Ohio Valley Filk Fest 26

Parental Responsibility

Guests of OVFF should be aware that OVFF Children's Programming is not a baby-sitting service, and that legally we cannot take responsibility for your children. We also count on parent and guest volunteers to help supervise and assist in running activites.

We would like to thank the many wonderful people who have provided this service in the past, and hope the community will continue to support us in our attempts to make OVFF a wonderful experience for filkers of ALL ages.

Kids In Tow
Kids in Tow will, of course, be with you or another designated adult at all times. For additional security, in case of accidental separation, you may want to consider equipping the child with a photo of his or her adults. This might be a laminated card diaper-pinned to clothing, a t-shirt with an iron-on transfer, a button, a temporary tattoo, or anything else you can imagine. The reason for suggesting photographic identification is the possibility that not everybody at the convention will know you by name.

Kids in tow are welcome to enjoy the KidSpace facilities with their own adult. Please remember, however, that most of KidSpace is designed for school-aged children and we cannot guarantee that it is free of choking hazards.

Registered Children
Registered children, like adults, will wear membership badges while attending convention activities. Just to be safe, consider filling out the back of the badge with names and contact numbers (mobile phone, ideally) of adults who are prepared to deal with anything from discipline problems to medical emergencies. Also consider adding the number of the child's hotel room.

Allergies
In general, children in KidSpace independently are expected to be able to manage their own allergies and routine care; if this is not the case, they should have an adult on hand for their safety. Any life-threatening food allergies must be conveyed to the children's programming co-ordinator as soon as possible, but at this point the best we are likely to be able to do is warn you away from certain things. The co-ordinator of children's programming uses a service dog to mitigate the effects of a disability. As such, the dog will be present in the KidSpace area almost all of the time. If your child needs medication to control dog allergies, please plan ahead.

Drugs
Drugs and other medical interventions are wonderful things. If you intend your child to have such things in the KidSpace area, they must be under your child's physical control at all times so that no other child can accidentally access them. If this is impractical, medication should be retained by your child's responsible adults or be left in the hotel room. KidSpace staff cannot be responsible for any child's medication or therapy.

Swimming
KidSpace staff will be running two pool parties this year. Although there will be adult supervision at the pool parties, there is no certified life guard.

If your child is a weak swimmer or a non-swimmer, consider packing your own assistive technology. This includes water wings, PFDs, or swimsuits with flotation materials included. We suggest that, at a minimum, a child in the pool alone without assistive technology should be able to float on her or his back for some time without panic and should be able to swim a short distance to the edge of the pool. Suitable swimming attire is required for anybody who will be in the pool.

Behaviour
Children whose behaviour threatens their own safety or the safety and reasonable enjoyment of other children will be required to have a responsible adult with them when in KidSpace. This adult will be expected to coach the child to control problematic behaviour patterns. Children who cannot safely participate in KidSpace even with this support may be excluded.

Children with Disabilities
If your child has a disability that might affect his or her enjoyment of KidSpace, please contact Bookwyrm to discuss what reasonable accommodations can be provided or integrated into the KidSpace setting. Remember that the earlier you contact us, the more adaptations are likely to be readily achievable.