Schools and Camps Are on the Front Line Too

Children spend hours outdoors at school and camp during peak tick season — on fields, playgrounds, nature trails, and wooded edges. Staten Island schools and camps can dramatically reduce tick encounters with smart grounds management and clear parent communication. This page collects best practices any local school or camp can adopt, plus a sample letter to send home.

Grounds Best Practices

Keep play areas in full sun, well away from wooded edges. Move or redesign play spaces that currently back up to woods.
Maintain a buffer: a mowed strip plus a wood-chip or gravel barrier between play areas and any woodland.
Clear leaf litter from playgrounds, fields, and gathering areas in spring and fall.
Prune low vegetation along trails and paths used for nature walks.
Manage athletic fields with attention to their edges — the transition from field to woods is prime tick habitat.
Consider professional tick management for the grounds, prioritizing perimeters, trails, and natural play areas. Plant-based options exist that are appropriate for use around children when applied as directed.
Post simple signage at trailheads and wooded edges reminding families to do tick checks after visits.

Parent Communication: Sample Letter

Clear, calm communication prevents both panic and complacency. Feel free to adapt this template for your school or camp newsletter:

Sample parent letter

Dear families,

Tick season is here on Staten Island. Ticks are common in our area from spring through fall, and a few simple habits greatly reduce risk. Please:

Dress children in light-colored clothing and closed shoes for outdoor days and field trips.
Apply an EPA-registered insect repellent according to the product label before school or camp on outdoor-heavy days.
Do a full-body tick check every evening — behind ears, scalp, armpits, waistline, and behind knees — and shower after outdoor play.
Tumble outdoor clothes in the dryer on high heat for 10 minutes to kill any ticks.

If you find a tick, remove it with fine-tipped tweezers, save it in a sealed bag with the date, and watch for rash or flu-like symptoms over the next 30 days. Contact your pediatrician with any concerns.

Thank you for helping us keep outdoor time safe and fun.

Field-Trip Precautions

Scout the site: choose trails and destinations with maintained paths; avoid pushing through brush and tall grass. Local favorites like the Greenbelt’s nature trails, Clove Lakes Park, and Conference House Park are best enjoyed from the center of maintained paths.
Brief chaperones: every adult should know the tick-check routine and carry fine-tipped tweezers.
Dress code for the day: long pants tucked into socks, closed shoes, light colors.
Stay centered on trails — the middle of the path has far fewer questing ticks than the edges.
Check on return: build a buddy-check into the end of every nature outing, then remind parents to do the full check at home.

New York Health Resources

The New York State Department of Health publishes tick-borne disease information and prevention materials for residents and schools. The NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene tracks tick-borne disease in the five boroughs and offers guidance for New Yorkers — you can also call 311 for local health information. Your pediatrician or school nurse is another excellent local partner: invite your school nurse to send a tick-safety reminder home at the start of each season, and ask your district whether tick safety can join the spring health curriculum.

Staff Training Basics

You do not need a medical background to keep kids safer — just a short, consistent briefing for every adult who supervises children outdoors:

How to do a buddy tick check and where ticks hide
Where the tick-removal kit is kept and how to use the tweezers
What to record when a tick is found (child’s name, date, time, location on body, where the group had been)
How and when to notify parents — same day, in writing, with the saved tick sent home
When to call for medical help: a child who develops a rash, fever, or feels ill after outdoor time should be evaluated promptly

Repeat the briefing each spring. New counselors and aides arrive every year, and last year’s training does not cover them.

Share These Guides With Families

This guide is for educational purposes only and isn’t medical advice. If you’ve been bitten or have symptoms, contact your doctor or local health department.