COST, REGISTRATION & PAYMENTS

Parents and caregivers can begin the registration process online (recommended) at ymcacky.org/camp or in person at any local YMCA location. Failure to upload waivers/form and necessary information does not exempt parents from fees associated with camp registrations.

CampSpace is a web-based platform that streamlines our registration process, health form completion, and parent sign-in/out procedures. After registering, families will receive a link via the email address provided at registration to create a CampSpace account. Families will use their CampSpace account to finalize camp registration by completing the health waivers and emergency contact information. Failure to upload waivers, contacts etc. does not exempt parents from fees associated with camp registrations.  

Click on the links below to view payment and draft schedules for each camp site:

 

Camp waitlists are monitored regularly. Waitlist openings are reviewed based on the week requested and the camper’s age. If a spot becomes available, a camp director will contact you via email. 

The YMCA of Central Kentucky accepts the Kentucky Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) for state licensed child care sites.

Financial assistance is also available for membership and programs. Applications may be picked up at any YMCA Welcome Desk or online. Parents should allow 15 days for processing. Keep in mind there is a two-week notice for changes, this includes applying for financial assistance. For more information or assistance with application, please contact the business office at business@ymcacky.org.

  • Change of Information Form is required.
  • Changes and cancellations to camps weeks 1-4 must be requested to the Business Operations Center by May 6, 2026. After May 6, 2026, no refunds or credits will be made to weeks 1-4, and you will be drafted for your registered camp(s). You will not be charged the $25 cancellation fee.
  • Changes and cancellations to camps weeks 5-10 must be requested to the Business Operations Center by June 10, 2026. After June 10, 2026, no refunds or credits will be made to weeks 5-10, and you will be drafted for your registered camp(s). You will not be charged the $25 cancellation fee.
  • No changes will be made by phone and exceptions to this timeframe are not allowed.

Please reach out to our Business Operation Center for billing inquires at business@ymcacky.org or (859) 367-7301.

DROPOFF/PICKUP AND COMMUNICATION

Day Camp Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. 
Bar Y Outdoor Adventure Camp Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.

To help our camps run smoothly, please make sure your child arrives and departs by the specified times listed for each camp site:

Drop-off Hours: 7:30-9 a.m.
Pick-up Hours: 4-5:30 p.m. (Bar Y 2:30-3 p.m.)

  • Bar Y Outdoor Adventure Camp
  • C.M. Gatton Beaumont YMCA
  • Glendover Elementary
  • Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary
  • Second Street School
  • Whitaker Family YMCA

Drop-off Hours: 7:30-9:30 a.m.
Pick-Up Hours: 4:30-5:30 p.m.

  • Athens-Chilesburg Elementary
  • The Cross Center 
  • North Lexington Family YMCA
  • Lansdowne Elementary 
  • Maxwell Elementary School 
     

To ensure camper safety and program quality, staff are fully engaged with campers during camp hours and will be unavailable to assist with late arrivals or early dismissals without advance approval from the camp director.

For campers remaining after closing time, a $1 per minute per child late fee is charged and due immediately (by draft the next day). In the event a child is at camp 15 minutes past closing times, emergency contacts will be notified. If no one can be reached or child has not been picked up an hour after closing time, we have no option but to contact child protective services (DCBS) to have them assume authority of the child.

The safety of all campers is our top priority. Once you load photos of approved pickup person(s) and your child into CampSpace, IDs will not be necessary.  

Our policy requires camp staff to ID daily for proper release of each child. Only authorized persons over 16 years of age, with a picture ID, will be allowed to pick up a child. 

There may be many different staff supervising dismissal and different campers attending weekly with lots of different authorized pickups, so staff need to be able to see IDs daily. 

Families are expected to review all communication about camp via email, text, and/or video content to be familiar with general guidelines, policies, procedures and updates.

  • Email, text, and the PlayerSpace app are different tools the YMCA of Central Kentucky uses to communicate with parents. 
    • We encourage you to log into your YMCA of Central KY account (powered by Daxko) and update your communication preferences to receive emails and text messages (click on the Settings gear icon next to your name on the dashboard). 
  • PlayerSpace app
    • Once registration is complete, you will select to receive camp alerts via text and email. 

