Registration Open January 2025
We’re so excited to spend another summer season having fun and learning in the outdoors with our campers.
In 2025 we will continue to offer phased registration. The first phase will be registration for campers attending camp for 7 weeks or more. We hope that this ensures that families who need consistent childcare this summer can sign up without trying to beat the clock on registration day.
- Phase One will open on Tuesday, January 21st, 2025 at 7:00 AM. For this phase of registration families must register for 7 or more weeks of summer camp in either our traditional camp or our specialty camps. If you choose to register during this phase you must commit to at least 7 weeks of summer camp and sign a separate cancellation policy specific to this registration phase.
- Phase Two of registration will open up on Thursday, January 23rd at 7:00 AM. During this second phase, we will allow week-by-week registration in all programs and all camp spots (traditional and specialty) will be open.
Registration for Summer Camp will not open until the dates/times listed above but our School Year programs are currently open for registration.
This includes:
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February Vacation Camp Week (2/17-2/21)
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March Teacher Day Vacation Camp (3/14)
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April Teacher Day Vacation Camp (4/18)
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April Vacation Camp Week (4/21-4/25)
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Farm and Forest Preschool (please contact kmills@ketchaoutdoors.org if you’re interested in learning more about this program, open spots are for currently enrolled and early enrolled families only)
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After School Care 2024-2025 School Year (please contact aftercare@ketchaoutdoors.org if you’re interested in learning more about this program, open spots are for currently enrolled families only)
Ketcha Outdoors Campminder Camp In Touch How to and FAQ
Other Registration Information
If your child will need Camp Ketcha to dispense medication, please also complete the Authorization to Dispense Medications.
At Ketcha Outdoors we do require that all children are vaccinated following the Maine DOE vaccination schedule. Up-to-date records of these immunizations are required before starting care at Ketcha Outdoors. Required immunizations can be found here: Immunization Requirements for Schools.2_2023 (1)
If there is no availability in your desired week(s) of camp please utilize the waitlist function on our registration portal. We will add campers off the waitlist on a first-come-first-serve basis as spots become available due to cancellations or increased staffing.
Summer Payment Information
- It is the goal of Camp Ketcha as a non-profit organization to offer quality programs at an affordable cost. The following policies help us to properly allocate staff and resources and ensure that our prices remain as low as possible.
- DEPOSIT: A $50 deposit per week and a yearly registration fee of $25 must accompany your registration and is applied to the total camp tuition. Deposits and membership fees are not refundable under any circumstances.
- Auto payment is required if paying camp tuition in installments.
- If we do not receive full payment for camp sessions on time your child will not be allowed to attend Camp Ketcha until a payment is received. A $25 late fee will be charged to each camper account if your automatic payments are declined.
Summer Camp Cancellation Policy
Any deviations from our refund and cancellation policy will be up to the discretion of our Board of Directors.
| Before April 15th | Any requests for refunds between the launch of registration through April 15th will be provided in full, minus the $25 registration fee and a $50.00 cancellation fee per camper/per week. | |
| After April 16th | For requests to cancel between April 16th and May 15th, a partial refund will be provided minus the $25 registration fee, your deposit of $50 per week, and an additional $50 cancellation fee per camper/per week. | |
| After May 15th | There will be no refunds or credits given for cancellations made after May 15th, for “No-Shows” who do not communicate canceling prior to the start of their camp week, and for campers who are asked to leave camp for behavioral reasons. | |
| Medical Emergency Cancellation for severe medical issues. | A doctor’s note must be sent to us within one week of you notifying us in writing to request the cancellation. You will receive a refund of what you have paid minus the $50 non-refundable deposit per week and $25 registration fee. | |
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This added cancellation policy applies to families choosing to register early for a full summer (seven to ten weeks). If you register on this early date you are required to pay for at least seven full weeks of camp. For example, if you register for ten weeks and cancel four weeks we will only be refunding you for three of those weeks (with cancellation fees per our regular cancellation policy). |
Summer Camp Transfer Policy
Please email registration@ketchaoutdoors.org for all day camp transfers from one session to another. Transfer requests are not guaranteed and are not always possible. Requests must be made 21 days before the start of the session you wish you change. One transfer request per camper is allowed before May 1st with no charge. A $10 fee will be applied to all transfers made after May 1st.
Behavioral Dismissal Policy
Camper fees are non-refundable if a camper is removed for disciplinary reasons. Physical violence or bullying toward another camper or staff member will result in immediate dismissal from the camp program and you will not be refunded for the current week. Additional weeks will be refunded minus a $50 non-refundable deposit and a $40 late cancel fee per week.
Conduct While Attending Camp
Our programs follow a 5 finger contract that is to stay safe (pinky), respect others and the environment (ring), be kind (middle), lead by example (pointer), and have fun (thumb). These are gone over daily as a way to set expectations for program participants who can high-five each other to “seal the deal”. These rules are a positive support approach to help campers with skill-building for self-control and self-advocacy. We strive to create a supportive, nurturing and joyful environment where everyone shares a sense of belonging and acceptance. Our goals are to support confidence and self-awareness and to build social skills.
Ketcha Outdoors views discipline as the positive use of guidance and language that will teach children the appropriate responses to sometimes challenging situations. We believe that discipline is not punishment, but using these experiences to teach, guide, and redirect children with the purpose of raising responsible, resilient, and confident children who will grow up to care for themselves and others.
We strive to create an open, trusting relationship with parents that welcomes communication between parents and staff regarding their child’s experiences at Ketcha Outdoors. If a child’s behavior is interfering negatively with the functioning of the program or the safety of others, we will notify the parent or guardian to set up a meeting with the director and appropriate head counselor. Staff will work cooperatively with the family to develop and implement strategies to provide extra support by creating a behavior plan.
If it is decided that Ketcha Outdoors cannot reasonably accommodate the child’s support needs, the family may be asked to withdraw the child from the program. Camp Ketcha’s philosophy is to help each child develop respect for oneself, others, and the environment, and our goal is to help all children who attend Camp Ketcha to be successful in our program. Camp Ketcha program supervisors reserve the right to suspend and/or dismiss the child from the program without reimbursement for violent or inappropriate behavior that causes risk to the camper, others, or the environment. Please discuss and reinforce the above behavioral expectations with your child.
