FAQs About Summer Camp

 

Question: Are lunches served for day campers?

Day campers in the programs at Camp Joy El are provided lunch each day during their camp week. The cost for lunch is included in your camp registration fee.

Day campers in Hagerstown and York must bring their own lunches with them each day.

 

Question: What is the difference  between a day camp experience and an overnight experience?

Because overnight campers live on the campground 24/7 for six days, they experience a deeper impact from living within a genuine Christian community where God’s principles are taught and lived out each day. Overnight campers participate in a greater variety of activities and are also able to choose “electives” which are additional small group activities that allow campers to meet others who are part of different cabin groups. (Leadership Experience for high school does not select electives.)

Day campers participate in plenty of fun camp activities along with chapel time, small group devotions time, and scripture memory time.  Day campers do not experience as many activities as overnight campers.

Day camp is available to students completing kindergarten through 5th grade while overnight camp begins at 1st grade (with Mini Camp) and goes through high school.

Day Camp is a great option for children who don’t feel quite ready to spend the night (but realize that oftentimes they’re more ready than they realize).

Day camp is a more affordable option. Many parents choose to use Day Camp as an alternative to daycare.

Day Camp can be convenient for children with evening commitments.

Day Camp is an introduction to a camp experience. We find that many children are ready to come to overnight after only a couple days at day camp. The environment increases their comfort level and familiarity with Joy El.

 

Question: Can dietary needs be accommodated?

Yes. Please include a note about your child’s dietary needs with his/her registration form.

 

Question: What kinds of meals are served for summer campers?

We serve kid-friendly meals during summer camp. Examples of typical lunches include: chicken nuggets and french fries, pasta, sub sandwiches, hamburgers, and hot dogs. A salad is available at each meal.

 

Question: Which campers receive a free t-shirt?

Overnight campers who register with at least a deposit by March 31st and Day Campers who register and pay in full by March 31st receive a free summer theme t-shirt. Other campers may purchase the theme t-shirt from the campstore while supplies last.

 

What is Traverse Adventure Camp?

Traverse Adventure Camps are new this summer. We have one week of Traverse Adventure Camp for 8th graders and two weeks for 5th graders. Traverse Adventure camps are separated from the main body of campers to do their own style of camp. These camps are more rustic than our regular overnight camps. We are in the process of building two cabins for our “Adventure Village.” These cabins will offer campers a real taste of nature and some old fashioned “roughing it” in the woods. We will offer some unique activities to Traverse campers that will fit the description of “Adventure” such as rock climbing, wilderness hiking, and potentially a canoeing trip. Details are still in the planning, but rest assured campers will get a summer adventure.

Our teaching and Bible study times for these weeks will also be separate in order to provide students in these particular grades with some transitional instruction to help them make the change from middle school to high school or from elementary school to middle school.

 

What are the electives and what campers get to choose them?

A list of electives is available here on the website. Electives are additional activities available in the evenings for Energizer and Jumpstart campers only. They are not available to Day Campers, Mini-Campers, Traverse Adventure campers or Leadership Experience campers.

 

Can my child stay with a friend in the same cabin or day camp group?

A cabinmate request space can be found on your registration form and the name of one friend can be submitted.  This same space is used for a day camp group friend request.  Girls can request to be with another girl and boys can request to be with another boy. Opposite genders cannot be kept together.  We will do our best to accommodate cabinmate requests.

 

What is the Day Camp bus schedule?

You can find the Day Camp bus schedule on the website here. There is no additional cost for your child to ride a day camp bus.  Bus transportation is not available for overnight campers.

 

What is my child’s Released Time discount for camp?

Please contact our office to find out the discount amount your child has available from earned Released Time points.

 

What about 4.12 student discounts?

Discounts for 4.12 students will be entered and applied before camp begins in June as well. The maximum available discount is $80 for students who have turned in all of their Spiritual Progress Reports on time from September through April.

 

What is the gift certificate I heard about for the campstore?

For overnight campers,  There is a $20 campstore gift certificate available for bringing a friend who has NEVER been to summer camp at Joy El before. (Members of the same household do not qualify as a “friend.”) Four friends = FREE week of camp. For day campers, there is a $10 camp store coupon for bringing a friend who has NEVER been to summer camp at Joy El before. Any camper who brings four new friends qualifies for a Free Week of Camp. More details on this offer can be found here.

 

What should my child pack for camp?

A list of items your child should pack for day camp or overnight camp is available here on the website, and here as a printable PDF form.

 

Is Financial Aid available?
Yes, Financial Aid is available. The regular camp registration needs filled out, a campership application form needs to be completed and a parent contribution needs to be received. This amount needs to be at least $50. Any amount less than that needs to be approved by the Director of Camping Programs. You can find the campership application here.

 

Who will administer my child’s medications? Is there a camp nurse?

Yes. There is a nurse onsite for every week of camp and he or she is responsible to dispense your child’s medications. Please keep all medications in the original bottles from the drug store when sending them along with your child to camp. All other health issues should be communicated to us on the Camper Health Form, which you can find here.

 

When will I receive confirmation of my registration?

Confirmations are sent by email after your registration is entered into our database and your deposit is received. More information is sent to you four weeks prior to your child’s week of camp, including information about check-in times, bus schedules, what to pack, camper mail or email, etc. Confirmations are not sent by snail mail. If you have opted off of our emailing list and want back on in order to receive your camp confirmations, please contact our office for instructions on how to opt back into the list.

 

How do you select your counselors? Do they have background checks?

We look for qualified, college-age people who have a love for the Lord and children. We perform interviews, require reference checks and background checks with the safety of our campers foremost. Staff members attend a week of onsite training in preparation for what to expect at camp and how to meet the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of our campers.