The students’ physical and emotional safety and well-being are our primary concerns. Students are supervised 24 hours a day. 

Each week, our professional team includes:

• ~12 Program Instructors, including 4 members of our Year-Round Team (ages 24–60)
• ~2 Facilitation Fellows (ages 18–23)
• Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, Youth Leadership Project Director, and Camp Manager
• ~6 participating teachers (Mosaic requires that at least one teacher attend with their participating student group; if more than one teacher from a partner school attends, we require that at least one stays for the entire duration of the session instead of switching out.)

Each week there are also 12-16 high-school and college-aged Youth Leaders who serve as role models and mentors for the students.

This results in an approximate 1:4 adult-to-student ratio, or 1:2.5 when Youth Leaders are included.

We maintain a policy of “Rule of 3”—no Mosaic staff or youth leader is ever alone with a child. There must always be at least three people present at any time.

Program Instructors & Facilitation Fellows: The diversity of our staff team is critical to our work; students need to see themselves mirrored in the faculty, and it is transformative for students to see adults from different backgrounds working well together. Our Program Instructors are generally between 24 and 60 years old. They have extensive experience working with children in outdoor and education settings. They also have experience in diversity education, effective communication, and conflict resolution training. Our Facilitation Fellows are generally between 18-23 years and have some professional experience working with children; they are paired with and mentored by our Program Instructors throughout the season. You can read more about our staff here.

We provide an intensive weeklong staff training each season for the entire team, including Program Instructors and Fellows. All staff have undergone a rigorous screening process/background check that includes multiple interviews, fingerprinting, and consultation with at least three professional references. At least 60% of our staff are returnees each season. Many of our staff were also once students and Youth Leaders with us. 

Youth Leaders: Our Youth Leaders are generally between the ages of 15 and 23 and hail from more than a dozen Bay Area high schools and colleges (including Encinal High School, Berkeley High School, Castro Valley High School, The Nueva School, El Cerrito High, Redwood High School, University High School, Oakland Tech, and Lick Wilmerding High School). The application process includes an interview to discuss the youth’s experience and interest in working with children ages 9 and 10 as well as their approach to handling various behavioral scenarios. It allows us to gauge the applicant’s maturity and commitment to our work. Accepted Youth Leaders then undergo their own intensive, weekend-long (2-day, 2-night), leadership training before they are approved to serve as cabin leaders at the Outdoor Project. They also are invited to participate in year-round programming for additional leadership development and volunteer opportunities. Many of our Youth Leaders are referred to us by their teachers and approximately half of them were Mosaic students as 4th or 5th graders.

We house 6-9 students in each single-gender cabin. We also offer an all-gender cabin if requested whenever possible. You can note your preference when registering your child for the Outdoor Project. We intentionally mix children from different schools, but also ensure that each cabin has at least two students from the same school; your student’s teacher(s) creates and approves these pairs or trios based on classmate dynamics. All cabins have five bunkbeds, two private bathrooms with showers, and full electricity.

One or two Youth Leaders (ages 15–23) are assigned to each cabin group and sleep all night in the cabin with the students. They are supervised by our adult professional staff who remain in the cabins until all students are asleep. These adults then sleep in adjacent cabins and are on call throughout the night via walkie-talkie. The Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Camp Manager also sleep onsite in close proximity with immediate communication access. This multi-tiered supervision system has been in place since our founding and prioritizes the physical and emotional safety of all participants.

Many of our staff are trained in First Aid and CPR and three of our year-round team members are Wilderness First Responders, as are some of our seasonal staff.  While Camp MayMac is not in the wilderness – ambulances can arrive in minutes – we do find this more extensive First Aid training to be helpful in our camp setting. We also have a pediatrician and an emergency room physician on call for us by telephone. 

To understand how the administering of medications is handled, please refer to our Health and Wellness document.

The nearest hospital is Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz which is 20 minutes away from our Outdoor Project site.

You can learn more about what our curriculum covers in our Action Guide for Families and see what lessons are explored in our schedule. We teach through games, activities, stories, and song. You can get a good idea of what this looks like in our 5-minute Informational Video.

All of our programs emphasize building self-esteem and community and empower students to create a peaceful future. In particular, we focus on four themes:

• The celebration of diversity and awareness of stereotyping, prejudice, and discrimination
• Respect for and appreciation of self and others
• Teamwork and cooperation
• Communication and nonviolent conflict resolution (including listening skills, empathy, and assertiveness)

Our innovative curriculum is experiential. Learning at Mosaic becomes a magical adventure as the curriculum comes to life through hands-on activities, interactive theatre, games, role-plays, discussions, stories, and original songs. Our two albums highlighting our musical curriculum have received rave reviews and are available on iTunes, Spotify, and anywhere you listen to music!

Our curriculum has continued to evolve over our decades-long history. Every educator with whom we’ve worked has contributed to it since we held our first focus groups in 2001. In addition to our Teachers Wisdom Council, made up of partner teachers who bring their classes to our program, we have been advised by psychologists on our Board of Directors and Advisory Board. We continue to revise and update our curriculum every season. 

Positive behavioral management is intrinsic to our philosophy and happens in the context of our curriculum. During the enrollment process, parents/caretakers are asked to read aloud our behavioral contract and discuss with their child before signing and completing registration to attend the Outdoor Project.

