, focusing on the positive aspects of them being at camp – making friends, having fun, becoming more healthy – helps greatly in enabling your child to readjust to camp life. The ironic thing is that campers are always “campsick” when they return home!

How do you screen and select your staff?

We take a great deal of care when selecting our camp staff. Staff members are at least 21 years of age and the majority have expertise/certifications in nutrition, fitness and health. We conduct extensive reference checks with former employers and screen our staff extensively via criminal, drug and driving tests and background checks. All staff complete our mandatory, multi-day staff training and we do not hesitate to dismiss a member of staff who does not meet our high standards. Staff members are role models to the campers and many return year after year for one of the most rewarding jobs in the world.

My child is not naturally athletic – how do I know he/she will like the activities offered at Wellspring Wisconsin?

We know that there are as many activity preferences as we have campers each summer! At Wellspring Wisconsin, our staff are trained and excited to lead campers in a wide variety of activities each day – ranging from traditional sports like basketball and tennis, to outdoor activities like hiking and canoeing. We know that besides sports and adventure outings, simple games like tag and “Trolls, Elves & Wizards” can be fun for campers of all ages, and keep us very active. Our experience shows that by offering a huge variety of activities, as well as supportive instruction – each camper will find at least a few activities they truly enjoy and will want to continue at home. Who knows, your camper may come home anxious to join a soccer league…or she may have her first 5k race under her belt and be looking forward to more!

What if my child does not want to participate in an activity?

At Wellspring we never ask a camper to do an activity that has not already been done on many occasions by our own staff. Staff members participate fully in everything from basketball to rock climbing and we always adhere to the strictest safety codes. If a camper is scared to try something new, like canoeing or climbing, staff will provide extra support and kind encouragement – enabling them to participate as much as they can, relying on our “Challenge by Choice” motto. We work hard to make activities as fun as possible and work with the campers to ensure that we do the activities they like. We know we can’t always please everyone, but once our staff springs into action with encouragement and activity variations, we rarely have campers refusing to participate!

Wellspring Wisconsin is located on a university campus…is it safe?

Wellspring Wisconsin is located on the campus of the University Wisconsin-Platteville, one of America’s safest campuses, and a secure, welcoming location for your child this summer.
The campus is relatively secluded from outside traffic – there are no major streets bypassing the campus. Moreover, our hosts at UW-Platteville patrol the campus 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and our trained to work with Wellspring staff to ensure the safety and comfort of all our campers. UW-Platteville security personnel are trained emergency responders, and are accessible via patrols, a quick phone call, or an alert from one of many emergency call boxes placed throughout the campus.

Wellspring campers and staff will have exclusive use of dining, dorm and classroom facilities as well as fitness and recreation facilities during booked activity periods.

My child isn’t sure she wants to attend a fitness and weight loss camp this summer. What should I do?

Many children are hesitant about attending a fitness and weight loss camp because they have already tried other ways to lose weight and have not been successful. While Wellspring Wisconsin has a track record of amazing initial and long-term weight loss success, this may not be enough to convince some kids.

Encourage your child to review the Wellspring website and DVD, or ask a Wellspring Admissions Counselor about having your child speak with former Wellspring Wisconsin campers.
While it is normal to be apprehensive, it is important to help your child make the critical decision to deal with his or her weight now. Research clearly states that overweight children are likely to become overweight adults, with the physical and emotional toll this brings.

In the end, our experience shows that children who attend Wellspring appreciate being in a supportive environment with others who share their background. Campers gain new skills, have fun, and make friends for life. Not only can campers achieve significant weight loss, but also dramatic changes in mood, outlook, and self-esteem. The opportunity to attend Wellspring Camps can be a transformative, life-changing experience – one that is extremely beneficial for overweight children, teens and young adults.