Summer Day Camp Guide

Our camp staff team reflects the diversity of the Greater Toronto Area, and many staff speak other languages in addition to English. While we cannot guarantee that staff in your camper’s program will be able to speak a specific language besides English, we can guarantee that our staff will do their best to support all our campers!

Yes! Your camper’s safety is of the utmost importance to us. They will remain in their camper group for the duration of the day and be supervised by a staff member at all times.

If your camper requires medication during the camp day, please download the Medication Form and ensure you hand it in with the medication directly to a Y staff member. If your camper requires non-prescription medication, please obtain a doctor’s note that includes: 

• Your camper’s full name 
• Name of medication 
• Dosage 
• Expiry date of the note 
• Doctor’s signature 
• Times to administer, or specific signs and symptoms that indicate the medication needs to be administered 

All medications need to be in the original container and labelled with the camper’s name and date of the prescription. All medications are stored in a locked container at camp and can be refrigerated if required. If your camper’s medication is for an emergency (e.g., an epi-pen or puffer), your camper’s counsellor will carry it in their emergency waist pack. 

If your camper has an anaphylactic allergy that requires an epi pen, please download and fill out the Individual Emergency Anaphylaxis Plan and hand it directly to your camper’s staff person on the first day of their program. All epi-pens will be carried by your camper’s counsellor and returned to the camper at the end of the day.

We take the well-being of all our campers seriously! If there is something you would like our camp staff to know about your child before they arrive, please reach out to the Camp Director. 

The email address of the Camp Director and their direct cell phone number will be listed on the Camp Location Pages for your camper’s camp location. The link to the Camp Location Pages will be sent out prior to your camper’s registered program. 

Most of our camp sites have flush toilets. Depending on the location, campers may have access to outdoor portable washrooms with hand-wash stations, or washroom trailers. 

In all cases, we ensure our washrooms are inspected daily and remain clean and ready for our campers to use! 

In the YMCA of Greater Toronto’s commitment to creating spaces that are inclusive, all washrooms at YMCA Day Camps will be all-gender where possible.

The Accessibility and Inclusion program that is offered through YMCA of Greater Toronto Camping and Outdoor Education department, provides support to children between the ages of 4 – 12 years old who require additional support or 1:1 care while participating in our programs. We will do our best to ensure that every child is placed in a program, at a camp location, and with a staff member to best accommodate their needs while with us. Please note that some of our sites are not fully accessible however, we will work with families to discuss options of other locations that will best suit their needs within the GTA.
Use this program to enroll for 1:1 Support.

If you or your camper feels uncomfortable about something that is going on at camp, please let the staff at your camp location know immediately so we can help.
Our camp staff are trained to help campers through these types of situations, and will do their best to resolve the conflict. 

Our staff are also trained to identify more serious bullying behaviour, and work toward immediate resolution. Bullying is unwanted repeated behaviour between campers that involves a real or perceived power imbalance.  

All situations that involve bullying are treated on an individual basis, keeping the families of the campers informed. Our staff will do their best to understand all sides of the situation and move toward resolution.

If you wish to withdraw a participant from a program, you can do so by accessing the participant’s Registration History via your My Y account or by submitting your request to withdraw by email to register@ymcagta.org. Withdrawals that are processed online or requested by email 10 days before the start of the program will receive a refund minus an administration fee of 10% per program being withdrawn.
Withdrawal requests received with less than 10 days’ notice will receive a refund minus an administration fee of 50% of the cost of the program being cancelled. These requests must be submitted by email to register@ymcagta.org. A doctor's note is required for any withdrawal due to medical reasons.
Refunds are not granted for inclement weather.
Any request received after the start of the course will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Refunds take 2–3 weeks to process.

Camp programs continue to run, rain or shine! 

Please take the time to review the daily weather forecast each morning and prepare your camper for the day (e.g., rain boots, rain jacket, warm sweater, etc.). Camp staff also review the daily weather report and make decisions to ensure our campers are safe. Most private and YMCA Health & Fitness Centre locations have adequate indoor space for campers to take shelter during inclement weather. At our outdoor locations, we use a combination of tents and permanent structures to take shelter as needed. 

In the event of a thunderstorm, we will adapt programs to ensure campers are safe. Please note that water-based activities, including but not limited to boating, swimming and water play, will not occur during or immediately after a thunderstorm. 

In the event of an extreme heat alert, alterations to programs will be made to ensure campers are safe. Activities will be moved into shaded areas, inside, and more water-based activities will be played. As always, campers will be reminded to reapply sunscreen and drink water frequently throughout the day. 

We communicate mainly through email and will send information to the main contact we have on file to get your camper(s) ready for the summer. 

At the end of May, we begin our countdown to summer camp!
 A general email will be sent to share details of our monthly online Welcome to Camp Information Session and reminders about bussing and extended-hour registration.
 
 One week before your child’s camp starts, we will send a Welcome to Camp email with day camp location-specific information, including drop-off and pick-up instructions and the Camp Director’s name and contact information. We’ll also share program-specific details at this time.
You can also expect to receive an automated phone call from the Camp Director the Thursday before camp starts.

If you are eager to know more now, review the location page of the camp(s) you have registered for. These location pages are on our website under the Summer Day Camp Locations header. Or you can read through a list of FAQ found on this page, where you can also find a recommended packing list.

If you are not receiving our emails or previously unsubscribed to the Y’s emails, please contact register@ymcagta.org to adjust your account settings or set up a new email address.