Parent & Camper FAQs

Click on any of our Register Now buttons! You will be brought to a login page for our CampMinder system. Follow the prompts, create a login and you’re ready to go. If you register before March 1st, you will only need to put down a $500 deposit ($250 for Day Camp) to hold your camper’s spot. Deposits are refundable until March 1st.

We recommend that you register as soon as you are comfortable with your decision to send your child to Camp Sloane. Certain sessions and villages will fill and we don’t want your camper to be disappointed. If you have questions about registration, use our online JivoChat (yes, it is a REAL person!) or email info@campsloane.org.

Camp Sloane YMCA understands that families have different abilities to pay for camp and we provide one of the most valuable experiences in your child’s life so we strive to make it attainable for all with Tiered Pricing. When registering simply choose the tier level that you can afford. Your selection is confidential and all campers experience the same camp programs regardless of the tier selected. For more information on tiered pricing, please visit our Dates and Rates page. 

Overnight Camp: Cancellations after March 1st will incur the loss of your deposit.

All balance payments must be made by May 1st. Any outstanding balances at that point will be charged to the card on file. If the balance is not paid, your camper will not be able to attend camp. Our Business Manager is happy to set up a reasonable payment plan with any family that is interested. Email info@campsloane.org for more information.

Day Camp: 

The full balance of Day Camp tuition is due March 1st

Deposit payments are accepted and fully refundable until March 1st. Overnight Camp balance payments are due by May 1st and all outstanding balances will be charged to the card on file. Day Camp balance payments are due March 1st.

After March 1st, deposits are non-refundable. Balance payment refunds will only be granted until June 1st, less the deposit. All cancellations MUST be made in writing or via email.

If you need to change your session dates, please call or email for availability. There is no transfer charge but we can’t guarantee availability.

Camp Sloane YMCA, Inc. reserves the right to refuse or dismiss a camper at any time for just and reasonable cause. Refunds will not be given for withdrawal or dismissal from camp after the registered session has begun. Optional programs such as water ski or horseback riding lessons will not be refunded due to the camper’s failure to attend, lack of interest or inclement weather.

Refunds less the deposit may be given for documented medical cases by your physician. Please see our Parent Handbook for more information on our camper behavior policies.

Once your camper is registered, medical paperwork is available through your camper account. Log in to your camper account, scroll down to 'forms & documents' and here you will see all the required medical forms. We recommend getting your paperwork uploaded as soon as possible. All paperwork is due by June 1st. Your camper CAN NOT attend camp without updated and complete medical paperwork. It is beneficial to have everything in by June 1st so that our health lodge team can start looking through and preparing for your camper’s arrival to camp.

Once registered, you will have access to our medical paperwork. Print off a medication administration form for each medication that your camper will take while at camp (OTC, prescription, herbal, vitamin, etc.). Each form must be signed by the parent/guardian and the camper’s doctor. Bring the forms with you to check in along with the medications IN THEIR ORIGINAL PACKAGING. All administration forms and medications will be handed to our nursing staff at check-in.

We have four med calls throughout the day, one before each meal and one at bedtime. Your camper will go to the health lodge when they need to take their medications. If they forget, our nurses will find them in their village or at their activity to make sure that they don’t miss a dosage.

Our professional chefs serve healthy, kid-friendly, and delicious meals.

We work hard to ensure our menu provides good options for all campers. Every meal includes second or third options for picky eaters (salad bar, soup, make-your-own wraps), along with vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan options. We are also a nut-free facility. 

In order to attend summer camp, children must be able to maintain proper nutrition and hydration from the options provided and some dietary restrictions may not be able to be met. Please contact us at info@campsloane.org if you are concerned about your camper’s dietary needs.

This is one of our most asked questions.

If you sign up for waterski or riding LESSONS - your camper gets one period a day for 5 days at their chosen activity. This is a great option for first-time campers and/or campers who still want a traditional sleep-away experience with the chance to try something new and cool.

If you sign up for waterski or riding SPECIALTY CAMP - your camper will be devoting more of their camp day to their chosen activity and less time to the more traditional program. The experience is for campers who have done lessons in prior summers and want a more intensive program and/or campers who come to camp specifically for waterskiing or riding.

We also have a Performing Arts specialty camp. Visit our Specialty Camps page for more detailed information.

Yes. All of our staff members pass rigorous applications, interviews, reference checks, and criminal background checks before the start of every summer.

Our youngest villages (Pioneers, Juniors) have 5-6 campers and 1-2 counselors to each tent. Our oldest villages (Seniors, Students) have 6-7 campers and 1-2 counselors to each tent. Our average staff to camper ratio is 1:3.

All of our staff members are required to attend a 11-day training before campers arrive. All of our specialized staff members come a week before staff training to update/receive their certifications in their areas of expertise - such as First Aid, CPR, lifeguard, and ropes course. Supervisors have extra 6-day training prior to staff training. All staff is required to complete about 5 hours of online training prior to arriving at camp.

Camp Sloane is a gender-expansive inclusive and welcoming space in a way that is considerate of all campers. As a general guideline, we meet the needs of gender-expansive campers in a case-by-case manner. The first step is having a conversation with the camper and their family about how Camp Sloane can best meet their needs:

What would be helpful to make your experience positive?
What can we do to help you feel more welcome here?
We’ll seek to find options for meeting the camper’s needs while being honest and realistic about any facility or programmatic limitations.

We’ll also want to discuss the camper’s expectations/boundaries and thoughts on confidentiality.

Please refer to our Gender Inclusion Policy for more information.

We strive to create summer camp programs that are enjoyable for as many children as possible. In everything we do, health and safety are our top priorities. As such, we need to recognize the limitations of our facility, program, and staff. Please contact us at info@campsloane.org if you would like to speak to someone about your camper’s needs at camp and whether Camp Sloane is a good fit.

