OJAI, Calif. — Camp is a family affair for the Kelman's. Alison Kelman attended camp Ramah, a Jewish sleepaway camp in Ojai, growing up, as did her husband, Etan, although they didn't know each other when they were campers. 

Both Etan's parents and Alison's parents also worked at the camp. Continuing the family tradition, their daughters Dena, 12, and Yael, 9, spent their summers at the camp until last year.

"Ramah is where I learned to take pride in being Jewish … and see that it's fun," Alison Kelman said. 

When sleepaway camps were canceled because of COVID-19, Alison Kelman and her daughters were devastated. 

"It broke my heart. I was one of those naively optimistic people, I was saying: 'of course, it's going to start,'" she said. 

Inevitably, that didn't happen. So instead, Dena and Yeal spent their summer at home, attending a quasi zoom camp from their bedrooms. 

"Zoom was fun because I got to see people, but I really missed camp," Dena said. 

She particularly missed her friends from other states, who she only sees at camp, and even friends from Israel who travel to California to attend Camp Ramah. 

"I missed doing activities with my friends," Yael said, adding she missed the fun of sleepaway camp. 

But this summer, the Kelman girls, along with thousands of other children across the state, will be returning to summer camp. Camps are allowed to open again under new guidelines from the CDC and California Department of Health.

"I'm so relieved and looking forward to them having their time and their space," Alison Kelman said. "They need their space. We need our space. We need to experience different people!"

And soon, they'll have that space, along with some instructions from the CDC. Campers and their families must isolate 14 days before arriving at camp and remain vigilant regarding COVID-19 guidelines. They will have regular COVID-19 tests before camp and during the summer. Camps must also ensure that isolation rooms are available in case anyone does contract the virus. 

Adhering to the CDC guidelines requires a reworking of many camp policies, but Rabbi Joe Menashe, executive director of Camp Ramah said it's worth it. 

"Many of the activities that we love at camp we know will have to be altered this summer because some sports involve close proximity — things like singing or eating aren't COVID-friendly." 

Walking through the sprawling campsite in the hills of Ojai, dotted with ancient oaks, Menashe pointed to places that will feel different this year. For example, a stage where camp-wide events are held won't be full of campers and staff sitting in close proximity. Instead, the open-air seating will be socially distanced and organized by pods. 

Pods will be essential to safety at sleepaway camps. The CDC says camps should: "assign campers to cohorts, upon arrival at camp. These cohorts should remain together for the entire camp session without mixing with other campers and staff in close contact circumstances." 

At Camp Ramah, a pod will consist of 16 campers and four staff members, but Menashe said the pods would function more like summer families. 

"The health people are going to call it a pod; we will allow it to operate as a pod, but they will see themselves as their nuclear family," he said. 

All meals will be held outside, another adjustment Menashe and camp administrators are currently working on. Usually, camp meals are held inside a cavernous hall in the middle of the property. The space is air-conditioned during Ojai's blisteringly hot summers. Now, Menashe said they need to find a way to keep all 800 campers cool during meals. 

Other considerations for camp officials as summer looms: acquiring thousands of masks for kids aged 8 to 16 and adding extra bathrooms to ensure pods can remain isolated from one another. In addition, they need to ensure chefs and cooking staff can stay safe and healthy. And they will be coordinating testing for campers once they arrive. In addition, Menashe is checking on camp infrastructure, for example, the ropes course, stages, swimming pool and sports courts. It's a lot, but he said he hopes all the work going into the preparation fades away once camp begins in June. 

"All of this background work and even a lot of the COVID-19 mitigations, the kids will just forget about them, and they will be so thrilled to be at camp. Whether it's their first time or they are returning campers for the seventh or eighth time, this is going to be the summer of all summers." 

As Dena prepares for camp, even more than the adventurous activities, she said she's looking forward to the moment she first sees her friends. 

"I'm excited to see my friends and hug them," she said. "I haven't been able to hug them in a long time. It will mean a lot."