REGISTRATION FAQs
PRICES HAVE GONE UP THIS YEAR – WHY IS THAT?
Unfortunately, just like the rest of the country and state, Camp Sealth continues to experience price increases in our base costs: food, supplies, horse care and hay, utilities, Boata rental, gas, and vehicle costs. We had to make the hard decision this year to pass some of these costs, along with our staff costs, to our families. The price jump most directly reflects our efforts to continue to retain and attract the highest quality staff. In order to pay these staff what they are worth, support our equity efforts, and remain competitive with our salaries in the industry. We significantly increased our summer staff salaries, in some cases over 50% for this upcoming summer to recognize our dedicated, young staff’s commitment and investment in our youth and programs.
HOW DO I REGISTER MY CAMPER(S) FOR CAMP?
You’ll register for our programs through our 3rd party registration system, UltraCamp. Before registration opens officially, it helps to have created your account and filled in your camper’s information to help the process go more smoothly and be able to register more quickly for our popular programs.
Camp Descriptions, Dates & Rates
WHY AM I ONLY ABLE TO REGISTER MY CAMPER FOR 2 SESSIONS TO START?
We are only allowing for 2 registrations per camper, to begin with, as we have an overwhelming demand for camp and we want to be sure that we provide the opportunity for new as well as returning families to be able to enjoy camp! We have the both happy and sad problem of always having more campers that wish to join us than we have spaces for, so this is one of the ways we try to ensure equity in access to stay in line with our values. If there are options to open more registration, we will be sure to communicate that with our families in the April/May before camp begins.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE WEEK OF CAMP I WANT TO SIGN UP FOR IS FULL?
If the week of camp you want is full, you can still register to be put on our waitlist. Often times, while our programs may fill early, we all know plans and interests can change before the time comes around for camp. By getting on our waitlists, your camper may have the opportunity to fill a spot that opens due to another family’s change of plans.
Important to note though, there is not a clear pattern or any sort of guarantee we can provide to if/when waitlist spots may open. They are offered first come, first serve based on time of registration. We do start camp with a lower capacity, with the potential to open up more spaces in spring as we ensure that we have adequate staff hired to run at full capacity. We will typically communicate about further spaces opening by the end of April or beginning of May in the lead up to summer.
WHAT HAPPENS IF I’M ON THE WAITLIST AND SPACES OPEN UP?
You will be contacted by our registration team if a space for the camp you’re on the waitlist for opens! You’ll then have 3 days from their communication to confirm that your camper is still interested in that spot.
HOW CAN I MAKE SURE MY CAMPER & THEIR FRIEND ARE IN THE SAME CABIN?
Friends who attend camp together may request to be in a cabin group together. We guarantee friend requests as long as they are:
- Registered for the same program (i.e. all are registered for Classic Camp, or all are registered for Horse Camp)
- No more than 2 years apart in age
- Mutually request each other (i.e. Fisher requests Pam and Pam requests Fisher) – this is listed in their UltraCamp registration
- Are the same gender (unless in a gender-inclusive cabin or camp
- There are no more than 3 friends total in a buddy group
DO YOU OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS FOR CAMP?
Camp Fire Central Puget Sound believes that every child should be able to benefit from our programs, regardless of the ability to pay. Due to the generous support of donors, financial assistance is available on a first-come, first-serve basis to families that meet our income and eligibility requirements. For campers who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color), we encourage you to learn more about campership opportunities through the Equity Action Fund.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
WHAT IS YOUR REFUND (TRANSFER AND CANCELLATION) POLICY?
You can find all our information on payments, cancellations, and refunds here.
MY CAMPER IS INTERESTED IN CIT OR LEAD – HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT FROM CAMPER REGISTRATION?
The CIT/RSIT and the LEAD programs foster independence and leadership in teens. We use an application process as both a learning opportunity (great experience for future college applications or employment) and as more fair and equitable way to fill the limited number of spots we available in our CIT/RSIT crews (48 spaces) and our LEAD junior staff , volunteer positions (48 spaces). All parts of the application must be completed by the teen applicant, not by their parents/guardians. Applications for these programs will open in December. CIT/RSIT decisions are made in February and LEAD decisions are made on a rolling basis beginning in January until filled.
MY CAMPER IDENTIFIES AS NON-BINARY, TRANS, OR DIFFERENTLY THAN THEIR ASSIGNED SEX AT BIRTH, HOW SHOULD I REGISTER THEM?
When you register, you’ll be asked to let us know your child’s gender, as well as their preference for cabin placement and counselor assignment. If your child’s gender does not match their assigned (birth) sex, we invite them to choose the cabin option where they will be most comfortable living. While most cabin groups are single-gender, gender-inclusive/mixed-gender cabins are available as an option each session (though we cannot guarantee this, we will communicate openly if this is not an option and either offer the opportunity to choose the gender they would be most comfortable living with, try registering for another session, or a refund). For those campers who choose the gender-inclusive option, they will be assigned to a cabin that will have others who made the same choice, regardless of sex.
We support the ability of campers to come to camp as their authentic selves, so please note that campers are not monitored or reviewed to see if their gender expression matches their biological sex.
How support our LGBTQIA2S+ campers
QUESTION NOT ANSWERED HERE?
Reach out to our team and we’d be happy to help you navigate this process or answer your questions!
Kim Roeser
Camp Sealth Office Manager
kimr@campfireseattle.org
206-463-3174
Meaghan Baumgartner
Camp Sealth Summer Camp Director
meaghanb@campfireseattle.org
206-463-3174