Parents and caregivers can begin the registration process online (recommended) at ymcacky.org/camp or in person at any local YMCA location.  

2024 Camp Fees & Draft Schedules:

All Sports Camp at Glendover Elementary
Athens-Chilesburg Elementary
Bar Y Adventure Camp
Brenda Cowan Elementary
Frankfort/Second Street Camp
Lansdowne Elementary
Mary Queen Summer Day Camp
Mary Queen Preschool Camp
Maxwell Elementary
YMCA Locations: C.M. Gatton Beaumont YMCA, North Lexington Family YMCA, Whitaker Family YMCA

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

Financial assistance is also available for membership and programs. Applications may be picked up at any Y 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.

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

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. 

If medication needs to be administered during program hours, please complete a Medication Authorization Form 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. Parents are also required to sign a daily to dispense medication on the Medication Tracking Form.

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.

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.

The safety of all campers is our top priority. Once you load you and your child’s picture into CampSpace, IDs will not be necessary. 

Our policy requires camp directors 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. 

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.

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.

  • Change of Information Form is required.
  • Changes must be submitted by 10 a.m. on the Friday two-weeks prior to the session date.
  • No changes will be made by phone and exceptions to this timeframe are not allowed.

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 our website.

Parents 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 KY 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. 
  • Sunscreen, swimsuit and towel - sunscreen is a daily requirement. Water activities and/or outside activities may take place even on non-swim days.
  • Lunch is not provided; please send child with a non-refrigerated, nut free lunch with a refillable water bottle.
  • A backpack to hold belongings.
  • Everything should be clearly labeled with child’s name.
  • Money, toys, electronic devices (including cell phone). Campers can be reached by calling the branch or camp director. No child will ever be denied using a YMCA phone to call a parent during an emergency.
  • Weapons of any kind - pocket knives, 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. 

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.

  • 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.

The YMCA of Central KY summer day camp will follow state childcare guildelines 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 and Sports Camp will adjust their schedule to have indoor programming in the event of a rain day. 

For Bar Y and Sports Camp, we try to call rain days by 6 a.m. if continual rain is forecasted. We also monitor weather throughout the day. We make every effort to remain at camp location, but sometimes may have to cancel outdoor activities and field trips when it rains. Each camp has pre-planned, exciting rain day activities at our YMCAs or other specified locations. If we need to leave camp, we will notify parents by CampSpace text/email alert and post to our website. Typically, when rain days are called drop-off or pick-up will occur at the alternate location. In the event of several rainy days in a row, campers may take an alternate field trip.

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.

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 during that time. However, it gets very hot at the pool, so we strongly encourage that all children be prepared and ready to swim on swim days.

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.

Lost and found bins are not currently allowed due to COVID regulations. If an item has a name on it, we can set it aside to return to a participant, but items without names will be discarded.