About SOAR365 @Camp Baker
SOAR365 @Camp Baker offers both a comprehensive 10-week traditional summer camp experience for children, featuring activities like campfires, horse riding, boating, and talent shows, and year-round weekend adult respite care specifically for autistic individuals. While campers consistently express enjoyment and a sense of 'safe place,' the administrative process for respite care is notably challenging, and serious concerns exist regarding management's internal practices and alleged treatment of staff and individuals with disabilities.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Children seeking a traditional, activity-rich summer camp for an extended period (10 weeks).Families looking for a nurturing 'safe place' where children can return annually and build community.Parents of autistic adults in Richmond, VA, who are in critical need of weekend respite care and are prepared for a challenging administrative onboarding process due to limited alternatives.School-aged children: For summer camp activities (horse riding, boating, talent shows).Adults: Specifically for the adult autistic respite care program.
Why families love it
- Children's summer camp program spans 10 weeks.
- Traditional campfire activity, including marshmallow eating, is a favorite.
- Opportunities for campers to meet friends from various parts of America.
- Engaging activities like talent shows (e.g., singing), horse riding, and boating are offered.
- Staff is described as 'Amazing' by campers/parents, contributing to a positive experience for children.
- Offers year-round weekend adult respite care specifically for autistic individuals.
Insider tips
- For adult respite care, plan well in advance (6+ months) due to the extensive approval process, paperwork, and meetings.
- Be prepared to proactively and repeatedly follow up with administration via email for confirmations, drop-off times, and readiness for adult respite care services.
- Parents of special needs children should weigh the serious allegations regarding management's attitude towards individuals with disabilities against the reported good treatment of clients.
Good to know before you go
- If you require a quick or hassle-free enrollment process for adult respite care.
- If concerns regarding management's alleged ethics and treatment of individuals with disabilities are a primary deterrent.
- If seeking a venue with transparent and reliable administrative communication for special needs services.
- The application and approval process for adult respite care is extremely lengthy (reported >6 months) and burdensome, requiring extensive paperwork and multiple mandatory meetings (3 cited).
- Significant communication issues for adult respite care, requiring parents to repeatedly initiate contact (emails) for confirmations, readiness, and drop-off times, even on the day of arrival.
- Value
- No specific client pricing is provided. However, a staff review indicates that the cost for clients to attend for one week is equivalent to what staff are paid over three months, suggesting a high weekly cost for families.
- Food
- No specific client food policy mentioned. Staff reported not receiving promised 'good food,' but this does not directly reflect client food offerings or policies.
- Accessibility
- Offers year-round weekend adult respite care specifically for autistic individuals.
- Safety
- No specific safety features for clients are mentioned. However, a staff review mentioned belongings being stolen without supervisory assistance, which raises general security concerns that could indirectly affect client safety.
What parents say
"10 weeks in which you can enjoy all the CAMP BAKER activities, my favorite will be Camp Fire, the camping experience is not complete without a campfire eating marshmallows with your friends from various parts of America"
3 months ago
"I applied for my adult autistic son to go to the weekend adult respite care offered year round more than 6 months ago. So far my experience with getting him there for the first day has been mixed. The paperwork and meetings necessary to just get him approved is an enormous task to begin with. Then when I finally got approved and went to the 3 meetings required, I waited for a confirmation from them. I had to write to them first to confirm that everything was ready to go. I gave them the first day I was planning to come and then when the day approached, I had to send another email to confi"
8 months ago
"All the bad reviews are true iam disgusted and truly disappointed by the management at camp baker they treat the clients very well and the staff like dirt ,when applying they sugar coat everything and mislead you tell you your perfect for this job they’ll try and sway you with promises of bonus's and good food which both you don’t receive , they charge the same amount for clients to come for a week that they pay you in 3 months (if you sweeten up to those higher up) my belongings and others belongings got stolen while working here with no sort of help from supervisors I want to warn every y"
8 months ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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