Day Camp 2020 Update:

Day Camp is a vital ministry extension of Dayspring. We have been the host church of Day Camp for 20 years and hope this continues for many years to come. As we are navigating the uncertainty of the COVID-19 virus and how it is shaping our society, we are also having to look at doing Day Camp slightly different for this summer. At this time, we are still planning to have Day Camp beginning on Tuesday, May 26th. However, because of a number of federal and state guidelines, there are going to be some changes for this summer. We are going to have to limit the number of campers in each group and in each room. We are anticipating not being able to go on field trips in large groups. We are also making changes to our billing process. Below are details of those changes. Our hope is that these changes are for the summer of 2020 only and will not impact our summer 2021 Day Camp.

We recognize that these changes will cause some of you to not be able to attend Day Camp this summer. Believe me, we wish we could operate the same way that we have for years. Unfortunately, that is not a valid option in this environment. We do apologize for not being able to accommodate as freely as we have in the past. Basically, instead of not offering Day Camp at all, we are trying to have the best option for families that truly need childcare assistance.

- Hours of operation - 8am-5pm; We will not be able to hold large numbers in the gym during the early and late hours of the day. This will require the campers to go straight to their classrooms and will require all of our counselors to be there as soon as we open.

- Lunches - we will NOT be offering lunches to purchase through Day Camp. This will remove the process of our staff handling each kids lunch. So, families will need to pack lunches daily. Also, the campers will be eating in their classrooms and not in the large group fellowship hall. We will have snacks for sale; but we will have a dedicated snack person walk around to the classes to sell snacks. This will ensure that only one person is involved in handling snacks.

- Field Trips - we will NOT be going on field trips like usual. If restrictions and options open up, we will have a modified field trip schedule, but it will be limited. Campers will remain at the church and rotate through various game rooms and classrooms at the church.

- Cost - we were planning to charge $25 per day for 2020. However, with the changes in the schedule and the financial hardship that many families have experienced, we are going to decrease the daily rate to $20.

- Billing - one of the biggest perks of Day Camp is that you are only charged for the days that you attend. We have decades of history of how registration numbers will matriculate into reality. This historical data allows us to manage and schedule counselors. However, with the classroom size restrictions and ensuring that groups do not exceed the allowed number, we are having to change our billing process. We are going to continue to invoice families every Monday and you will prepay through an automated payment process for the upcoming week. However, we are going to ask you to commit to the entire summer, which is 49 days at $20 per day - $980. This is the only way that we can ensure class size and knowing how many counselors that we need.

Again, our desire is to help families that need childcare assistance. We also hope that Day Camp 2021 is back to what we have provided in the past. Today’s environment requires adaptability in so many ways. If you have registered already and these changes will not accommodate your needs, please email daycamp@dayspring.church and we will refund your $50 registration fee. If you have any questions, please send those to the same email and we will respond as promptly as possible.

Thank you for your patience and for being understanding as we navigate today’s environment.