Your Summer Camp Family Homepage
News and Updates
CLICK HERE to join our Facebook group for information and giveaways! (Make sure to answer the questions)
CLICK HERE for the Parent Portal - to register, change weeks, make payments, or complete summer camp forms.
CLICK HERE for the Medical Form
CLICK HERE for the 2024 Parent Handbook, including the Camper Rules.
CLICK HERE for Videos about Camp and what to expect!
CLICK HERE for the Children’s Camps in New York State brochure from the NYS Department of Health
CLICK HERE for a playlist of Camp Songs sung by your Summer 2023 Staff!
This page has lots of information about Summer Day Camp! Scroll down for our handbook, Frequently Asked Questions, Calendars, and Menus!
What-to-Bring information is right on page 9 of the Day Camp handbook, linked above, AND in the video playlist!
We are so looking forward to seeing your campers, summer will be here before we know it. Once you are registered, there are some next steps to complete for every camper in order to get them fully registered and processed for the summer.
Here's your to-do list:
Log in to the Parent Portal HERE
Click on Forms then select your camper, forms need to be completed for each individual camper.
GET MEDICAL FORMS FROM YOUR CHILD’S DOCTOR! More info right below.
In the Standard Forms section, please complete the Tell Us About Your Camper section and go through the Camper Rules section with your camper.
If you have group requests, you can update them in this section at any time. If they are submitted after the Wednesday before your child is coming to Camp, they may not be honored for that upcoming week but we will do our best.
Download the Summer 2023 handbook! It has all the info about summer camp.
The "Tell us about your camper" section is a great place to give us info about how we can best set your camper up for success this summer!
MEDICAL FORMS - IMPORTANT
In the Medical Forms section, complete the three Health History forms. If you complete these online, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO COMPLETE PAGES 1 and 2 of the Camp health form.
In the Standard Forms section, print the medical form and submit pages 3 and 4 to your doctor's office. They should complete both pages and return them to you or directly to us with a copy of your camper's most recent immunizations.
In order to upload completed medical forms to the parent portal, they must be in one document, individual images or PDFs will not compile but will overwrite whatever was uploaded last. I am so happy to help with this, you are welcome to send them right to me at jvanacoro@campherrlich.org and I can take care of it.
Add your Authorized Pickups to the Authorized Pickup section on the home page of the parent portal. (Below the Forms section).
All forms must be completed online by June 1st and the doctor's physical pages, (pages 3 and 4 of our form), plus camper immunizations must be returned to us. If your doctor wants to submit their own physical and immunizations form to us, they must also complete the over the counter medications section on page 4 of our form. That section is necessary because without it we can't even give a camper Neosporin for a cut, itch spray for an itchy bug bite, Benadryl for a sudden allergic reaction, or Tylenol for a sudden high fever. If a day camper is sick, we will send them home, but we often see unexpected things pop up that require the medications on that list. Please make sure to submit a complete medical form.
Illness Procedures
Please do not send ill children to Camp! If a child becomes ill while at Camp, they will be send to the health center and potentially sent home from Camp.
If your child has a fever or is vomiting, we require 24 hour fever or vomit free without the use of medication before they come back to Camp. If a child does not have a fever or is not vomiting, please make sure their symptoms are improved before sending them back to Camp and consider sending them in a mask.
Calendar and Menus
Cool Hats for Safari Week!
Theme Calendar and Menu Coming Soon!
Canteen Prices 2024
Short Sleeve Tees - $20
Hooded Sweatshirt - $30
Crew Neck Sweatshirt - $25
String Backpack - $6
Sunglasses -$6
Bandanna - $5
Carabiner - $5
Jibbitz - $5
Stuffed Animal or S’mores Key Chain - $7
Dog Tags - $5
Plastic Water Bottle - $5
Coffee Mug - $8
Travel Mug - $10
LED Fan - $10
Stuffed Animal - $9
Baseball Hat - $10
Past Summer Tees - $5
Snacks - $1 or $2
Candy - $1 or $2
Ice Cream - $1 or $2
Canteen how-to!
Every camper receives an afternoon snack from our canteen! This might be fruit snacks, graham crackers, popcorn, chips, or something like that. If you would like your child to be able to purchase additional snacks like candy and ice cream, or fun Camp souvenirs, please send them in with cash or a check. You can also call the office to load their canteen account with a credit card, just make sure you tell your camper you did that! Item Prices are above!
Drop off and pick up procedures! See below for pictures!
Pick Up:
Same traffic directions as above. If you arrive between 3:15 and 4:00pm, you will be stopped at the guard house. There are no pickups allowed at that time.
Display your car card on the dashboard of your car with your campers' names clearly written in marker. We walkie-talkie the names up to the groups who are sitting at their tables and the children whose names are called proceed to the front of the HERC where we load them in your cars.
If a car does not have a car card, we will check ID. If the ID does not match a name we have on the authorized pickup list, we will pull the car over until we can get hold of the parent or guardian. If you want to add names to your pickup list, you can do so right on the portal, call, or e-mail.
