Summer Preview: YMCA's Youth Programs

Summer may seem far off, but plenty of youth summer camps in Madison and the surrounding area are beginning to finalize their plans to make your child’s summer vacation one to remember.

The will be hosting several youth summer camps, both on it main campus at 111 Kings Road and at the , 54 Main St. The latter will play host to Camp Wantago, which will be open to children from pre-school to third grade.

Under the supervision of directors Dionne James and Rosemary Adamo, the camp will feature activities, field trips, lunch and snacks five days a week for children from June 25 to Aug. 30. The camp, which will operate from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on those days, will cost $330 per child, per week and will also feature free before and after care, as well as a provided breakfast for all children arriving at camp before 8:30 a.m.

For even younger children, “A Little Bit of Camp Wantago” provides an “emphasis on lots of learning and fun recreational opportunities” for a $250 weekly fee for children ages 3-5, according to Linsey Cozewith, Associate Marketing and Communications Director at the Madison Area YMCA. The camp, which will be run by director Sara Carnival, will operate from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from June 25-August 24, and requires that all children are reliably potty-trained at the time of registration.

The YMCA itself will have plenty going on for children and teens this summer. The KidsQuest camp, for example, will be a five-week program under the direction of Colin Skeele, and will feature a different theme for each week of the camp, ranging from arts and crafts to sports and swimming. This camp costs $330 per week, and will allow its campers in grades 3-5 to choose elective activities in order to expand their camp experience and grow as people.

“Our program emphasizes the YMCA core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility, and these values are reinforced in every week of camp,” said Cozewith. “Campers will grow and discover new interests that will last a lifetime.”

For older kids and teens entering grades 6-10, SummerQuest offers an equally-enriching experience for its campers. The camp, described as a “teen travel day camp”, features daily trips and a weekly overnight camping trip to a New Jersey state park. This program also features adventure weeks, where campers can enjoy “four re-imagined weeks (of activities) that will bring new adventure to (the) summer,” according to Cozewith. The cost for the SummerQuest program itself is $420 per week, while each Adventure Week costs slightly more at a $425 weekly rate.

The YMCA also offers training for teens looking to become counselors. The Counselor in Training (CIT) program, offered at the YMCA, will give teens entering grades 10 and 11 the opportunity to work directly with campers who are part of the KidsQuest camp.

Training weeks for the CIT program will take place from June 25-29 and July 23-27 and will cost $150. Participants will then get to choose a week of camp in which to participate, which will cost $125 per week.

This program affords teens that are accepted through an application and interview process the opportunity to learn several skills that they will use later in life.

“During training weeks, campers earn American Red Cross, first aid and CPR certification, and will be trained in becoming a leader,” said Cozewith. “You will also learn interview and resume skills.”

Red Cross, first aid and CPR safety procedures are very important to the YMCA’s camps, as all of the aforementioned camps will have counselors trained in every one of those methods to ensure a safe experience for campers of all ages.