About

Frequently Asked Questions

What age does my child need to be to attend camp?

• Willow location 3-day afternoon program: Your child must be at least 2 years old. 

• Willow location 5-day morning program: Your child must be at least 2.5 years old by the first day of camp.

• Park avenue location: Your child must have turned 4 years old by the first day of camp.

Do you offer early drop off and extended day options? 

• 2-4 yrs old 3-day Afternoon 3pm-5pm camp: Camp drop-off begins at 3pm. Pick up time is at 5pm.  

• 2.5-4 yrs old 5-day Morning 9am-12pm camp: We offer an early drop-off option at 8:30 am and an extended day option till 2 pm. You must register for the complete session.  

• 4-8 yrs old Full Day 9am-2pm camp: We offer an early drop-off option at 8:30 am and an extended day option till 4 pm. You must register for the complete session.  

How do we register and pay? You can register directly on our website. We only accept credit card/debit payments for summer camp. This ensures a seamless and secure payment method. 

Are there any discounts available? A 5% sibling discount will be applied at checkout. This discount may not be combined with any other discounts.

What does a typical day look like? Our children experience days with routine beginning with being welcomed to camp, playing with friends, circle time with stories, snack time, outdoor activities, lunch, art activities and pickups. What changes is the amount of time spent in each activity since we want our children to enjoy playing without being told they have a time limit. Also, the day may change if the weather is great and we spend the entire day outdoors or break up the day being indoors and outdoors. Routine stays the same, but timing and activities change daily. NO screen time at any of our camps, so they enjoy connecting with each other and the outdoors.

How will I know what my child is doing each day? Teachers post pictures and videos as well as a recap of fun activities on a private app. You will receive an invitation prior to your first days with us.

Do you go outdoors every day? What happens if it’s raining? Rainy days are a favorite at camp since we love to jump in puddles, look for worms, dig in the dirt and make nature potions. Your child will come to camp with rain boots and a muddy buddy suit. We will not go outside if there is extreme weather conditions such as lightning and thunder.

Does my child need to be potty trained? Children under 3 years old do not need to be potty trained. We will also help families with potty training by following your methods at our camp. Diapers are changed as needed. All children over 3 years of age need to be potty trained. 

How do you help with new drop off experiences? We have developed a gentle separation technique to ease new children to drop off into our programs. We respect and honor the child first and foremost. We believe children should feel comfortable and trust in their new surroundings and with our staff. We ask that caregivers remain nearby as we navigate through your child’s drop off experience. We ask that you prepare your child by letting them know how much fun they will be having with their new friends. Our staff has various methods to help with the transition. We are prepared for some tears during this transition and are ready to give lots of love. If we feel that your child needs you, we will call you to return. Our goal is to strengthen the bond between child and parent as well as child and staff with the child feeling love and respect throughout.

Do the children get frequent water breaks and do you refill water bottles? Staying hydrated is very important. Children are reminded to drink water throughout the day and water bottles are refilled regularly. All water bottles are also topped off at the end of the day in case you go to the park again after camp.

Does my child bring snack and/or lunch? Yes. Please prepare your child with a healthy snack and lunch. Please keep in mind we are a nut free facility. We promote healthy eating. Please do not include sweet treats. We will notify you in a separate email regarding other allergies within your class. 

My child has allergies. Are you a nut-free camp? Will someone be able to administer an EpiPen if needed? Hugs & Bugs Club is a NUT-FREE ZONE. Children may not bring any nut products to camp. All on-site staff are trained on administering an Epi-pen and other emergency protocols. Staff will administer no other medications. If your child has other allergies, we will let families know not to bring those items/food to camp while your child is attending.

During the camp day, what parks do you go to with the kids? We enjoy the nature/field only areas of Church Square Park and the community garden on Park and 6th. We may also venture to other parks and nature areas. You will be given a list prior to camp starting.

What is your staff-to-child ratio at camp?

• For morning and full day Camps: The staff-to-child ratio will be no less than 6 to 1.

• For afternoon camp: The staff-to-child ratio will be no less than 4 to 1.

Are your staff CPR certified, and do you background check all the staff? All staff must be CPR certified and have a criminal background check.

How many kids will attend camp on a given day?

• Afternoon 2-4 year old camp: 8 children will be enrolled

• Morning 2.5-4 year old camp: 12 children will be enrolled.

• Full day 4-8 year old camp: 16 children will be enrolled.

Can we stay and watch? Camps are strictly drop-off, but we love parent involvement. Please coordinate with staff if you would like to join in a specific activity or be a surprise reader. 

What does my child bring to camp? As we near camp, you will be given a list of items to bring such as a water bottle, snacks and lunch, as well as changes of clothing, rain boots, muddy buddy suit, etc. 

We want to enroll for one of the sessions but will be missing one of the weeks/days. Can I receive a discount or get a credit? We cannot offer discounts or credits for missed camp days or weeks. 

Can we enroll for specific weeks we want instead of registering for the full sessions? No, when you register for a camp session(s), you commit to all the weeks of that session. We cannot swap out weeks or change them for any reason. 

What is the makeup policy? There are no make-ups for camp. Makeups are not given for any reason, including sickness, vacations, or emergencies. No exceptions will be made.

Will you offer weekly or daily registration if the camp is not at capacity? Camps will open for weekly registration if space is available on 5/1. Daily drop-ins will open for registration one week before the week requested. 

The session we are looking to register our child for is full, and we have joined the waitlist. How does the waitlist system work, and will more spots open up? If we can open up more spots or there are camp cancellations, we email the full waitlist to make them aware. Once the waitlist is emailed, you can enroll your child at that time on our website. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-serve basis and not based on the order in which you have added your child to our waitlist. 

What is your Health Policy: Please have your child stay home and rest if your child or any family member has had a fever 99 degrees or above and/or other symptoms or used a fever reducer within 72 hours of class. Please understand that “illness and symptoms” includes, but not limited to: Covid, Flu, Cold, RSV, coxsackie, etc. 

What is your vaccination policy? Please bring a hard copy of your child's immunizations or a letter of exemption. Our policy states that children must remain home after a vaccination for at least 72 hours.

What is your refund policy? Sawyer, our registration and payment platform, collects 3.5% of the full cost of each session of camp at the time of booking, therefore, processing fees are 3.5% of the FULL session of camp that will not be returned if you need to cancel camp.  A full refund (minus 3.5% processing fees of full camp session and the $350/per week non-refundable deposit per session) will be issued if notified in writing 4/1/25. A 50% refund  (minus 3.5% processing fees of full camp session and the $350/per week non-refundable deposit) will be issued if notified by 5/1/25. Refunds of balance payments will not be issued after 5/1/25. No exceptions will be made for any reason. We appreciate your understanding of this policy as a small, local, independently owned Hoboken business.