If you have a question not listed below please contact Sean Brown, Outdoor Education Director sbrown@gmvymca.org or 513-867-0600
Teachers
Does school staff teach classes at camp?
This is completely up to you. If school staff chooses to run a class or two per period this allows us to have smaller student numbers in our groups. We have teacher friendly classes if you do choose to lead them. For example, if you are bringing 50 students that would be 3 trail groups with around 16 students per group. If you choose to lead a class that would be 4 trail groups, around 12 students per group.
Do you offer any scholarships for students?
We do have a scholarship program. This information is passed through a school representative. Please contact Outdoor Education Director for details.
What is the cost for teachers and chaperones?
Based on your student number you will be assigned a number of cabins. For each cabin we allow 4 adults at no additional charge. After that number we charge extra chaperones half the student rate.
What are your facilities like?
Please see the facilities page. We have modern camp facilities that are fully central heated and air-conditioned with full plumbing. This allows for a comfortable and convenient stay.
What is the food like?
We serve child friendly food, hot breakfast, lunch and dinner. We have alternatives at meals, cereal and fruit at breakfast and a salad bar at lunch and dinner. We also serve an evening snack before the students head back to their cabins. We can accommodate special dietary requirements, we ask for 2 weeks notice.
Parents
Who will be watching my child?
That depends on the time of day. During the class/activity sessions camp staff will be responsible for supervision along with any chaperones or school staff who are attending the visit. At meals, cabin time, or free time the teachers and chaperones provided by your school will be with the students.
What if my child is uncomfortable doing something, will they be forced?
We work on the philosophy of "Challenge by Choice". We provide a challenge, whether it is on the ropes course or an opportunity to pet or hold an animal, the students decide how much they want to do. No student is forced to participate if they feel unsafe emotionally or physically.
Does your camp have a bath house?
No. Every wing of each cabin has its own bathroom with 2 private showers, 2 sinks and a toilet cubicle. This is a comfort to know for parents and students, as in the example of needing the restroom in the middle of the night there is no walk across a field in the dark after having to wake your chaperones to be escorted there. Please see facilities page for pictures.
Do your cabins have air-conditioning?
All of our cabins have central air-conditioning and heating. When it’s cold outside our cabins stay toasty warm and when it’s hot outside we are able to utilize our cabins to cool down and come night time get a relaxing night’s sleep at a comfortable temperature. All the studies today show sleep is very important to our physical and emotional health. We’ve found camp is a much happier place since we installed central air-conditioning!
What if my child is sick or gets hurt? What if they have medications?
This primary falls under the duty of the school staff but camp staff are trained in first aid and CPR. Medications are dispensed through a school staff member. For emergencies Fort Hamilton Hospital is located 6 miles away.
What are the camp staff like?
We look for college educated that have a genuine desire to teach and be outdoors. All camp staff have passed State and FBI background checks and undergo an extensive staff training. Staff are child focused and committed to delivering a wonderful camp experience.
What should they pack?
Please refer to the Outdoor Education packing list. Students have very little downtime. We keep them very busy, so board games and books aren’t always necessary (unless the school has a long bus ride to camp). Last note, whether it’s the morning dew or a rainy day, feet at camp often get wet so extra socks are awesome!
What happens if my child is homesick?
This primary falls under the duty of the school’s chaperones and teachers as homesickness will typically show up at downtimes, such as cabin times.
Students
Most student questions are often answered by their teachers or when the camp staff member comes to their school for a pre-visit orientation. Below are a few of the questions we hear the most.
What time do we wake up and go to bed?
The school staff has the final say, as they are in the cabins with the students. As a guide though we serve breakfast at 8am (most schools wake up around 7.15am) and we typically finish programming between 9pm-9:30pm.
What trail group and cabin will I be in?
That is determined by the school staff. This is usually a decision that has had a lot of planning behind it. Maybe putting you with a friend but also having you work with some students you might not typically do so in a day-to-day basis at school.