Summer Camp Frequently Asked Questions

Our camps have several options for families seeking camps to best fit their schedules and care is available from 7 AM - 6 PM daily. 

• Full-day programs run from 9 AM - 4 PM with camp drop off beginning at 8:45 AM (8:30 AM for Camp UMLY)
   
• Half-day programs run from 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM or 1:00 - 4:00 PM
   
• Before Camp Time - $25/week/camper 7:00 - 9:00 AM* (you must register in advance for Spark AM Care)
  • *Activities for Spark Time will begin to wrap up around 8:45 AM in preparation for that day's opening camp ceremony.
     
• After Camp Time (FREE)* 4:00 - 6:00 PM 

*Campers who attend camp through the Y Scholarship program at the Oscar Lasko YMCA pay $25 per week, per child for Before and After Care.

Daily activities vary from camp to camp and week to week, but the typical daily components include: 

• Opening/closing ceremonies
• Small group time for each age group and their counselors
• Large group or all camp activities (Special events)
• Lunch 
• Quiet Time
• Activity periods

The camp programs include, but are not limited to: gym and field games, sports, drama, recreational swimming, arts & crafts, cooking, music, outdoor living, science, nature, STEM, academic enrichment activities and social-emotional learning.

Weekly In-house experiences will take place in lieu of field trips with the exception of Teen Trek camp.

Drop off (which begins at 8:45 AM) and pick up may vary slightly from branch to branch, but we do rolling drop off and pick up at all our branches.  Rolling car line means the parent/guardian does not need to leave the car!  Our staff come to you. 

A sign-in/out area will be available when you arrive at the site.

Your child will only be released to the parent/guardian or another authorized adult you have indicated on Epact. This list can be updated on Epact at any time

• Please follow the drop off and pick up procedure for your camp locations.
• You must sign your full name and time on the attendance roster when dropping off and picking up your child(ren).
• Photo identification will be checked daily. 
• Please pick up your child on time each day. If an emergency arises and you are unable to reach the site before closing, call the staff to inform them of your progress and make arrangements with another pick-up person.

More details can be found in our Parent Handbook. English Version   Spanish Version

Campers will need to wear clothing, footwear and socks suitable for sports, being outdoors, doing crafts and generally getting hot and dirty. All items that a child brings to camp must be labeled with their name.

Campers will need to bring in a camp bag or backpack daily:

● Attire (weather appropriate- this can include rain jacket, sunglasses, hats, etc.)
● No good or valuable clothing
● No inappropriate logos on any attire
● Refillable Water bottle(s)
● Sunscreen
● Towel- Appropriate size
● Bathing Suit and Pool Shoes
● Plastic bag for wet clothing
● Change of clothes – Shirt, pants, underwear, socks
● Lunch/Snacks – No peanut or tree nut products. Lunches should be in a small lunch bag, lunchbox or cooler with a re-usable frozen icepack daily. Lunches ARE NOT refrigerated. No Microwavable lunches please. 
● Two Snacks

LEAVE AT HOME: 
• Electronic devices
• Cell Phones
• PSPs, Nintendo DS’s
• Pets
• Expensive jewelry or equipment
• Skateboards, roller blades, scooters
• Sports Equipment
• Money
• Weapons
• Toys/dolls from home.

* Please Note: Toy guns and other toys that promote aggressive behavior do not promote the type of learning and cooperative play according to the principles of our program, please leave these at home.

More information is available in our Parent Handbook. English Version   Spanish Version

All registered campers will be provided with a link to ePACT, our HIPPA-Compliant system for managing camper's medical information and emergency contacts, prior to the start of camp. Information provided to ePACT is owned by you and our counselors and staff will be provided access while your camper is in our program. Learn more about ePACT. Reminder: your User-ID and password for Epact is different from the YMCA website.

Parents can update their forms and information in ePACT at any time throughout the summer. 

Note: EPact must be completed prior to your child's first day of camp. Our full medication policy, nut-free policy and information about allergies, emergency medical care and more is available in our Parent Handbook. English Version   Spanish Version

At the Y, we are here to help each child reach their individual goals, based on their personal needs.  We know some children require alternative support and expectations to help them do their best every day.  It is so important that we work with you and your child to learn more about what they need.  If your child has an IEP, IFSP or 504 plan, please share that with the director so that we can help ensure a smooth transition for your child and they can thrive in summer camp! 
 

