PARENTS
HOW DO I SIGN MY CHILD UP FOR A TRIP?
Youth are most often invited on an ICO trip by an agency that we work with, such as a school or community center. Invitations are extended by a teacher or other trusted adult. If your child has been on trips with us before, she may be invited directly by one of our leaders (this happens most often during the summer). You may not sign your child up through this website.
HOW DO I GET NOTICES AND REMINDERS OF UPCOMING OUTINGS?
You can get notices and reminders (by text message, email, and/or app) for most BVICO outings by subscribing to our Remind “classroom” for Outings & Events.
Parents of students at Casey Middle School may wish to subscribe to our Remind “classroom” for outings and events that are specific to Casey, including our after-school program (Sierra Club @ Casey), in addition to the general “Outings & Events” classroom described above.
You can opt out of either classroom at any time. This service is free but normal text message fees apply to communications by text message. Email and message through the free Remind app are free. Note that neither BVICO nor its volunteers receive your email address, phone number, or other contact information when you subscribe. However, you may use this tool to communicate with the trip/event organizer. We strongly encourage parents with children who are participants in our program to use this service.
MEETING LOCATION & DIRECTIONS
Most Boulder Valley ICO outings depart from Casey Middle School. This school is located at 1301 High Street in mid-down Boulder. From Broadway, turn East on High Street. In 1 block, the school will be located on the left. Turn into driveway and head straight down to the turnaround, show with the red allow on the right. Park near the turnaround or, if one of the gates to the parking garage is open, enter the parking garage. The BVICO gear depot is just inside the building through parking garage door.
Additional resources
Permission Slips / Waiver Forms
Signed waiver forms must be in the hands of the ICO trip leader at the time of departure. No Exceptions. You child may not join the outing if we do not have their signed waiver form at the time of departure. Just in case, the leader usually has a couple of blank waiver forms that may be filled out on the spot.
Please fill out the waiver forms as completely as possible. It is especially important that you provide a working phone number so that we can contact you in the event of an emergency or late return.
Please complete the waiver forms in ink, not pencil.
During the academic year, we usually collect waiver forms through teachers at the schools with which we are partnered. If you prefer to mail waiver forms directly do us, you may send them to Boulder Valley ICO, 637 South Broadway, Suite B, No. 117, Boulder CO 80305.
Pre-trip Meetings
Overnight outings usually have a required pre-trip meeting, scheduled anywhere from 2 weeks to a few days in advance of the actual trip. The meeting time and location will be listed on the permission slip. This information can also be found on this website on the trip’s webpage.
These meetings are mandatory so that your child may have a safe and enjoyable outing. We will discuss the itinerary, gear, and expectations of the trip in detail. It is a great idea to bring along all of the gear and clothing that your child expects to take on the trip. Parents and guardians are welcomed to attend these meetings. Participants who do not show up for these meetings are usually dropped from the trip’s roster.
Cancellations
If your child has signed up for an outing, we ask that you notify us as soon as possible if something will prevent your child from participating in the outing. We do understand that emergencies can arise at the last minute, but those who make a habit of last-minute cancelations or no-shows will not be invited on future outings or will be afforded lowest priority when filling an outing.
Each outing waiver form has a cover page with a list of gear that participants will need; a description of the outing; and the name, phone number, and email address of the trip leader. Cancelation notices should be made to the listed trip leader.
Cost of Outings
All outings offered by Boulder Valley ICO are free to participants. We also provide food and transportation for our outings, free of charge. We will also lend participants such gear or equipment as they cannot provide for themselves.
Those who would like to help us pay for our outings may do so by contributing to Boulder Valley ICO. Boulder Valley ICO does not consider contributions when filling its outings.
Citizenship
Your immigration status or that of your child is not important to Boulder Valley ICO. Your address and phone number will not be shared with other organizations or governmental entities without your authorization.
What Gear Will I Need?
Many Boulder Valley ICO outings require special clothing and other gear. These items are always listed on the cover page that accompanies the waiver forms for the outing. To better explain the items we commonly list on these cover pages, we have prepared a guide to outings gear in both English and Spanish. You can download that guide here.
Late Return Policy
It is not uncommon for Boulder Valley ICO outings to run past the scheduled time of return. In the event that an outing is running late, leaders and/or participants will make calls to notify you of the new expected time of return.
Leader Qualifications and Child Safety
Boulder Valley ICO conducts reference and criminal background checks on all of its leaders and volunteers. In addition, we require at least two adults on each outing. Our outings are group activities, and leaders and volunteers are advised not to spend time alone with any participant outside the view of others. Leaders are also required to take a course on Child Abuse Recognition and Prevention every year. You can see more about our requirements for leaders on the volunteer page.
When we have female participants on an outing, we make every effort to ensure that we have at least two such participants and a female volunteer or leader. Boys and girls always sleep separately on our outings.
We have little or no control over contact between our leaders and you and/or your children outside of our outings. For this reason, we suggest that you monitor contact between your child and any other adult in their life, including ICO leaders and volunteers. We recommend that you also take a course in child abuse recognition and prevention such as the one offered by parentingsafechildren.com.
Have questions?
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