CAMP ACTIVITIES, SCHEDULES & GEAR

Please provide a nut-free lunch for your child. Your child will feel better and have more energy during the day with healthy items packed for lunch. Here are some ideas for great lunch box fillers from the Harvard School of Public Health. Not all the items listed below are non- perishable. Lunch boxes with reusable ice packs help keep lunches safe from the summer heat.

  • Pack fruits and vegetables every day: Applesauce, grapes, raw broccoli or cauliflower, pepper slices, apples, mandarin oranges, cucumber slices, berries, zucchini and yellow squash, and raisins. Make vegetables fun with a low-fat dipping sauce.
  • Pack a protein or grain option every day: Cereal bars, rice cakes, cheese, hard boiled eggs, yogurt, granola, trail mix and dry cereal. Use wheat bread over white bread for sandwiches. Pack foods that have NO TRANS FATS!
  • Beverages: Water is the ultimate hydrator! Water is the best of all drinks. When packing juice, use only 100% juice. Stay away from sugar-sweetened drinks and soft drinks!

Camps serve a morning and afternoon snack. Bringing extra snacks from home presents many problems (allergy exposures, food sharing, etc.). Therefore, we ask that campers DO NOT eat from their backpacks except at lunch time.

  • Lunch that is non-refrigerated and nut-free; we will provide two snack times throughout the day
  • Swimsuit and towel 
    • Water activities and/or outside activities may take place even on non-swim days (Camp directors will communicate the schedule for water fun days with non-pool sites)
  • Sunscreen: This is a daily requirement, and kids will be responsible for application 
  • Athletic shoes and comfortable, weather-appropriate clothing 
  • An extra change of socks 
  • Water shoes or flip-flops 
  • Refillable, spill-proof water bottle 
  • A backpack to hold belongings 
  • Everything should be clearly labeled with child’s name 
  • Cell phones or any other electronic devices. We ask that campers do not use electronics during camp hours. If your child needs to bring a phone or a smartwatch, please speak with a Camp Director before your camper’s first day so we can review our electronics policy together. 
  • Money 
  • Toys, games, or stuffed animals 
  • Weapons of any kind; pocketknives, sling shots, or anything that can be misconstrued as a potential weapon.  

Comfortable, weather appropriate clothing that can get dirty; tennis shoes are required; flip flops permitted for pool but are unsafe for other camp activities.

Camp schedules vary by camp site. A welcome email will be sent out outlining camp activities for each week.  

In the mornings, campers will arrive and spend time with their group while they await the rest of their friends to arrive for the day.  

Afterward, the main part of camp kicks off! Campers rotate through a variety of fun activities including crafts, group games, organized activities, water time, and more. Then, afternoon activities and pickups will begin. Campers will remain with their group while participating in extra activities as families arrive for pickup.

Most sites will host on-site and off-site field trips. On-site field trips refer to accessing other areas of our camp site facilities. Off-site field trips will be conducted outside of the camp site facility. Field trip schedules will be released in our weekly email. 

The Cross Center does not offer off-site field trips.

When a camp goes on a field trip or participates in swimming, the entire group goes. This ensures we always have proper adult to camper supervision. If your child does not want to participate in a scheduled field trip you will need to make alternate arrangements for them on that day. Campers are required to dress out for swimming each day (sites with swimming pools). If your camper prefers not to swim, we encourage you to sign up for a camp site that does not include daily swimming.

Sites with swimming pools will swim daily (items listed below packed daily). Sites that do not have swimming pools will host water fun days for campers on specific days.  These will be announced to parents in advance and include activities like playing with water balloons, sprinklers, and other water toys.  
 
The following sites will host water fun days: 

  • Athens-Chilesburg Elementary 
  • Glendover Elementary
  • Lansdowne Elementary 
  • Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary 
  • Maxwell Elementary 
  • Second Street School 

The Cross Center does not offer swimming, pool access, or off-site water trips

 For these days, campers will need: 

  • A swimsuit 
  • Sunscreen 
  • Sandals, crocs, flip-flops, or any other type of water shoe 
  • Towel 
  • Change of clothes 
  • Bag for wet items 
  • Sunscreen must be provided for each child and labeled with the child’s name.
  • It is recommended that sunscreen be applied 30 minutes before sun exposure and reapplied every two hours.
  • Parents should instruct children on effective sunscreen application each morning.
  • Staff will appropriately supervise additional application during the camp day but CANNOT help apply sunscreen.