We will put your child in your car and off you go!
Before Care drop off and After Care pickup are the same! There are just less cars at a time. Drop off and pick up for BC and AC is right in front of the HERC.
Please check out the pictures and let us know if you have any questions!
Drop Off:
Enter from Deacon Smith Hill Road and Route 311, even if you're coming from the Carmel area, please still drive past the Deacon Smith and Fair Street entrance and come around.
Drive slowly and carefully.
Pull in the driveway at the entrance to Camp Herrlich, drive up the driveway past the guard shack. If you are arriving before 8:30, you will be stopped at the guard shack until we begin the road process.
Once we start, staff will direct you up on the left side of the driveway past Schweiger and around the driveway and turning circle in front of the HERC. We will stop your cars. Please do not allow your children to get out of the cars themselves, our staff will come and take them out when it is safe. (If you have medication to turn in to the nurse, canteen money, anything else, please let the staff who comes to your car know.)
Once all of the children are safely out of the driveway, we will let the row of cars go, down the left hand side of the driveway, and out the left side of the fork by the guard house. ALL cars must make the left turn and head up the hill to exit on to Fair Street.
On the first day of Camp, the campers will meet CH staff members and learn what group they are assigned to. If they need assistance finding the group, our staff will walk them to their table.
Senior Campers, Summer 2019
Taking Aim at a Great Summer!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What’s your camper to counselor ratio?
A. We follow the American Camping Association and the New York State Department of Health regulations for our summer camp. Our ratio for Day Camp is generally 8-12 campers per counselor and each group usually has a Junior Counselor with them as well. It averages out to be about 10:2.
Q. Is lunch included in the price? What’s usually served? Do you accommodate dietary restrictions and food allergies?
A. Lunch and snack are included in the price of each week of camp. Our chef prepares nutritious, kid-friendly food like pizza, baked chicken nuggets, chicken fajitas, tacos, macaroni and cheese, etc. along with side choices. Every day there is salad, and cereal or sandwiches offered for those who do not want the hot entrée. Each family receives a menu before the summer begins and you are welcome to send lunch with your child if you feel they will not eat what is being served. If you inform us ahead of time and in writing of your child’s dietary needs, we are more than happy to accommodate special dietary needs such as gluten free, any allergies, vegetarian, etc.
Q. What’s a typical day like?
A. Each day is packed with fun activities at Camp Herrlich! Each group follows a schedule filled with one-hour time blocks. Because we are a traditional summer camp, those activities will include things like nature, hiking, high ropes, free swim, boating, fishing, sports, arts and crafts, and of course lunch and snack time. There are also special theme days each week. A camp day runs from 8:45am – 4:30pm. If you need extended day care, Before Care begins at 7:00am, After Care ends at 6:00pm.
We have about 40 activities that we cycle through each week and about 15-20 activity blocks per group per week. All groups will not get all of the activities over just one week, however we try to get the “missed” ones in future weeks for those groups.
Q. Where do you get your staff from? Who are they and how are they trained?
A. Our staff comes from all over the place! Many Day Camp staff members have come up through the ranks, first being campers, then Leaders in Training (at 14 years old), then Junior Counselors (at 15 years old), then Senior Counselors (at 16 years old and up). We also get staff members from college job fairs and word of mouth. Every summer, in addition to the American staff, we hire about 40 staff members from all around the world. They come to us through registered, reputable, staffing agencies from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Hungary, Holland, Mexico, Turkey, and many other places. The diverse mix of staff is fantastic for children!
We provide a full orientation for our staff. Topics covered include things like communication, conflict resolution, discipline and behavior issues, getting to know the 156 acres of Camp Herrlich, sports, games, and creative activities, Herrlich History, basic first aid, and much more.
All summer staff have the required background checks performed as dictated by our licensing agencies. This includes the state sex offender registry, the state local criminal courts, and all international staff members have a mandatory criminal background check before arrival.
Q. How does the swimming work? Is your lake water tested?
A. Each group has free swim on their schedule for 1 hour per day, except when they are being swim tested on Mondays, and we swim in our 15 acre pond. Our lake and drinking water is tested weekly by the Putnam County Health Department. Campers are swim tested on every Monday of Camp to see what depth of water they can go to. There also may be Swim Fun depending on the availability of the beach and the lifeguards. All our lifeguards and our Water Safety Instructor have been certified by the American Red Cross. Many of them have worked our beach before. We strongly encourage children to swim, especially during the hot days!
Q. What happens if my child gets hurt?
A. We have an RN, LPN, or EMT on duty at all times during the Summer Day Camp hours, (8:45am – 4:30pm). We also have at least 10 staff members trained in American Red Cross First Aid and CPR for the Professional Rescuer and at least 3 staff members trained in Responding to Emergencies. We are very communicative with parents so if your child is hurt or sick, you will be contacted by the medical staff member on duty.
Q. Can I come for a tour of camp?
A. Yes! You can call or e-mail info@campherrlich.org any time to schedule a tour at your own convenience. The camp number is 845-878-6662. Every Day is an Open House!