Camp FAQs

Yes, we have four Open Houses each year.   All tours are led by summer and leadership staff.   If these days are not convenient for you, please feel free to call our office and set up a private tour with one of our camp staff any day of the week. For more information please click HERE.

We are located in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut just outside of Winsted in the foothills of the Berkshires. With easy access to Route 44 and 8 we are less than an hour from Hartford and under 2 1/2 hours from both New York City and Boston. 

You can reach us by phone 24/7 during summer camp at 888.412.2267 or by email at camp.jewell@ghymca.org

We encourage letters from you as the best way of communicating with your camper. Positive, supportive letters let your camper hear from you in a constructive way. You may want to send a letter a few days prior to the session to ensure that it is received while your camper is at camp. Additionally, you can purchase email credits and write emails to your camper by clicking here Please note that due to the large number of campers, (we get over 400 emails each day), we ask that you limit your emails so that we can deliver them in a timely fashion. Emails are downloaded during the evening for printing the following morning and are distributed after lunch! Due to our policy of no electronic devices at camp Campers do not have access to email. 

Although all campers enjoy receiving packages from home, we discourage care packages containing food items as some campers have allergies to certain ingredients and food can attract unwanted insects and animals to the cabins. Any food in packages will be taken away and returned on the closing day of that session. You can also purchase items from the camp store online and we will deliver them to your child’s cabin with a personalized note.

Our photos hosting is provided by Waldo Photos. Each day we take several hundred photos of camp in action, we then upload those photos each night to Waldo. There is no charge to view these photos, however if you would like to download photos or participate in Waldo’s facial recognition software, a fee is applied.  However, half of this fee is put toward Camp Jewell’s Annual Campaign which helps send kids to camp! Families registered for camp will be sent an email to create an account and access photos. Please note that we take several hundred photos at camp each day and while we try to take a variety of shots not every camper will necessarily be in a photo each day.

Campers are encouraged to reply by writing letters. We suggest that campers bring paper and pre‐ addressed stamped envelopes. With this understanding, we ask that parents work with us in ensuring that campers do not bring cell phones to camp. Your assistance is greatly appreciated in helping us enforce this policy. Possession of a cell phone will lead to automatic dismissal from camp!

Parents are welcome to visit and tour on opening and closing days of each session or trip. Parents can visit if their child is staying for more than one session during holdover, however we ask that you notify our office and make arrangements prior to the day you are visiting. For security reasons, all parents must be accompanied by a camp staff member if walking around camp outside of the check in and check out times.

Security is extremely important at camp. Our staff are in constant contact with one another, and with the camp office, via hand-held radio. All visitors must stop by our office and be checked in, anyone visiting camp during the summer also must go through a security check and are given an identifying bracelet. Vistiors must also be accompanied by camp staff at all times. Our gate is locked overnight and we employ a nightwatch person during the summer to ensure that no unauthorized people are at camp outside of normal business hours. Any person not cleared to be at camp are immediately identified, approached, and asked to leave camp.

No, it is not necessary to be a member of the YMCA to attend camp. However, there is a discount for full facility family members of the YMCA of Greater Hartford, for more details call or email camp.

Realizing that families have differing abilities to pay, Camp Jewell YMCA has instituted a voluntary 3-tier pricing program for our Summer Resident Camp to accommodate all financial needs. Tier 1 most accurately accounts for the true cost of operating camp including food, staff salaries, supplies, wear and tear on equipment, transportation, and depreciation. Tier 2 is a partially subsidized rate for those who cannot afford to pay the full costs associated with attending camp. Tier 3 is a subsidized rate that only covers the basic costs associated with attending camp including, food, staff salaries and supplies. Please choose the tier that is most suitable for your family. All children have the same experience no matter which tier a family is able to pay. The tier selected by a family will be kept confidential.

Yes Financial Assistance is available. Each year we raise over $200,000 in scholarships to families who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford to attend camp. For more information please click HERE.

