Important Information about 2024 Enrollment!

Dear Friends,

Happy Back to School! We hope you and your children are all doing well during this transition, and are wishing everyone a great school year. On our end, camp is way too quiet for our liking. We’re missing the smiles, the laughter, the songs, and the cheers, and we already can’t wait for next summer! We know that many of you have been waiting for information regarding next summer’s enrollment dates and procedures, and we’re pleased to report that it is all here, below.

We are happy to announce that…

It will be Sewataro’s 65th summer, and it’s going to be epic! Please note that next summer, camp will begin on June 24, 2024, and end on August 16, 2024. Click here to see dates and pricing. *Additionally, please see below for changes to our programming for 4 year olds!

NEW FOR 2024: Staggered Application Dates!

As always, we’re dedicated to a fair and transparent enrollment process. Please read the following information carefully to avoid any confusion as you look to enroll your campers for 2024:

Past Families Application Dates: Tuesday, September 19th at 6am - Wednesday, September 20th at midnight New Families Application Opens: Thursday, September 21st at 6am

All applications are date and time stamped, and will be processed by longevity for the first two days ONLY. Please note, this is a change from past years, when returning families had a week to submit their application; after September 20th at midnight, family longevity will no longer be taken into account. We are making this change because we receive such a high volume of applications very quickly upon opening, and tightening up the longevity priority window protects both past and new families. We have also changed the date and time of our application going live based on feedback from many of you over the years. Hopefully these new times will work better for working families!

We strongly encourage you to consider applying as early as possible in the above date/time windows in order to secure your spot. (Last year, sessions for some age groups began filling just 2 minutes after the application opened.) After the above designated dates/times, applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis.

We will begin enrolling on October 2nd according to the date and timestamp on each online application, beginning with past families who’ve submitted applications prior to midnight on Wednesday, September 20th. This time is used to sort through the large volume of applications we receive, and we appreciate your patience!

Once you have submitted your application, you should receive an email confirming that your application was received. Please note: This does not mean your child is enrolled. If we have a spot and are able to enroll your child, you will receive a second email confirming enrollment. If the session you requested is full, we will reach out with other available options. We appreciate your patience, as the enrollment process does take several weeks (or more) to complete.

*NEW FOR 2024: New Programming for our 4 Year Olds!

We have some important news to share about our Junior Camp program! As a result of supervisor and counselor feedback - and our own observations over the past several summers - we have come to the conclusion that for the majority of our four year-olds, a full day of “big camp” is simply too much. What we’ve seen is an increase in campers of this age cohort needing more downtime (walking around 44 acres can be very tiring for little legs!), and being more overwhelmed by “big camp” in general. Saplings counselors have reported that on the whole, their campers seem much more content when they are able to move at a slower pace, without the urging of the bugle every 45 minutes. Our research has led us to the conclusion that we need to be more mindful of the current developmental needs of our four year-olds, and as such, we have decided to make a shift for the upcoming summer.

Beginning in 2024, the Saplings group will join our Sprouts in the newly reimagined Junior Camp program. (Sprouts is our traditional half day program for 3 and 4 year olds.) Sprouts will remain a half day program for our 3 year olds, and for our 4 year olds, there will be two options: either half day (morning) Sprouts, or full day Saplings. (Campers must be 4 years old by the start of their session and not attending kindergarten until Fall 2025 in order to participate in Saplings. Five year old campers will not be eligible for Saplings.) Both groups will enjoy free swim each day, and Saplings will have a rest period after lunch.

All Junior Camp sessions will be one-week in length, with the opportunity to enroll in multiple sessions. Please note for registration, the sessions will be named as follows: JC H1 = Junior Camp Half Day Sprouts Week 1 JC F1 = Junior Camp Full Day Saplings Week 1 If you have any questions about the sessions in advance of enrollment, please don’t hesitate to reach out!

We are excited about this new opportunity, as we feel it will serve our 4 year olds with classic Sewataro tried and true programming, delivered in a way that will best accommodate the developmental needs of this cohort.

We know this is a lot of information, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions. We are excited to begin planning for Summer 2024 and to welcome your incredible children next year for Sewataro’s record 65th summer!

With warmth and gratitude,

Amy, Emmy, Cheryl, Jeannine, Hannah & Alyssa