We hope that any questions you have about our camp programs will be answered here. If not, please feel free to reach out to Lianne Prentice at director@bearcampcenter.org.
What is the full cost of camp, per child, per week? Camp costs $225 per child per week. This amount covers our staff payroll, snacks and meals, materials and supplies, certifications and licensing, insurance, background checks, maintenance, cleaning, and overhead (tent rentals, utilities). It’s super expensive to run a camp of this depth, breadth, and quality but we feel that the experience is worth it.
Is financial aid available? Financial aid is offered from a variety of sources, based on your town of residence, child’s needs, and family income. Tamworth campers have money set aside from Tamworth Foundation grant funding and money allocated by taxpayers for this purpose. Children from Sandwich can access the Sandwich Children and Youth fund. Children from Ossipee, Effingham, Freedom, and Madison can access the Ossipee Children’s Fund. Any child with an IEP or who comes from a family with very low income can access Rekindling Curiosity funds. Our financial aid pages in the preregistration packet have specifics for all aid. Priority for limited funds goes to campers attending full days.
Do you offer half day camp sessions? Yes! Children, especially our youngest campers, sometimes find full days of activity tiring. We do offer half days. If this is your preference, simply select 3 activity choices per week rather than 5 and we will schedule your child for 2 of these. Half days run either from 8:15-11:45 OR 11:45-3:00. Children who attend for the morning will be fed lunch before they leave. Those who come for the afternoon will be arriving right after lunch. The cost of half days is $115 per week (before any financial aid).
Can my child attend camp for specific days only during the week? Because our camp weeks are designed for each day to build on the learning and creation of the day before, missing days during the week isn’t ideal. Counselors regularly introduce skills and information one day that’s used the next, and the time is planned so that complex activities can be completed over the full four days. We’d hate for your kiddo to end up with incomplete experiences! If a full week might be challenging for your child, you might consider half days. This lets your camper immerse themselves in fewer activities and is also ultimately half the price.
Is your camp licensed? We are licensed as a recreation camp by the State of NH. As part of that licensing process, our staff goes through required State and Federal background checks; we have staff members certified in first aid; our site is inspected by the Department of Health and Human Services and our local fire inspector; our well is tested quarterly; and our kitchen is licensed by the State (though not a requirement for camp licensure).
My child is pretty shy in big groups; will they be ok? Our counselors are awesome! They love working with kiddos and they cultivate a culture of acceptance and respect for all of our camp members. It’s totally common for a child to start off the first day hesitating to leave their special adult’s side; by the end of the day, though, you won’t be able to pull your kiddo away from the fun!
What is Sparkle Day? Kids loved wearing bright colors and sparkly things but sometimes feel awkward letting their colors fly. Our counselors also love bright colors and sparkly things, so we created Sparkle Day. Each Wednesday, we encourage all campers and staff to wear some item (or an entire outfit!) of bright, cheerful clothing or gear (sparkle stickers on water bottles are awesome) or their favorite sparkly accessory. Every Tuesday, we have a free raffle where campers can win sparkle gear to use on Wednesdays. This is not required, just fun!
Can my child use her phone during camp? We do not permit phones at camp for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, we see these summer days as a time to disconnect and unwind from the pressure and stress technology can add to our lives. Our activities are largely “old school” fun, very active and creative and hands on. If a child has an emergency and needs to talk to a parent or guardian, Lianne can put that call through. We are also very aware that phones can get lost, broken, or even taken and that’s not a risk we’d like to take.
Does my camper need to bring food? All campers are offered a light breakfast (granola and yogurt, fruit and yogurt, fruit muffins, pancakes, etc), two snacks (veggies and dip, crackers and cheese, fruit and cheese, etc), and lunch (broccoli mac and cheese, build your own sandwich, tacos, etc) each day. The cost of these meals is rolled into the overall cost of camp and covered by financial aid and/or individual payments. If your child has specific food needs, you’re welcome to send snacks and lunch each day.
Are the activities multi-age? Many activities are multi-age. We have found that our youngest campers stretch themselves with support of older kids and our oldest campers can work independently to take activities to new levels. This year, we’re going run some activities grouped by age or ability to allow counselors and campers to work and play where the group is at, giving us more opportunity to dive deep.