Frequently Asked Questions

This is a very common question that we encounter. Camp bank is a fund that is set up by the parents of a camper to act as a fund of money that campers can use for many different purposes such as purchasing clothing from the canteen or taking money to use on camp trips like the Railrider baseball game. You can send in money to be a part of your child's camp bank fund at any time, but we suggest that you do this before your child arrives to camp. When you do decide to send in an amount for camp bank, we ask you to send in a separate check that is labeled "Camp Bank" in the memo, so that we are aware what the funds are for.

The canteen fee is a mandatory fee that is charged to your account based upon the number of weeks your child will be at Lake Greeley Camp. We would refer you over to our Tuition web page which has the current listing of canteen charges. The canteen fee is that amount of money the kids then receive as a kind of credit in the canteen each day so that they can come in, get checked off that they were there, and then receive the items from the canteen. It amounts to two items or one more expensive item such as soda and a candy bar OR one chipwich.

Yes, you can. Sessions can be changed as we move into the year and closer to the summer season. It is important to get an application in for a particular discount period to take advantage of that period's discounts. Then, as we approach the summer, you can change the session to match your plans as they develop.

Yes. Campers can extend their sessions while in camp by speaking with staff such as our division directors but we do operate on a weekly basis, so the minimum amount of time to extend would be 1 week.

Car or air travel. Those domestic to the United States are recommended to drive to camp so that they can see the camp if they have not already, meet staff, and have a more personal touch in setting up their child in the cabin. For international families, we do offer airport pick up from several airports, JFK in New York, Newark in New Jersey, and Avoca in Pennsylvania. Go to our transportation page for more info.

Yes, that is okay. When we have a discount period ending, as long as the envelope you are sending the application in has been postmarked by the last date of discount period, then the discount will still apply even though we will receive the application in our office after the discount date. We do recommend the online application for ease of use and immediate submission however.

The best resource to answer this question is our "packing list" that is also available on our forms page. Keep in mind time of year that you are coming as it gets colder into August, warm and humid in July. Other items such as water bottle, bug spray, a clip fan for the bunk and sunscreen are also very important to remember. There can be considerations for activities as well such as horseback, swimming and rock wall where particular clothing is necessary. Any particular questions on what to bring, please call us at our office at 570-842-3739 and we will be happy to help.

You can. We have a form at Lake Greeley Camp called the Bunk Request form, and this form will be available to you online through your account after enrollment. The most amount of people you can ask to be bunked with is 2. Also, if you and your friend(s) want to be absolutely sure that you will be bunked together, a bunk request should be submitted by your friend as well on which they would request you.

Keep in mind that our bunking is done primarily by grade. You have 7th graders with 7th graders, 8th with 8th, etc. The only instance where there is a change to that bunking is if a camper would want to bunk down 1 (one) grade to be with a friend. Our cabins may have a 1 year range, but we seek to be consistent in ages/grades as much as possible. If there is a question regarding the bunking, such as birthdays that are close together, etc., we can take a look at the situation.

Summer camp is a wonderful experience of being able to try new things and meet new people with the goal of having a fun, enjoyable and unique summer experience. Although the campers have a wide network of friends at the end of their stay at camp, it is certainly helpful at the beginning to have a friend with you as well. It can be difficult to enter a new environment, and having a friend can help you get over that initial hurdle of getting used to the schedule, people, etc. However, this is by no means a requirement in order to "make it" at camp either. Lake Greeley Camp's program schedule is designed in a way to get campers involved and moving quickly in cabins and with activities, and given a few days, the schedule allows the camper to integrate fully with the camp.

While do our best to accomodate bunk requests of all natures, there are some that we will not be able to honor. This kind of bunk request, having international children not be with other children of similar nationality, is not always possible. In order to separate children based on nationality, we require multiple bunks for that single grade in a division and there are times when that does not happen. As a result, the children would be bunked together in that cabin with other campers. While it may not be ideal, English is the first language we wish spoken at camp and we will do our best to remind campers to speak in English as we encounter them speaking in another language. If, as a parent, you wish your child to get even more practice with English, you may want to consider a tutoring session with one of the staff members at camp.

There are at least 2 counselors in all the cabins with the campers. There are instances where there can be 3 or even 4 counselors in a cabin, but we try to limit these situations as much as possible. The counselors live in the bunks with the campers as well in addition to being the instructors at the activity sites, so there is continual supervision. Counselors are of college age, turning 18 prior to or while in camp but we seek to have 19 year old as a minimum if possible.

The cabins at Lake Greeley Camp are fully featured with electricity, showers, sinks, bathrooms and lighting fixtures in both the main cabin and bathroom. The cabin itself is a common living space with each person having their own area or bunk.

The medical form is a very important piece of information that we need prior to your child's arrival at Lake Greeley Camp. Although you may not be able to schedule a physical for your child before his/her arrival to camp, as long as a physical has been performed within the last 18 months before coming to camp, that physical would count as acceptible. The medical form includes two documents that need to be completed by the parents and the child's physician. The physician's document is the one that must be signed by the physician, but the physician does not have to be seen if the physical has been performed in the last 18 months.

