Getting Ready

Your Fresh Air guest comes to your Friendly Town from the inner-city. The majority of our Fresh Air children are not experienced travelers. In fact, many children are spending their first time away from home with their host families. All youngsters feel a little anxious starting out on a new adventure. Your family may share this natural feeling, along with the excitement of making new friends. Remember that volunteers have invited Fresh Air children into their homes for more than 130 years. And over 65% of the children are invited back to visit host families, year after year.

You might want to prepare your own children for this new experience by talking it over as a family. Discuss what to expect from the Fresh Air visit. After all, your children will be sharing their homes, toys – and parents – with another child for two weeks. Our hosts tell us that their own families benefit as much from the experience as the Fresh Air youngsters.

Our best advice in getting ready is to relax, smile and keep a few safety precautions in mind. Walk around your home, backyard, block and neighborhood, and explore your surroundings from a city child’s perspective. Although Fresh Air youngsters might have been taught to become “street smart,” they will not know the hazards of country or suburban living. Check around for any possible safety hazards, and look out for things a city child may not be familiar with. For example, make sure pesticides and fertilizers are safely stored. Please review the host safety checklist.

If you have any questions, your chairperson is always ready to assist you. Our volunteers have experience in calming the anxieties of Fresh Air children and host families. Feel free to ask a lot of questions. We are here to help. 

Saying Hello

Children generally travel to and from Friendly Town on buses chartered by The Fresh Air Fund. In some cases, youngsters travel by train. Your chairperson will tell you the scheduled date of arrival and the location. It’s fun to arrive ahead of time. Come prepared and make yourself comfortable. Some volunteers bring along lawn chairs and snacks, handmade welcome signs, colorful balloons and games for host children to play while waiting.

Your Fresh Air child arrives wearing a nametag. Please keep the tag to put on the child for the return trip to New York City. If you are meeting your Fresh Air child for the first time, your guest may be a little shy, a little tired or even a little over excited. Do whatever makes you and your visitor feel right at home.

Show your Fresh Air child around your home and introduce family members and pets. Point out the bathroom, closet and dresser areas. Help your guest unpack, and make a list of belongings. This way, the Fresh Air child’s clothes and toys will not get mixed up with your own things. You will probably need to do laundry during the visit. Explain your household routine and basic safety rules as simply as you can. The child will feel more at home knowing what to expect. Then have some fun! 

Safe Arrival Calls

Please call the child’s parents on the first night of the visit. City parents want to be notified of the child’s safe arrival. If you feel that calling home will make the child homesick, your call can be made after the child is in bed. City parents may call you, if they get anxious. Any host who cannot afford to place a safe arrival call will be reimbursed. You will find the parent’s name and phone number listed on the orange information form. If you are unable to reach the child’s parent, please contact your Chairperson. 

Homesickness

Homesickness is normal in all children and to be expected – especially around bedtime. This may go on for a few days. Do your best to be reassuring. Since a child often gets more homesick in the evening, encourage the Fresh Air child to call home during the day. If you need any help, call your chairperson for assistance. 

Getting to Know You

Fresh Air children tell us they like to: make new friends; run barefoot in the grass; splash in backyard sprinklers; build sandcastles; learn to swim; ride bikes; go fishing; walk down country lanes; see farm animals; pick berries; catch fireflies; count the stars; listen to the sounds of silence on quiet evenings; enjoy story-telling, talking, laughing and playing. The simple pleasures of country life offer a great deal of enjoyment to our city children. One way to capture these moments is to encourage the children to keep journals and write down their thoughts day by day. Some host families take photos and make albums or create videotapes of the visits. 

Meals

You might want to plan your meals to include food you know most children enjoy, like hamburgers, spaghetti, bananas, peanut butter, chicken or pizza. And your Fresh Air guest may have some new food ideas to share with your family. Fresh Air visitors are already experiencing many new things; it is a good idea not to pressure the children to eat foods they don’t like. 

Practical Advice & What to Do

If you need advice on practical matters, do not hesitate to call your chairperson.

About bed-wetting… A young child who is away from home for the first time frequently gets nervous. It is a good idea to place extra protection on the Fresh Air child’s mattress (a waterproof sheet), just in case. Often a youngster who does not wet the bed at home may do so when visiting. Before bedtime, show your guest the light switch so the child may find the bathroom at night. In addition, you may decide to limit nighttime drinks, especially soft drinks and ice tea.

