Overview

Welcome to Camp Under the Stars! Founded in 2017, Camp Under the Stars is an overnight summer camp for ages 5-17. We are located in the Prince William National Forest in Dumfries, Virginia. Our camp program is outside in nature in the National Forest. Camp activities include art, hiking, kayaking, paddleboarding, mindfulness & yoga, waterfall walks, cooking nutritious campfire meals, library, STEM, and outdoor play. Throughout all our camp programming, campers learn to treat each other with kindness, use empathy, include others, and take care of the natural world.

Overnight camp for ages 5-13 is designed for first-time campers and those who have camped before. Campers live in cabins with cots and electric lights, with flush toilets very close by. Some meals take place in the dining hall and others are prepared over a campfire.

Our mission is to provide a supportive, inclusive camp community that values each child's uniqueness, celebrates our differences, and respects nature and the planet. We envision a camp where everyone can thrive and be who they are, learn from others, create lifelong friendships, enjoy outdoor adventures and learn to take care of our communities and the planet. Our number one priority will always be the physical and emotional safety of our campers and staff.

We are a small camp by design. Having experience with camps of various sizes, we knew that the best way to follow our camp mission would be to create a camp that is small by design. As micro-schools are popping up across the US, we are leading the way as a micro-camp. Designed to be small, we are a camp where:

• All the camp staff know all the campers by name.
• We know all of our campers and their families well enough to provide individualized support when needed.
• There is plenty of time for activities that promote positive mental health, like yoga, mindfulness, and book time.
• Flexibility is built into everything we do.
• Adapting to new COVID regulations and precautions is done easily and with attention to detail.

Our camp program is a great fit for younger campers. We provide supports when needed, including:

• Helping campers organize their clothes and laundry.
• Ensuring campers are putting on clean clothes daily.
• Helping campers brush or braid their hair.
• Toothbrush parties to ensure everyone is brushing.
• Sunscreen breaks through the day to ensure everyone is covered.
• Water breaks often to ensure everyone is hydrated.
• Individual support for bedwetting and accidents.
• Closely monitoring each camper's wellbeing throughout the day and providing support as needed.

Additional Information

Sample daily schedule Morning

• 7:00 AM: Good morning: time to wake up and get ready for the day
• 8:00 AM: Breakfast: nutritious breakfast served in the dining hall
• 9:00 AM: Circles: including mindfulness activities & yoga
• 9:30 AM: Unit chores: for example, organizing cabins and collecting firewood
• 10:00 AM: Morning: activities may include art, outdoor play, hiking, book time, and culinary
• Nutritious snack: a nutritious snack is served each morning Afternoon
• 12:30 PM: Lunch: campers help to prepare and cook a nutritious lunch in the dining hall or over a campfire
• 2:00 PM: Rest time: quiet time for campers with books and quiet activities available
• 3:00 PM: Afternoon: activities may include kayaking, paddleboarding, waterfall walks, and STEM
• Nutritious snack: a nutritious snack is served each afternoon Evening
• 6:00 PM: Dinner: nutritious dinner served in the dining hall
• 7:00 PM: Campfire: come together around a campfire
• 8:00 PM: Bedtime: time to get ready for bed

Food & Dietary Needs Camp food is nutritious, delicious, and kid-friendly. Alternatives are available if campers don't like the meal served. Campers and staff eat family style with serving dishes on each table. Nutritious snacks are served in the morning and afternoon. And of course, we have fun campfire desserts like s'mores! We are happy to provide alternatives for food allergies and dietary restrictions. Alternatives for food allergies are prepared in a separate area of the camp kitchen.

Staff Qualifications Camp Under the Stars staff are adults from the DC metro area and all over the world. Camp staff go through a rigorous application process, extensive training, and background checks. Most camp staff have years of experience working with children in a camp setting. Some are teachers, including special education, ESOL, and gifted education teachers. Some are former camp directors. We provide ongoing staff training throughout the year. Additionally, all of our camp staff are certified in first aid and CPR, at minimum. Our health cabin is staffed by a Nurse and/or Nurse Practitioner. Our camp nurses have years of experience working in health cabins at overnight camps. Waterfront Staff include certified lifeguards and receive kayak safety training. All camp staff receive training in the areas of overnight camp safety, anti-racism, LGBTQIA+ inclusion, neurodiversity inclusion, restorative justice, first aid, CPR, AED, EpiPens, and more.

Safety & COVID Precautions At Camp Under the Stars, safety has always been our first priority. We are taking COVID-19 and the safety of our campers and staff very seriously. As a micro-camp, we have the flexibility to make the necessary changes to keep campers and staff safe. Our small group sizes and increased staff to camper ratio along with many acres of outdoor space allow us to easily adapt to the most current guidelines from the organizations below. Camp Under the Stars is following COVID guidance from the following organizations. American Camp Association (ACA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Parks Service (NPS), The US Federal Government. Changes we have made due to COVID: We chose a camp property with open-air buildings with lots of windows. (No HVAC). We decreased camper capacity and increased staff to camper ratio. We moved many camp activities outside. We are staying informed. All of our camp staff are vaccinated and boosted.

Support & Accommodations We will work with campers to provide support and accommodations, including but not limited to, providing nutritious food alternatives for dietary restrictions and food allergies, accommodating campers with learning disabilities, anxiety, ADHD, sensory needs, autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and speech, hearing or visual impairments.

Financial Assistance Camp Under the Stars is committed to providing a camp experience to all campers, regardless of their family's ability to pay the camp fee. Please apply for financial assistance on the registration form.

Pricing One-week camper fee (ages 6-13): $1595 ($400 deposit). Available sessions: July 5-11, $1595; July 12-18, $1595; July 26-Aug 1, $1595; Aug 2-8, $1595.

Cabin Assignments Campers are placed in living units (groups) with camp staff and other campers who will be the best fit for a great time at camp. Parents/guardians will provide detailed information that will be used to make group and cabin placements. Most living units have two camper cabins. Campers are placed in cabins with other campers of a similar age. Cabins are not necessarily separated by gender. Parents/guardians may indicate their preference regarding the age and gender of the other campers in their child's cabin room. (Cabin rooms are separate, and most cabin rooms do not have doors. Changing areas are provided in each cabin.) If your camper is registering for camp along with a friend or family member of a similar age, please list the friend or family member on the registration form, if you would like them to be placed in the same group or cabin.

Medications All camper medications, whether over-the-counter or prescription, are kept safely locked in the camp health cabin. Medications are administered by our camp health staff, usually a nurse. Camp does not provide any medications. Medications brought to camp must be in their original container.

Communication Campers are encouraged to write letters home to tell their family and friends all about camp. And families and friends are encouraged to write letters to campers. Mail for campers is dropped off at camp when you drop off your camper and will be delivered to your camper throughout the week. As a screen-free and electronics-free camp, campers do not communicate using phones while at camp. However, parents/guardians are welcome to call camp and speak with a camp staff member anytime!

Transportation Campers are dropped off and picked up at camp, located in Prince William National Forest in Dumfries, VA. We look forward to providing additional drop-off/pick-up locations and transportation options in future summers.