When challenges arise during the program, we stick to our Three Keys to Peace (Listening, Empathy, and Assertiveness) and our Five Tools for Conflict Resolution (Stop, Listen, Talk, Empathize, and Plan). We work together to make a win-win plan where students can thrive along with the other students around them. In addition to all staff supporting their students, we have a Behavioral Management Specialist on the team designated to support students with one-on-one check-ins as behavioral issues arise. A student’s teacher is involved in this support process and in creating behavior plans.

If our staff and the student’s teacher are unable to support a child in having a successful experience at The Mosaic Project, we will notify the family and may require that the child is picked up from the Outdoor Project.

To ensure everyone’s safety, parents/caretakers and teachers are instructed to carefully review our policy When a Student Should Not Attend Mosaic regarding when to keep students at school rather than having them join the class at the Outdoor Project. While many students thrive in the Outdoor Project environment even when they struggle in the classroom, there are certain behaviors that pose too much of a safety risk in this outdoor setting. These include lashing out at others physically or verbally, running away from the group, or refusing to move to new locations when asked by authority figures. 

Additionally, a student who needs 1:1 support throughout the school day in order to succeed will need a 1:1 aide while at Mosaic, otherwise they would not receive the individualized attention necessary to thrive at Mosaic. Likewise, if a student takes medication during the school week, they also need to take that medication at the Outdoor Project in order to thrive. 

Please note that our experience shows us that behavioral challenges are not the domain of one particular demographic; all students from all of our partner schools receive individualized behavioral support. Oftentimes, children who may struggle at school excel at The Mosaic Project.

We serve three nutritious kid-friendly meals a day. Our dinner menu features pizza, spaghetti, teriyaki chicken, chicken fingers, and fresh-baked cookies for dessert. Breakfasts include biscuits, pancakes, eggs, potatoes, and cereal. Lunch consists of sandwiches and burritos. There are always vegetarian options available, and our staff has a ready supply of fruit, cereal bars, string cheese, and more for snacks throughout the day. Students do not keep snacks in their own cabins. Camp MayMac chefs are committed to accommodating allergies and run a peanut and tree nut-free kitchen. For more complex dietary restrictions, Mosaic staff will connect with families to accommodate the student’s needs.

Mosaic staff understand that being away from home can be both exciting and challenging–for both students and their families! Except under the most unusual circumstances, we do not have students call home. Please do NOT send a cell phone or smart watch with your child. Calls home tend to increase homesickness and anxiety. We are not alone in this policy – many camps and outdoor schools discourage calls home for the same reason. 

The way Mosaic breaks down homesickness is that it’s like having one foot in the program and one foot back at home. We support the students in bringing both feet to the program and being fully present. A call home delays the student’s adjustment and may very well bring both feet back home. 

Additionally, when one student talks to their family and the word spreads that they have done so, homesickness can spread throughout the entire community. Homesickness is contagious! It also is not logistically possible for 90 students to be on the phone throughout the week. 

We do find messages of encouragement from home to be helpful, and teachers are happy to share messages to/from your child each night if you would like.

When your child comes to Mosaic’s Outdoor Project, it is important that they come with the intention and a plan to complete the entire 5-day/4-night session. We have found that when students arrive thinking or knowing that their parents/caretakers will pick them up at any time if they get homesick, it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The student is then unable to be fully present and give the program a chance. That anxiety often spreads to the other students. We want to set your child, as well as all the children, up for success.

We provide tools for you to help prepare your child and yourselves prior to the experience, and more information on how we address homesickness, in our Minimizing Homesickness document.

Yes, The Mosaic Project currently has four certified lifeguards on our year-round team who attend the Outdoor Project and supervise the pool. In addition, we offer seasonal Outdoor Project Facilitators and senior Youth Leaders the opportunity to attend lifeguard training to get certified and help during the season. All staff and teachers that are present while students are swimming are instructed to be attentive and serve as “watchers” as children swim.

Our pool is split into 3 sections to ensure water safety: the shallow end, the deep end for swimming, and the deep end strictly reserved for jumping/diving. Students must pass a swim proficiency test before entering either of the deep-end sections.

Other than cabin time, breakfast and dinner in the dining hall, and one indoor activity, students will spend the majority of their time learning outdoors. This includes their day-time learning groups as well as evening campfires. We always hope to have warm weather in Felton, however the weather can be quite variable. Evenings may be very cool. Students should be prepared for everything, including rain! Clothing that is comfortable and functional is important. Please follow our packing list closely. Children will carry their own luggage; please pack everything in only ONE suitcase or duffel bag (sleeping bag can be carried separately). Most importantly, be sure to LABEL EVERYTHING including disposable cameras. See our detailed list of what to bring.

You can read more details about our Covid-19 as well as general health and safety measures in our Heath and Wellness document.

Schools decide if their class will arrive by bus or if they will arrange carpools to the Outdoor Project. If you are driving a carpool, you must depart after a bathroom break and goodbyes. This is for the safety of our entire camp as all adults present must be authorized.

All Mosaic visitors must be scheduled and registered in advance. Visitors must be checked in and out at the front office of the Outdoor Project and receive a visitor tag. Visitors are paired with a Mosaic staff member during the entirety of their visit. If a parent would like to visit the site, we allow small groups of up to 3 people to visit on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday during a week when their own child is not attending.

Out of fairness and equity, parent volunteers are not allowed at Mosaic. There may be opportunities to volunteer and attend our organization’s community events throughout the year, which you will hear about through our mailing list.