• Proven Weight Loss
• Why Wellspring
• Lifelong Benefits
• Active & Fun
• Great Food
• Beautiful Location
• FAQs
• Home

Frequently Asked Questions

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

• How do we contact our child? Can they keep their cell phones on them?
• Will they have access to computers – can they bring their iphone/itouch/lap top?
• How do you decide roommates?  What happens if they don’t like their roommate?
• What happens if they get sick?  What medical facilities are there available?
• How do you deal with homesickness?
• How do you screen and select your staff?
• What if my child does not want to participate in an activity?
• How are the trips organized and are they included in the cost?
• What is the food like?
• How do you track success?
• What if my child isn't significantly overweight?

1. How do we contact our child? Can they keep their cell phones on them?

Being at Wellspring Camp La Jolla means having a break from daily distractions and immersing yourself in a healthy lifestyle.  While cell phones are an everyday part of life now, they can also be distracting and decrease participation in activities. For this reason we only permit cell phone use in the dorms during down time.  At all other times the phones are shut off and safely stored with the staff.  Your child will be able to call you but please don’t expect them to answer their phone if you call during the day.  If you have an emergency, please call the Camp Office and we will reach your child immediately.

For privacy reasons we also ask that campers only bring cell phones WITHOUT a camera or disable the camera for the duration of camp.

Sundays are visitor days and you are welcome to visit camp and sign your child out from between 10am and 4pm.  If you are unable to visit do not worry, as campers will be kept busy having fun with our staff and we find that the lost art of letter writing can be a wonderful way for campers and parents to keep in touch.  We also strongly encourage you to attend a Family Workshop during the summer so that you will be able to learn how best to support your camper at home.  For more information on Family Workshops, click here. 

2. Will they have access to computers – can they bring their iphone / itouch / laptop?

Unfortunately we do not have access to wi-fi or computers at camp – we are too busy being outside and having fun.  If your child has a cell phone with email capabilities then we ask that is it disabled or you purchase a cheap “pay as you go” phone for the summer – without email or camera.  This will also ensure that an expensive phone is not lost or damaged.

Campers should not bring lap tops or any other electronics.  Firstly because we want to offer them time away from their computers but also because these are very expensive items and we do not accept any responsibility for loss or damage.

Music is important – especially when working out or driving to a field trip – so iPods are allowed; but again, we accept no responsibility for loss or damage.

3. How do you decide roommates?  What happens if they don’t like their roommate?

The rooms at UCSD are arranged in suites.  There are 6 rooms to each suite and each room will contain two campers.  There will also be a member of staff housed in each suite.

Suites and rooms are arranged so that campers of the same sex, similar age and similar length of stay live together.  We carefully read the information you provide and the answers your child gives to the camper questionnaire in the enrolment 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 room-mates and those are always resolved immediately.  More often camp room-mates form a close friendship that last long after camp has finished.

4. What happens if they get sick?  What medical facilities are there available?

All staff are trained in basic First Aid and CPR with either the American or Canadian Red Cross.  Senior staff have extensive first aid training and we also have our camp nurses and EMT.  In addition, the campus police at UCSD are trained to deal with emergency first aid and we have access to the local hospital and emergency response units.

Camp staff and nurses deal with all minor first aid issues and none emergency situations.  For anything more serious, campers are taken immediately to the local emergency room.

5. 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 no doubt you are 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!

6. How do you screen and select your staff?

We take a great deal of care when selecting and interviewing our camp staff.  All our staff are over 21 years of age and the majority have expertise in nutrition, fitness and health.  We always take extensive references from former employers and also screen our staff for criminal activity.  We also require our staff to have clean driving records and further test them ourselves.  All staff complete our mandatory staff training and we do not hesitate to dismiss a member of staff who does not meet our high standards.  Our staff are role models to the campers and many return year after year for one of the most rewarding jobs in the world.

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

At Wellspring Camp La Jolla the campers have a great deal of choice in their activities.  Furthermore, we never ask a camper to do an activity that has not already been done on many occasions by our own staff.  Our staff fully participate 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 kayaking or surfing, then we will provide extra support and enable them to participate as much as they can.  We rarely have campers refusing to participate because they simply don’t want to.  We make sure that we make the activities as fun as possible and work with the campers to ensure that we do more of the activities they like.  

The only activities that all campers are expected to participate in are in our nutrition and culinary lessons and in the campers’ individual personal training sessions – as these are a vital component of our program.

8. How are the trips organized and are they included in the cost?

The dates for our trips to local theme parks and attractions are set in the spring.  Some events are an established part of the camp calendar – such as our trip to Sea World on July 4th – while others depend upon availability and other camp events.

Your length of stay at camp and the dates you attend will determine which attractions and how many you get to visit.  The only sure way to attend all your favorites is to sign up for the whole 8 weeks – with the added benefit that you will also lose more weight and have a better chance of maintaining that weight loss at home!

All field trips are included in the cost with the exception of our annual trip to Comic-Con, which is only open to the first 50 participants and does carry an additional fee.  For all field trips, you may wish to provide your child with spending money to buy gifts and souvenirs.  For more information about field trips, click here. 

9. What is the food like?

Our campers and staff all follow the same meal plan, which is both tasty and nutritious.  We still have all the family favorites – burgers, mac n’ cheese etc but it is made and prepared in a low fat, healthy way.  We use great substitutions foods such as ‘Better Than Butter’ peanut butter, which is much lower in fat than regular brands and offer a range of choices at each meal.  Including vegetarian and with advance notice other dietary requirements.

Campers have unlimited access to our salad and fruits bars that also contain fat free yogurts, fruit and salad, cottage cheese, homemade soups, and a variety of other healthy options.

In their culinary lessons campers will also have the opportunity to try new foods and learn the different ways to prepare healthy foods so that they can continue eating “Wellspring-friendly” foods at home.

For more information about the delicious food at Wellspring Camp La Jolla, click here.

10. How do you track success?

We keep careful track of how the campers are progressing in not just their weight loss but also their fitness.  We take before and after pictures of each camper and email those to you, so you can see the difference in their smiles as well as their size.  We also weigh each camper upon arrival and then each week of camp.  Campers can choose to know their weight or not, but we also have scales around camp for campers to use in private should they wish (recent studies have shown that frequent weighing helps weight controllers to remain more on track with their program).  At the mid-way point of camp you will be sent an email detailing your child’s progress, this will be followed by details of their total weight loss, fitness and suggested ideas for maintaining momentum after-camp upon completion of the program.

We also have extensive post-camp studies of our campers’ progress, which you can view by clicking here.  In addition, every camper has Continuing Care support for a full year (including weigh-ins and food/activity monitoring) so that we can continue to track camper success and help with any struggles along the way.

11. What if my child isn't significantly overweight?

There is no minimum weight requirement at Wellspring La Jolla.  As America's leading fitness camp, our focus is on living a healthy lifestyle that everyone can benefit from.  Campers of any weight are welcome and our activities are tailored to individual strengths and preferences and access to unlimited fruit and salad bars means nobody goes hungry.  Staff and campers alike follow our meal plan and exercise regime; with everyone focusing on learning how to be healthy not just at camp, but for the rest of their lives.