Camp Sloane is tech-free, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t stay in touch with your camper. Purchase Camp Stamps through your camper account to send emails to your camper or write letters and send care packages (Please NO FOOD). We collect and hand out the mail every afternoon and daily emails get handed out at 2:00 PM each day. 

Campers are strongly encouraged to write home and we suggest that camper’s come with pre-addressed stamped envelopes to make the process as easy as possible. 

First-time families will also receive a check-in phone call during the first week of the session from their camper’s village director, and all families receive a parent postcard in the mail by the second week of a 2-week session. A good rule of thumb at camp is that no news is good news.

We do our best to capture the spirit of summer at Camp Sloane through our photos and social media. Photos get posted to CampInTouch at the end of every day, and our two-person media team understands that these photos are your only window into your camper’s experience. Here is what you can expect from our media team:

• We upload photos to CampInTouch one time a day - typically in the evening. A variety of photos, videos and blog content gets uploaded to our social media accounts throughout each day. For the most up-to-date going-ons at camp, follow us on Instagram.
• We can only guarantee that your camper will be in their village photo
• The number of photos that we take each day varies taking into account media team time off, inclement weather and busy camp schedules. There is no minimum or maximum number of photos per day or session.
• Some campers are pictured more than others - Some campers actively seek out our media team, while others couldn’t care less — and some even avoid the media team altogether. In addition, some campers pursue classes or activities that are harder to photograph for a number of reasons. For example, if your child takes Survival Skills where they’re always venturing to remote places on our property, then they won’t be photographed nearly as often as campers taking climbing in the heart of camp.
• We rarely take photos inside of tents (for safety reasons) and other camp buildings - the quality is just not as good
• There are fewer photos to upload on inclement weather days - it doesn’t mean that we aren’t having fun - it’s just that the poor lighting in our camp buildings creates lackluster photos.
• We capture a wide range of emotions in our photos. While you’ll often see joyful faces, you’ll also see photos of campers concentrating on learning a new skill. Other times, you might see photos of campers during transitional times when a flat affect probably just means they’re waiting for the next activity. Just because your camper isn’t smiling in a photo doesn’t mean they’re unhappy or upset. If your camper is unhappy over an extended period of time, you’ll hear from us.
• We can’t fulfill photo requests and we will do our best to get photos of campers participating in specialty experiences and additional options (waterski and riding)

There is a full packing list in the Parent Handbook. We recommend purchasing a camp trunk that will last your camper throughout their camp years. We like the Happy Camper Footlocker Trunk 32x18x13.5 from Everything Summer Camp (and you should add on the wheels!).

We offer laundry services for any camper who stays for more than 2-weeks at camp. Laundry is collected on Friday and returned on Monday. Campers who are here for 2-weeks or less should pack for the full time that they are here as they will not have the chance to do laundry.

In between each session we have an Intersession. We do have staff and basic programming going on and campers can stay through the weekend here at camp. Parents and families are also more than welcome to come and take their kids off camp for Saturday, Sunday or the whole weekend. Most families choose to visit their kids on Saturday afternoon, take them out for a nice lunch and then return them to camp for dinner on Saturday evening where the campers watch a movie in our performing arts building.

Missing home is normal for campers in the first couple of days away from home. We help campers conquer homesickness in a nurturing way that builds confidence and independence. The first day of every session is called Monday Funday where we give campers the opportunity to get to know camp, their tent-mates, and their village.  If your camper feels more homesick than normal, we have experienced staff who will work with you and your family to make your stay at camp as successful as possible. For tips on how to prepare for missing home, check out our Parent Handbook.

We love tent camping but we know that it’s not for everyone. First off, living in a tent for the summer is way nicer than a cabin. There is a better airflow when the flaps are all rolled up and a tent is not as isolating as a cabin is. This builds for a better camp community. Also, let’s call it ‘glamping’ - our tents come complete with bunk beds, storage and bug nets for every bed. Camp Sloane is a bit more rustic and our tents don’t have AC, but tent camping is camp the way that it should be. We’re proud of our tent camp culture and can’t wait for you to experience it for yourself!

Yes. We will only guarantee ONE reciprocal request for campers of the same age and gender and families MUST follow the bunkmate guidelines:

• Each camper may only request one other camper
• Both campers must request each other
• Both campers must be the same gender and age—if one camper is older, they must drop down to the younger village
• Both requests must be made in writing or in an email to info@campsloane.org at least two weeks before your session. After the two-week mark, we can not make any guarantees even if the request is reciprocal.
• Camp Sloane is not able to make tent changes at check-in for any reason.

We cannot accommodate more than one bunk request per camper because it can have a negative impact on the other campers. Camp is about building relationships and making new friends.

Our schedule is the perfect balance of choice-based electives and community building. Campers MUST choose their activity preferences prior to arriving at camp. You will do this by going to the 'Forms & Documents' section of your CampInTouch account.

Each morning, you have three periods of electives and you do the same three electives for 5 days. Then you get three new ones for the second week. In the afternoon, you will have free swim with your village and participate in a tent bonding time activity with your tent and one other from your village. Tent bonding time activities are chosen by you and your tent-mates at the start of each week. Check out our Activities page to see what some of our options are.

Camp Sloane is a tech-free environment and it is the expectation that our campers are willing and able to unplug while they are here. That means no electronics at camp including phones, tablets, computers, video games, etc. This policy is near and dear to us as we feel strongly that it is important to take time to disconnect to reconnect and building real relationships with others isn’t going to happen if your face is buried in a screen.

Check out our full packing list in the Parent Handbook. It’s important that you help your parents and family members with the prepping and packing process. It helps get you prepared and excited for your time at camp!