Safety is always our top priority at camp.  We are accredited by the YMCA of the USA, the State of Connecticut,  and the American Camp Association- meaning that we meet or exceed more than 300 standards of health safety, and program excellence. Our staff goes through a minimum of one week of staff training and are certified in First Aid and CPR, our waterfront staff are Red Cross lifeguards, and our trip staff have certifications in Wilderness First Aid.

All staff members complete a rigorous application process that includes reference checks, background checks, and a personal interview.   Then they participate in extensive training that covers the camp mission, youth development, safety/emergency procedures, activity leadership, behavior management, and child abuse prevention.

Our camper to staff ratio is 1:4 for our younger campers and 1:6 for our older campers. All of our counselors must be over 18 years of age and those working with our campers 14 and older are over 20 years of age.

We have three nurses on duty at camp every session of which a minimum of 2 are on site at all times. Our nurses distribute all medication to campers (over-the-counter or prescription), care for illness and respond to any emergency situations. In addition, our staff is trained in First Aid and CPR and our trip staff are also certified in Wilderness First Aid. The closest hospital to camp is less than 15 minutes away as is our camp doctor.

While many times campers come to our infirmary feeling ill because they are overtired or a little homesick, some campers do actually have an illness that must be cared for.  Our nursing staff will treat their symptoms and call you only if your camper spends the night in the infirmary, visits repeatedly with the same medical concern,  has to visit our local doctor or hospital or if the nurse has a question about your camper’s medical form.

All campers must have had a physical exam by a licensed provider WITHIN 2 YEARS of their last day of camp.

It’s perfectly normal for a camper to miss home and this can be an important part of their camp experience as they develop a sense of independence and self-esteem.  Luckily, Camp is a safe place for campers to have a mix of these emotions and our counseling staff (many of whom were once homesick campers themselves), are highly trained in working with your child and keeping you informed on their well being.

No, not every camper will participate in swim lessons; however, every campers can choose it as an option. We do swim test all campers during their first 24 hours at camp, those at the lowest swim level are placed into swim lessons. Trained swim instructors lead every class.

We love to celebrate birthdays, we even have a special chair and song during our daily pre dinner Thunderdome! If your child has a birthday while they are at camp, please feel free to send a special card or care package. We will provide the fun and a special treat for your campers birthday!!

We understand that often campers may come to camp with a friend that they would like to bunk with. We strongly believe that camp is an opportunity for children to meet new people, and have new experiences. As such, we limit requests to one per camper. There is a space on the registration form to complete this request or you can call or email our camp office. Requests will only be honored for campers of the same gender that are within one year of each other in age. Both families must also mutually request the campers to be in the same cabin group.

Our cabins were designed to be used year round and as such have bathrooms and showers located within the cabin. All of our cabins have heat and electricity, sturdy wooden bunk beds and communal areas.   Campers stay in age/gender appropriate cabins under the continuous care and supervision of qualified counselors.

Camp is all about having fun outdoors. As such, we strongly recommend that you do not pack clothing items that you would mind if they got dirty or stained. The packing list is to help in your preparation. The best way to transport all necessary clothing and gear is in a footlocker (or plastic storage bin), no higher than 14”. Footlockers can easily slide under your child’s lower bunk. A list of contents should be fastened to the inside lid and the camper’s name should be clearly marked on the outside. Please do not forget bedding, including sheets, pillow, blankets and a sleeping bag for overnights. Please mark all clothing and equipment with your camper’s name. This will help us return lost items.

We do not provide regular laundry service for campers. We do provide laundry service for special circumstances (bedwetting, etc.) We also provide laundry services for campers staying through consecutive sessions at camp (hold-over weekends). The YMCA is not responsible for lost or damaged personal items.

Our food service department provides three well-balanced meals and one snack each day at camp. Each meal includes several options aside from the main course, with nutritious, fresh food being a focus. Camp can accommodate a variety of dietary needs and restrictions. 

Campers have the opportunity to customize their program each week by signing up for three morning clinic activities (one of which can be swim instruction). In addition, each day, counselors and coordinators customize schedules to make sure each child has the opportunity to try a variety of activities during their session.  Our summer camp programs focus on developing social skills, team-work, self-esteem and an appreciation for the environment, all with a healthy dose of fun! For more information on our clinics and activities please click HERE.