To ensure that your family vacation is problem-free, here are some essential guidelines to preparing your children's stay.

Confidence and Safety

Club Med has always offered vacations free from worry. While your children learn about independence, you'll be freed from practical concerns, with nothing to worry about. Every day, Club Med's unique values are shared with your children by Club Med's caring G.O.s, who know just how to establish a two-way relationship of friendship and confidence with their young guests. At the same time, the children are always close to their parents and can see them whenever they like during the day.

Supervision and Facilities

The G.O.s who look after children at Baby Club Med*, Petit Club Med* and Mini Club Med are all qualified with a diploma in work with small children, according to the age of the children supervised; equivalent local qualification in other countries.

Childcare quality standards apply to the supervision of children under 6 years; in particular, to the number of children per G.O.. No exceptions will be made and no children will be admitted above this limit. To ensure your children are perfectly safe, G.O.s never work alone, and other G.O.s help when necessary.

Strict norms and working rules ensure perfect safety:

• A contact diary is used to keep parents informed (account of the day, time of child's arrival and departure);
• Children wear a bracelet to show they are in the care of a G.O.;
• French and American norms apply to children's club facilities (e.g. use of safety glass);
• A nurse is in attendance at Mini Club Med resorts, and a pediatrician at Baby Club Med* resorts.

G.O.s are responsible for teenagers only during activities specially organized for them. There is no permanent supervision of teenagers. Club Med goes to great lengths to ensure a safe, protected environment for everyone. Nevertheless you are asked to keep a constant eye on your children when they are not taking part in a supervised activity, especially around the swimming pool, even if there is a lifeguard, or on the beach.

How to Join

On arrival at the Club Med resort, parents (or guardians) should see the G.O. team responsible for Baby Club Med*, Petit Club Med* or Mini Club Med, to register their children on the appropriate list. It is important to tell the G.O. at this point of any particular habits or allergies the child may have. It is particularly important that children should maintain their usual eating habits (eating times, balanced meals) nutritional and sleep patterns, and have appropriate clothing for the weather conditions.

Adjusting to a new environment and a new timetable can cause minor problems. They are a common and often unavoidable result of separation from the parents and being together with other children. Problems may include behavioural difficulties such as tears and irritability, or disturbed eating or sleeping patterns. Because their immune systems are immature, small children in a group environment are vulnerable to easily-spread ENT infections such as colds, ear infections or bronchitis, or tummy upsets.

The Contact Diary

G.O.s are responsible for children during the opening hours of Baby Club Med*, Petit Club Med* or Mini Club Med, on condition that their parent or guardian has correctly filled in the attendance register provided, in particular stating (next to their signature) the time at which the child has been left and will be collected, and where the parent or guardian can be contacted.

For Baby Club Med* and Petit Club Med*, this register also functions as the contact diary. Parents or guardians can refer to the register for information about their child's meals, diaper changes, naps and so on. If necessary they can note their comments or recommendations in the register.

For Mini Club Med, when the register is signed on arrival, the G.O. gives each child aged 4 to 7 years a bracelet which indicates clearly that they are enrolled in Mini Club Med.

Children's Health Formalities

For access to the Baby Club Med*, Petit Club Med* and Mini Club Med, parents are strongly advised to obtain a medical certificate that demonstrates that the child or children are in a fit state of health deemed appropriate for participation in children's group activities, including vaccination updates. This certificate should be issued by your GP (it may be subject to a charge) prior to departure, no more than 48 hrs before arrival at your resort. Club Med reserves the right to request such a document and to refuse acceptance of any child into the children's club concerned should it be deemed necessary. Children will in fact only be accepted into the children's clubs if they are considered to be fully fit and adaptable to collective life, without any sign of contagious illness or fever and do not require one-toone care. If this is not the case, then Club Med has the right, for the security of your child and other children within their care, not to accept the child at the children's clubs, or else to put the child in isolation. Please check that your child's vaccinations are up to date prior to departure.

At all Baby Club Med* and Petit Club Med* Resorts, the person accompanying the child must be able to show proof that all required childhood vaccinations are up to date (medical certificate or medical record). For Baby Club Med* this includes at least the first dose of vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus and polio. You should also ensure that there is no medical reason why your child should not take part in the sports activities offered in the resort.

Only children considered fit to participate in a children's group, and who do not have any sign of infectious illness or fever, will be admitted (in the case of illnesses that cause a rash, only when all clinical signs of illness have resolved). If there are signs of infectious illness, Club Med reserves the right to require that the child should be sent home, or at least be kept in strict isolation away from contact with other children (all common areas) until all clinical signs of illness have resolved. This precaution also applies to chickenpox (varicella), at all stages of the disease. Our clubs cannot accept children who need individual medical attention (particularly monitoring) or the exclusive help of a third person. Such children will remain the sole responsibility of their parents or guardian. Children who have a food allergy must be given their meals by their parents or guardian only.

Any medical consultation or visit will be charged to the parents or guardian. A doctor may be available at some of our Baby Club Med* resorts. The role of such a doctor is limited to offering help, giving advice and administering urgent first aid. It does not, under any circumstances, for ethical reasons, substitute the role of the local doctor with regard to prescriptions. No medication is to be administered to children by a G.O..

If a child is under medication, only the parents or guardian are allowed to administer this. Under no circumstances are the children's club G.O.s authorized to replace parents in this instance. This might preclude your child from attending the children's clubs (e.g. children carrying Epipens).

Please make sure that you advise us of your child's condition every time you book. Our facilities cannot cater for children who need specific medical supervision (monitoring especially) or one-to-one supervision or the assistance of a third party. These children will remain under the sole responsibility and supervision of their parents or guardian.

Should a child be requested to leave one of the children's groups due to a contagious illness Club Med reserves the right to demand strict isolation or sending home of a child from any group or commonly shared place until the illness has completely disappeared. This measure also concerns chickenpox cases. In the event of a doctor's appointment or visit, medical or hospital expenses will be charged to the parents or guardian.

Some Essentials to Pack

Club Med, here are a few useful suggestions for your packing list:

• your child's own bottle of high-protection sun cream and after-sun cream
• lotion or spray against insect bites (especially mosquitoes)
• a small bag containing: cap, sunhat, sun glasses, beach sandals, sports shoes and socks (important for sports activities) and swimsuits. Please make sure all your child's things are marked, or bring a marking pen
• for babies: bottles, wipes, diapers, formula, favorite toy or cuddly, health record.

* At an additional charge