Parent Guide & FAQs

General packing lists are available for families to download. Program specific packing lists should also be consulted to ensure that your camper brings the proper equipment and apparel to participate in our dance and horseback riding programs.

Roommate requests should be submitted to camp prior to June 1st. When two girls would like to room together, both families are asked to make the request. Staff will do their best to accommodate such requests. We do suggest that families consider carefully requesting a roommate that their camper knows from home or from a previous year because best friends do not always make best roommates.

A camper may bring her own horse to camp upon prior approval by the Riding Director. There is a horse-boarding fee, and any veterinary expenses will be charged to the parent. You must also provide proof of a current negative Coggins test in order to board your horse at camp. Please contact us if you are interested in bringing your horse to camp; there is limited availability.

While we make every effort to help campers keep their possessions organized in the appropriate locations, from time to time articles are missing from their rightful owners. Items submitted to the lost and found are returned to campers if the item is clearly labeled. Campers should not bring valuable or irreplaceable items to camp.

Weekend excursions off campus are planned one time per week to local attractions. Past trips have been to an amusement park, a state park, a lake, and a guided cave tour. Campers do not need additional money to purchase tickets or cover entrance fees for these locations, as admission prices and the cost of one snack is covered by Grier Summer.

Grier Summer drivers transport campers in vans and buses during field trips and travel to airports, bus stations, and train depots. All campers are expected to adhere to the following safety rules:

• Passengers and drivers must wear seat belts.
• Passengers must remain seated while the vehicle is moving.
• Passengers must keep hands, heads, and all body parts inside the vehicle.
• Passengers must refrain from yelling or engaging in behavior that may distract the driver from concentrating.

Campers are allowed to use phones during their evening free time and on weekend trips. Phones may be held by counselors when not in use. Parents are welcome to contact camp supervisory staff at any time to discuss a their daughter’s progress at camp.

• Grier Summer does not have a formal Parents’ Day, but parents are welcome to visit for a special occasion upon making prior arrangements with the camp director. Visitors must check in at the office. Grier Summer must have written permission from a camper’s parent in order for her to leave the camp property with a visitor.

Grier Summer medical staff, in conjunction with dietary staff, are able to assist campers with a variety of chronic medical conditions and allergic reactions including: dairy, peanut, & gluten allergies; vegetarian & vegan diets; seasonal & insect bite allergies; dermatological conditions; ADHD; some gastrointestinal conditions such as acid reflux; respiratory conditions such as asthma. It is important that information about pre-existing medical conditions be shared with summer staff prior to a camper’s arrival so that proper planning may occur.

• It is expected that some campers will experience a period a homesickness during the overnight stay at camp. Our camp counselors are trained to listen, support, and engage campers in other activities in order to help them through this period. 
• If the homesickness persists, a staff person will call the camper’s parents for suggestions about helping the camper to be more comfortable at camp. We do not issue refunds for campers who leave camp early due to homesickness.
• An excellent resource for preventing homesickness (including coping strategies for parents) is The Summer Camp Handbook by Christopher A. Thurber and Jon C. Malinowski. More good advice for parents of first time campers can be found on the American Camp Association website at www.acaCamps.org.

Whether campers are swimming in the pool or at a nearby lake or state park, Grier Summer lifeguards will be on duty. Grier Summer aquatics staff have completed the rigorous certification process required by the American Red Cross which includes: water safety, rescue, CPR, AED, and first aid.