About hair and skin care…Many Fresh Air children wear their hair in corn rows or tight braids. Do not take out the corn rows to shampoo. Many mothers pack a hair conditioner in the child’s suitcase. Please do not cut or trim your visitor’s hair without the parent’s permission. All children should be protected with sunscreen. If your Fresh Air child’s skin gets dry, use hand lotion or Vaseline on arms, legs and face.

About traveling… If you plan to travel overnight with your Fresh Air child, call your chairperson. Your chairperson needs your destination address, phone number and car license plate number in case of an emergency. Remember to take your orange medical release form with you.

About allergic reactions…Some children may develop allergic reactions or symptoms resembling asthma. This reaction may be caused by anxiety or exposure to new allergens. You may need to take the child to a doctor. Contact your chairperson for guidance. 

Accidents, Ilness & Insurance

We all know that accidents do happen. Here are some ways to handle common problems:

If your Fresh Air child needs medical attention, call a doctor immediately. Then call your Chairperson right away. Your Chairperson must keep a record of accidents or illnesses and any medical treatment. If you cannot reach your Chairperson or Fund Representative in an emergency, call The Fresh Air Fund at (800) 367-0003.

Always take the medical information with you when getting medical care. You will need to indicate your Fresh Air child’s insurance policy number or Medicaid number on hospital or doctor’s billing invoices.

The Fund will pay any medical expenses not covered by insurance. If the child does not have medical insurance or Medicaid coverage, send all doctor, hospital and medical bills to your Chairperson including the child’s name, your name and address and reason for medical care.

The Fresh Air Fund provides liability insurance for hosts and volunteer committee members. 

Extended Visits

Over 65% of Fresh Air children are re-invited to stay with host families, summer after summer. A child on a first-time visit may only stay for two weeks. An extended visit for a re-invited child must be requested and arranged before the child arrives in Friendly Town. 

Waving Goodbye

All vacations come to an end, but the memories of happy summer experiences last a lifetime. When it is time to say goodbye, please:

•  Arrive at the departure point on time. 
• Be sure your child wears the Fresh Air tag.  
• Pack a lunch in a separate bag, not in the luggage. 
• Do not give your child any animals to take home. 
• Do not give your child any thing that may break or spill.  
• Return your completed host evaluation questionnaire to your Chairperson. 
• Smile and wave.
   

Host Safety Checklist

Have fun and please keep the following safety tips in mind.

Water Safety
Most city children really don’t know how to swim — although they often say they can. Always assume the child cannot swim. It’s not unusual for Fresh Air children to overestimate their swimming abilities. That’s why it is important for you to check the swimming skills of your guests.

Children must be closely supervised by an adult while enjoying pools, lakes, the ocean — whenever youngsters are playing in or around the water. Children should be with adults and wear life jackets when they are in boats. Tubing and other water play equipment should be used only under close supervision.

Corporal Punishment
Corporal punishment is not allowed — it’s that simple. If there is a serious problem with a child, please call your chairperson or Fund Representative.

Trampolines and All Terrain Vehicles
Sorry, no jumping on trampolines and no riding all terrain vehicles in Friendly Town!

Motorized Vehicles
Look around your backyard through the eyes of a city child. The things you take for granted may be hazardous. Although Fresh Air children will find your motorized vehicles intriguing — if not irresistible — they don’t know much about them. Be on the safe side and do not allow Fresh Air Fund children to operate lawn mowers, tractors, boats, jet skis or automobiles.

Bicycles, Scooters or Skateboards
If your Fresh Air child rides a bicycle, scooter or skateboard, check the child’s level of skills. A child should always wear a helmet when enjoying these activities. In some states, children under 12 must wear helmets when riding bicycles — it’s the law.

Firearms
A word of caution about firearms. Hunting is a popular sport in the country. City children have no experience whatsoever with this use of guns. Fresh Air children are never allowed to handle firearms. Store unloaded guns in locked cabinets, and keep ammunition locked away in a separate place during the child’s visit.

Babysitters
Keep in mind that all full-time caregivers must be 18 years of age and will need to be interviewed by local volunteers as well as background checked. Babysitters should be mature enough to provide quality supervision to Fresh Air children and must also be at least 18 years old and background checked. 

Emergencies
In an emergency, please call your Chairperson immediately. If you cannot reach your chairperson, call The Fresh Air Fund at (800) 367-0003. New York City staff members are available to help you 24-hours-a-day during your child’s visit.

Have a wonderful Fresh Air summer!