Absolutely. At Lake Greeley Camp, we offer a Pen Pal program where campers are able to request another camper who has been at Lake Greeley Camp to contact them and speak with them about their experiences at camp. Contact us to learn more and we'll put you in touch with a family to learn more.

Extra fee activities and trips are put into our system on a first come-first serve basis. Therefore, we would suggest that if you have an interest in participating in an activity, that you fill out the corresponding form to the activity you want to do. However, if you do wish to sign up for an activity or trip while you are at camp, you are certainly able to do that as well. If a camper wants to participate in the activities, the camper's parents need to be notified and an extra fee form be sent into the office before the camper is allowed to participate in the activity.

The scheduled time for parents arrival to camp for both drop off's and pick up's is from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM. There are groups that we will assign families to in order to organize our drop off's and pick up's, but this time range is a good general rule of thumb to use.

Although Lake Greeley Camp is a screen free environment, there are still many ways to contact your children without the use of a cell phone.

One method we have set up is phone calls through our call schedule. We have found that when campers are given time to integrate into the camp schedule with their bunkmates and activities, they have the greatest success in fully enjoying the camp experience and becoming a part of the camp culture. That is why we wait several days after the campers have arrived to begin phone calls home. Phone calls are scheduled through our office and are done at night starting at 6:30 P.M. going to 8:00 P.M. in 10 minute increments. You can call our office at any time to set up a phone call, and the earlier you call the more likely you'll get the date and time you want.

The other method is with the pen and paper with letters home (yes, letters). This kind of physical communication, we believe, means more to both child and parent as its more personal and comes directly from child or parent's hands.

In addition, parents can call our office to speak with the child's division director who would have information to share how things are going.

The food at Lake Greeley Camp consists of a variety of favorites for both campers and staff members alike for each meal of the day, and it also includes options for vegetarians. The meals are served in a buffet style, so we welcome both campers and staff to eat as much as they like during the meals, so if you want another grilled cheese, french toast, or portion of pasta, it is available to you. The kitchen has received very positive feedback for their work and food service over the years. If you would like to a sample menu or discuss dietary restrictions, please contact our office at 570-842-3739 to discuss these items.

You do not have to be a superstar school athlete to take part in camp activities. The program that is the basis of every activity at Lake Greeley Camp is focused first on learning and improving skills whether from Level 0 to expert. We encourage campers to try new activities every day with different themes, workshops, tournaments, etc. to pique your interest in any given activity. It is our goal to get you to want to go to a particular activity because you enjoy doing it, and you naturally desire to improve and work at it. That's not to say activities aren't fun either. While there is instruction, half of the activity period is set aside for games to put your new skills to the test and try them for yourself.

The total camper to staff ratio, which would include all counselors and senior staff members at camp, would be around 2.5 or 3 to 1.

Yes, there are 3 nurses who act as medical staff and reside in camp in our health center.

For laundry, we have a third party business that will handle all of Lake Greeley Camp's laundry needs. The laundry from all the campers will be collected by the counselor staff and put into specified Lake Greeley Camp laundry bags that will either contain whites or colored clothes. The bags will be collected the morning laundry will be sent out and will return a couple days later. The laundry will go out about once a week. It might be helpful to speak to your child before their arrival to camp regarding laundry, how to separate clothes, etc., so that your child is familiar with what will be going on when the laundry process starts.

While Lake Greeley Camp does not affiliate itself with any one religion or faith, we do offer religious services to those who are interested in attending them. We will have Catholic/Christian services on Sunday morning held at a local church in Shohola, PA. Attendance is completely optional.

Lake Greeley Camp specializes in fun, of course! A lighthearted answer, but it is very much the truth. We are not a camp designed to focus on one specific category, activity, etc. for a set amount of weeks. We are not a soccer camp, tennis camp, or a gymnastics camp, although we do offer those activities. It is the manner in which we instruct those activities that, we believe, separates Lake Greeley Camp from other summer camps.

The program at Lake Greeley Camp is designed to incorporate anyone who wishes to be involved in any activity they have an interest in, even those activities campers would never expect liking. We focus on the fun of the activity to draw in the camper's interest. For example, the periods can be scheduled in a way where different skill levels are taught at different times of the day, activity instructors are knowledgable and flexible to meet any camper's need for instruction, and the instruction itself is based on skill development rather than competition, albeit the skills learned can be practiced in competition.

There are vistation days for parents who wish to see their children and pick them up for the day from camp. There are no visiting days where parents can walk around the campground while we are in session. There will be specific days mentioned in our parent handbook for each summer and emails sent out that will address these days prior and during camp.

If you will be taking another child out of camp, you will need to make sure that the parent of the child you are taking contacts our office with a WRITTEN form of permission so that we are aware of the situation. If these arrangements are not made, we will need to obtain written permission from the parents, and you will be forced to wait at the office until such permission is obtained.

No, we do try to limit food brought in from outside sources as there are a number of allergies in camp and we would not have space in our dining area to store other food items that we don't order.