Supervisors and site directors have degrees in education or related fields and have the required number of years of experience working with children according to DHS qualifications. Our college-aged counselors have experience with children and many are taking classes in child care, physical education art, or related fields.

Staff are required to wear a name tag or staff shirt and project a professional image. Conditions of employment include, but are not limited to, the following:

• First Aid/CPR
• Annual Background Checks/Screening Process
• Training in Safety and emergency procedures
• Program-specific certifications
• Annual Criminal history clearance from PA State Police
• Annual Child Abuse History Clearance
• Annual FBI Clearance
• NSOR clearance
• 2 written references
• Proof of education, college course, and/or experience.

All staff are required to have 40+ hours prior to the start of camp. In addition, they receive on the job training, and are required to attend staff meetings on a regular basis. Topics include, but are not limited to: Child care knowledge, group work skills, behavior management, emergency procedures, and program content.  

Our camp staff are equipped with “rainy day” schedules to ensure your camper is having just as much fun inside on a rainy day, as they do outside if it is sunny. 

NEW PRE-SEASON CAMP DEPOSIT/TRANSFER POLICY
You spoke - we listened!  After much feedback from families regarding our camp deposit inflexibility, we have made some changes for 2025!  You can find these changes below regarding Camp Deposits and changes for camp.  

CAMP REGISTRATION CHANGES
During the Pre-season camp registration period from January through the end of the business day, April 30 camp changes/deposits are flexible and there will be no administrative fees.  Starting at the beginning of the business day on May 1, families will receive one complimentary change per camper on their registration.  After the one complimentary change is utilized, all change requests will incur a $25 administration fee per camper per change.  

A change is defined as a request to transfer a week or location of camp. Example: If you are making changes to 3 weeks of camp on 1 Summer Camp Program change form- this would count as 1 change.

Changes to camp registration cannot be accepted verbally and must be made by completing the Summer Camp Program Change Form.

January 14 - April 30, 2025 (by end of the business day)  

• Camp Deposit is flexible and can be transferred to another camp, week or location.  Camp deposit still remains non-refundable.
• Changes for camp are unlimited during this time frame.  To make changes, please complete the Summer Camp Program Change Form.

May 1 - August 22, 2025

• Camp Deposit is no longer transferrable and remains non-refundable.  
• Changes are limited to one change per camper without a fee during these months. Families will be permitted one change per camper at no cost.  After utilizing that one change, families will be charged an administrative fee of $25/change/camper.

Any change or cancelation, please complete the Summer Camp Program Change Form.

CANCELLATIONS/CHANGES/LATE REGISTRATION
No refunds or changes are available within two weeks of the start of the camp week. If prior to the two weeks, please complete the Summer Camp Program Change Form. (Please complete the form for each registered camper in your family). The $35 per week camp deposit is non-refundable. The deposit may be transferred to a new camp enrollment only through the end of the day on April 30. Starting at the beginning of the business day on May 1, families will receive 1 complimentary change per camper on their registration.  After the 1 free change is utilized, all change requests will incur a $25 administration fee per camper per change. Registration for each camp week must be submitted online, by 10pm on the Wednesday prior to the start of the camp week.

REFUND/CREDIT POLICY
Canceling Your Camp Registration

Two Weeks Prior to the Start of Your Camp  

• If for any reason you need to cancel your camp registration, you will receive a refund for any fees you have paid not including the $35 per week camp deposit (camp deposit is non-refundable, non-transferable) if you cancel at least two weeks prior to the first day of the camp session for which you are registered. Please complete the Summer Camp Program Change Form if you need to cancel your camp registration.

Less than Two Weeks Prior to the Start of Your Camp

• If for any reason, you need to cancel your camp registration within the two weeks immediately prior to the start of your child’s camp, refunds will not be given, per our current policy.

No Show  

• If you are registered for a camp session and do not attend for any reason and/or do not notify us that you will not be attending at least two weeks prior to the start of the session, refunds will not be issued.
• In the event that your child is sick, regardless of illness, no refunds will be available.