Lost and found bins are located at each camp location. If an item has a name on it, we can set it aside to return to a participant, but unclaimed items may be discarded at the end of each week.

SAFETY, STAFFING, HEALTH & COMPLIANCE

The YMCA of Central Kentucky is committed to a safe and enjoyable pool experience for all. All campers must complete the swim skills assessment and will be assigned a green, yellow or red swim band. These bands assist our certified lifeguards in keeping our swimmers safe. Campers that do not pass the green, yellow band testing or decline to take it will be considered red band (non-experienced swimmers). Non-experienced swimmers and beginners may be required to wear a YMCA life jacket or you may provide your own coastguard approved life jacket.

We are proud to hire only the best! Our staff help create memories that last a lifetime, and more importantly, they help children develop in a safe and positive environment. We enforce strict qualifications (maturity, skills, patience, enthusiasm, and ability to be positive role models) and have a highly competitive selection process including a national background checks and successful completion of camp trainings. Their training hours are spent on First Aid & CPR, curriculum planning and design, character development, bully prevention, child abuse awareness, water safety, behavior management, risk management and a variety of other topics to ensure your children have a safe and fun experience at camp. We will have a zero tolerance for cell phone use during camp. For interested applicants, please direct them to ymcacky.org/jobs.

When and if applicable, campers may be transported by 14 passenger buses, chartered school buses and may even walk for field trips. Bus and general safety is a priority and all staff are trained in appropriate supervision and safety procedures.

During registration, families will review and sign a behavior management agreement outlining YMCA policies and expectations. While we make every effort to provide reasonable accommodations, we are unable to offer individual, one-on-one care for campers. Partnering with families is key to camper success, so we encourage a thorough review of camp policies and open communication with the camp director regarding any questions or concerns.

Staff members are not allowed to be alone with children they meet in Y program setting. This includes babysitting, sleepovers, and inviting staff members to children’s homes unless one of the following conditions exists:

  • Staff and child’s family have a relationship that predates the staff member’s employment or child’s enrollment in the program
  • Staff and child’s family are related

Campers are placed in small groups based on ages for age appropriate activities. We may not be able to honor request for specific pairings, but there may be periods when all children are together. Camp Directors realize that special circumstances are sometimes necessary to ensure a positive camp experience for a child, so parents are encouraged to speak to them directly with any concerns. Please remember that rosters change each week so a child’s group may also change. We will make every effort to minimize any disruption to a child’s experience. 

The YMCA of Central Kentucky summer day camps will follow state child care guidelines for addressing concerns of extreme heat. Schedules may be adjusted accordingly and will be handled on a case-by-case basis. 

All camps (except Bar Y) will adjust their schedule to have indoor programming in the event of a rainy day.  Each camp has pre-planned, exciting rain day activities at our camp sites. 

During registration, families with campers at Bar Y will rank their preference of a rain day location between Glendover Elementary School or Mary Queen of the Holy Rosary School. In your welcome email, each camper will be told which location to go to on a rain day. On days with inclement weather, the camp director will notify families about location by 7 a.m., and campers will then attend camp at their assigned location. Families are responsible for transportation to and from the alternate camp location.

Families will have the opportunity to list allergies and dietary restrictions during registration and while completing required camper forms.  

If medication needs to be administered during program hours, please complete a Medication Authorization Form during registration and submit the medication in the original container at camp week. Medications are kept in a medication lock box except EpiPens or inhalers, which are kept on the camp counselor during the program day and then returned to the parent or medication lock box each evening. Families will also be required to sign a daily medication log for proper documentation and safety.

Our camps are inclusive of all children, and we make every effort to accommodate camper needs. Parents must complete an  Individual Care Plan  so that needs and requests can be carefully considered. Parents may be asked to meet with the camp director to discuss the best possible outcome for each child.