Camps

YMCA of Greater Vancouver Improves Information Management with ePACT

“With ePACT, the YMCA set out to decrease administration time, access better quality information for their campers, and provide an improved camp experience for their families. ePACT makes it very easy for us to know who we have information for, while ensuring the children are well cared for the moment they come to camp.”
~ Lisa Stiver, General Manager, YMCA of Greater Vancouver

About the YMCA of Greater Vancouver

The YMCA of Greater Vancouver supports 115,000 children, youth and adults in British Columbia. With camp, aquatic, child care, and health and wellness programs across 185 locations, the YMCA is providing Vancouverites with a safe space to challenge themselves and reach their potential.

Challenges

Given the large volume of programs and camps, the YMCA of Greater Vancouver struggled to manage paper forms for emergency, medical and dietary information, as well as waivers and consents. Their online registration system collected some of the basic information, but it did not collect the level of detail that was required.  In addition, it did not allow them to easily search and identify members with important conditions or restrictions.

The YMCA faced several challenges with paper forms:

  • Difficult administration: The YMCA hosts 400 campers per week at just one of their camp locations. It was a time consuming process to identify which participants had completed the required paperwork, and to search for those with medical concerns and dietary requirements.
  • Frustrated parents: Many campers attend on a weekly basis, in multiple programs. Parents were frustrated completing the same form time and time again for the same organization.
  • Accessibility concerns: There was no central system for this critical information. Contact information was stored in the registration system, while waivers, consents and medical details were housed between 5 to 6 paper forms. With multiple forms to manage, there was just one copy of emergency information in the head office, making accessibility an issue.
  • No lead time: Paper forms were often submitted on the first day of camp, leaving the nurses, cooks, and camp leaders with inadequate time to prepare for specific needs.
  • Changing information: Information was often out of date, as parents would forget to update their new cell phone number or a change in a medical condition.

The Pilot Project

A manager at the YMCA had used ePACT as a parent and safety manager for her son’s hockey league, and immediately knew that it could cross over to her work at the YMCA. As soon as the YMCA contacted the ePACT team, we worked together to determine the specific needs for the overnight and day camp programs. The ePACT forms were customized to collect the information that the YMCA needed, and the camp coordinators were trained to use the system. In Spring of 2014, the YMCA launched their ePACT pilot for their Spring Break camps.

Working Together for a Successful Launch

After a successful pilot project, the decision was made to use ePACT for all of the YMCA’s summer camp programs. The team at the YMCA works closely with their Account Manager at ePACT to continually improve their online forms and the user experience for their families.

The benefits for the YMCA include:

  • A better experience for their members: Parents enter their information once and share it with multiple programs or sessions at the YMCA. No more paper forms for multiple camps or siblings!
  • Access to critical information ahead of camp: With the ability to request information through ePACT before the start of camp, the kitchen and medical team have access to key information ahead of time so they can prepare as needed.
  • Decreasing administration: The YMCA team can easily generate reports for a quick view of critical details, like allergies or signed waivers, instead of manually sorting through hundreds of forms each week.
  • Easier management with a single system: The YMCA team saves significant administration time with the ePACT dashboard, which allows them to confirm which campers have completed their account and send an email reminder to those who have not.
  • Anytime, anywhere access: ePACT provides better access to member records as coordinators use the Mobile App to access crucial information in an emergency – even without an internet connection.
  • Accurate information: Information is no longer illegible or incomplete as parents must add required information to share their ePACT record with the YMCA. If information changes over the camp season, families can update their records through ePACT and the YMCA team is automatically alerted.
“Having information available ahead of time – as opposed to waiting to collect medical forms on the first day – our nurses and staff are prepared for dietary restrictions or medical concerns, and can make sure the children are well cared for from the moment they arrive.”
~ Lisa Stiver, GM, Sea to Sky Region of YMCA of Greater Vancouver

Download the PDF version of this use case here.