Unless otherwise specified, all camps are offered Monday - Friday. If you are not able to attend any portion of the camp week no pro-rated fees, credits or refunds will be provided.  

Camp is closed on June 19 and July 4.  These weeks have been pro-rated accordingly.  

CANCELED CAMPS
If a camp scheduled to run must be cancelled because we have not met our enrollment minimum, you will be able to transfer your child to another camp if available or receive a full refund.

For a complete Camp Change and Refund Calendar, please refer to our 2025 Camp Family Handbook.

A camp deposit of $35 per week/per child, is due at the time of registration. The remaining balance will be processed through auto drafts two Sundays prior to the camp start date.

A YMCA membership is not required to register for camp, however, depending on the number of weeks your child is attending, it may be worth the membership to take advantage of member pricing.

Those must maintain a YMCA membership prior to registration and through the end of a camp session receive the member rate. If the membership is not maintained during this period, the rate will be adjusted to the non-member rate. No changes to the rates will be made if a YMCA membership has been started AFTER the camp registration has been processed. 

Yes. Families with two or more children signing up for the same week(s) of camp will receive a 10% discount off of the lowest weekly fee*. 

If you register online, please complete the sibling discount form and a discount will be applied to your account.

Sibling Discount Form

* Some restrictions apply.

Please note: Sibling discounts cannot be combined with financial assistance and/or staff discounts.

At the YMCA, we do not turn anyone away due to an inability to pay. The Y is a non-profit charitable organization that strengthens the foundations of our community. Thanks to donations to the Y's Annual Campaign, we can offer financial assistance to those unable to pay the standard fees.* 

Anyone is invited to apply for an income-based YMCA membership or financial assistance. Those receiving income-based memberships are also eligible to receive discounted rates for programming, including camp!

Learn More about Financial Assistance

If your family is receiving ELRC funding for Coatesville, Octorara or Oscar Lasko YMCA Camp:

• Please contact your summer camp director to complete a registration packet for each child
  • Do not register online as you would be charged private pay rates if you receive ELRC/CCW
• $20/week for traditional and sports camps and $25/week for specialty camps - CCW weekly additional fee per child applies in addition to your weekly copay for camp
• $25 - AM spark time care from 7:00 - 9:00 AM fee applies in addition to your copay and CCW weekly additional fees per child.
  • Financial assistance is available only for the AM spark time weekly fee for ELRC families. Therefore, please email grios@ymcagbw.org or cjeffers@ymcagbw.org for more information. 
• Must receive eligibility prior to the start of camp along with completed Epact therefore please allow time for processing
• Review Parent Handbook (Spanish) regarding billing guidelines and other pertinent information regarding camp prior to submitting camp registration packets
• Please contact your caseworker regarding summer care intentions
   

IMPORTANT NOTE: For ELRC families, depending on the completion of the registration packet and confirmation from the caseworker, this will determine your start date. 
 

*Not all camps qualify for assistance. Licensed school-aged camp sites are located at Oscar Lasko, Coatesville, and Octorara YMCAs (grades K-5). If you have an active YMCA IBM Membership, Financial Assistance is available for all camps.   
 

Log into your YMCA account and select the “View Family Member’s Schedule” hyperlink on the right-hand side. Select the name of the child and the Camp/Childcare schedule details to view a weekly layout.

If you are on a mobile device, you'll need to expand the Family section in order to see "View Family Member's Schedule".

Those responsible for payments can log into their YMCA account and select the “Pay on Account” hyperlink. Select the appropriate receipt number and scroll to the bottom of the page to view the payment plan.

If you are set up for automatic payments, the account provided at the time of registration will be charged on the Sunday, two weeks prior to that start of camp. Please contact your summer camp director if this needs to be changed. 

Yes! Those responsible for payments can log into their YMCA account and select the “Pay on Account” hyperlink. 

Online registration deadline is 10:00 PM on Wednesday the week before that camp start date.*

If you have any questions or concerns on registration or billing contact your summer camp director.

*Because of this update to registration, there will be no late fee charges for summer camp registration.