Camp Via West (formerly Costanoan) summer camp reviews
Camp Via West (formerly Costanoan)
summer camp
Type:
Overnight
Gender:
Co-Ed
Focus:
Special Needs
Website:
viaservices.org 
Winter Phone:
408.867.1115
Summer Phone:
408.867.1115
Accreditation:
American Camp Association
Profile updated: 4/18/11
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Rating: 1.9 (1-5)
based on 5 reviews.
Summer Camp Via West (formerly Costanoan)
has a poor overall rating on CampRatingz.com.
The following postings have not been substantiated by CampRatingz.com.
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7/10/14 |
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I worked at this camp, and I can tell you all staff are under trained & overworked. We were unable to provide the level of care we would have liked to. When I brought my concerns to management, they were ignored. No one seemed to care.
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3/8/14 |
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I was a staff member here for more than one summer. I would never recommend this camp after seeing everything that happened. Staff are not trained as they should be with necessary things such as lifting.transferring, behavior management, and personal care. They used restraints with campers when totally unnecessary and when they just didn't feel like correctly behavior managing. Not to mention that they are not trained in restraints which makes them illegal to use! Staff do not give their campers the care/attention they need, and the leadership doesn't do anything about even though they know. It is such a shame considering the campers can't attend many other places. I know that this camp didn't have these problems a few years ago with different management and better staff training, but that's not the case anymore. Please don't send your campers here - pick somewhere else!
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8/21/13 |
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I was a staff member at Via West. If I had a child with special needs, I would be horrified to see what happens behind the scenes. There is very little supervision of staff; some participants end up left with unbrushed teeth or dirty diapers for too long. Staff who are untrained in restraints often use physical force in an attempt to control participants' behaviors, which is overall reflective of inadequate training. Staff members, including head counselors, drink on premises at night when participants are present. The camp frequently experiences "Charlie Browns," or misplaced participants, including on field trips and at night time; one participant was missing for over an hour and was found at the top of the mountain. Full time counselors complain of being overworked to the point where participants' safety is endangered. The facilities are rarely cleaned, and when they are, the cleaning is only superficial. Staff members were asked to lie to the ACA. Do NOT send your children here!
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11/27/12 |
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There are so many reasons why I give this place a one star rating. First of all, I was a staff member of Via West summer 2012. I witnessed a lot that happen within this place and I wish I could tell every caregiver what happens here when they leave.
An example of one major incident included our head counselor over the summer, Brittany. It was the second day a session and a participant was did not want to take a shower. Brittany decided he needed to take a shower so badly that she had 3 other counselors shove him into a shower and started hosing him down until he would take off his clothes. Keep in mind this participant is completely independent and would take a shower if prompted correctly. As the counselors are holding him down he starts crying because it is extremely traumatizing for anyone to go through experience. No one should ever have to go through something like this. This incident was brought up to Sandy, the associate director, and nothing was done about the situation.
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4/18/11 |
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My kids LOVE Via West and it's staff!! They are very attentive and very family friendly. It truly is an amazing place to be!
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