FAQs and Testimonials

What are the living arrangements like?
What will she eat while she is there?
Who are the camp staff?
Is there transportation available to and from camp?
What if my camper has special needs?
Can non-Girl Scouts go to camp?
Are there weekend accommodations available?
What health information is needed?
Can I visit my camper at camp?
Cancellations and Refunds
Camp Behavior
Testimonials
Who can I contact if I need help?

What are the living arrangements like?

Each unit accommodates 12-24 campers and consists of a unit house or shelter, latrines or flush toilets (depending on camp), washstand or sinks (depending on camp), fire circle, and screened glen shelters or platform tents. Each platform tent or glen shelter contains cots with mattresses and mosquito netting and small nightstands for 4-6 girls. Counselors are housed in a separate shelter in the unit. Most units do not have electricity. At night, the campers use their personal flashlights to find their way and lanterns mark the location of the latrine, washstand, and staff shelter.

Girls are assigned to living units by age and program. Tent or shelter assignments are made after your daughter arrives at camp so that she may share living arrangements with any friends she may have in the same program.

Facilities also include a dining hall and kitchen, camp office, health center, arts and crafts building, and central shower house. Winona, Potomac Woods, and May Flather have swimming pools, while Coles Trip has river access.

For a more in depth look at our camps, including virtual tours, visit Our Sleep Away Camps page. You also have a chance to visit our facilities during our Open Houses in June.

What will she eat while she is there?
Food service professionals prepare all meals except for cookouts. Campers are given an opportunity to plan a menu and cook outdoors or have a picnic at least once during their stay. Our food service staff can meet most special dietary needs. If your camper has special dietary needs, please specify this in writing on her health form. Vegetarian alternatives are available at every meal. For more information prior to registering, you may also contact Denise Viau, Camping Services Manager, at 202-274-3308.

Who are the camp staff?
Staff members are carefully selected from applicants throughout the United States and around the world and are chosen for their maturity, program skills and experience and are required to attend an intensive pre-camp training session given by GSCNC. Staff members are 18 years of age or older. A Health Manager is in residence at the health center. Specially trained staff members direct the pool, waterfront, challenge course, and other specialty areas.

Is there transportation available to and from camp?
Camp begins on the bus! This is a low-cost, highly beneficial way for your camper to bond with other girls in her unit right from the start. Girls travel by chartered bus for a reasonable fee. Once your daughter has been placed in a program, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about the bus stops, times of departure and arrival, check-in/check-out times at camp and bus drop off/pick up times. Bus transportation is not available on Wednesdays for half-week programs. Parents may also drive their campers to and from sleep-away camp.

What if my camper has special needs?
GSCNC offers opportunities for girls with special needs, including physical or developmental disabilities, to be included in our summer camps. They can join other girls their age for swimming, hiking, singing and other camp activities. Camp is available to ALL girls who:

Have physical and/or developmental disabilities
Have special dietary restrictions, including food allergies
Require special medications or treatment (Epi-Pen, nebulizer, etc.)
Require injections (insulin, HgH, etc.)

To ensure that your daughter is placed in a camp and program that best suits her needs, please contact Denise Viau, Camping Services Manager, at 202-274-3308 before completing your daughter's application.

Can non-Girl Scouts go to camp?
Non-Girl Scouts are welcome to attend sleep-away camp, but must register to be part of the Girl Scout organization at the time of registration. Girl Scouts must also be registered with the Nation's Capital Council. Online camp registration will divert non-Girl Scouts to a Girl Scout registration page, which you must complete before your camp registration will be finalized. The annual registration fee is $12.

Are there weekend accommodations available?
There are no weekend accommodations available for campers unless they are registered for a two-week or three-week program at Coles Trip or May Flather. All JCs and girls registered in the Pre-CIT and CIT programs at Potomac Woods and May Flather must leave camp on Saturday breaks. There are no exceptions, as there is no adult supervision available.

What health information is needed?
Girls attending sleep-away camp must be in good health. Additional information and a health history form will be mailed in your Confirmation Packet. Complete health information is due by May 11, 2012.

Can I visit my camper at camp?
To avoid interrupting camp activities and because camp sessions are short, there are no visitor days during the camp session. Due to limited parking, visiting is not permitted when you are bringing or picking up your daughter. If you wish to see the camp, plan to attend camp Open Houses in June.

Cancellations and Refunds
The $50.00 registration deposit is non-refundable. the remainder of the camp fee (excluding the deposit) will be refunded if:

GSCNC receives a written notification of the withdrawal at least five weeks prior to the session.
The camper leaves camp due to illness or injury and GSCNC receives a written request for a refund within two weeks after she returns home. The refund will be pro-rated on a per diem basis.
A program is canceled and no alternate program is available.

If a camper leaves camp early due to homesickness or parent request, there will be no refund. No other refunds will be given.

GSCNC reserves the right to cancel any program listed due to insufficient enrollment or other extenuating circumstances. Alternate programs or refunds will be offered.

Camp Behavior
The staff and Director will do everything possible to help girls adjust to camp life. However, GSCNC reserves the right to send any girl home from camp who consistently exhibits unsuitable behavior, endangers the camp community, or whose actions toward others are unacceptable. The girl's parent/guardian is responsible for picking her up from camp and no refund will be given.

Testimonials
GSCNC has done a wonderful staff, volunteers and camp counselors have put forth great efforts to ensure that girls have a wonderful camp experience. We were not sure if our daughter was ready to spend time away from home as this was her first away camping experience without her troop. Her stories reflect the commitment and values that have been a part of GSCNC for years. We will return next year!!!!

Her medical needs require a positive and supportive environment and the Girl Scouts have very successfully provided that.

She loved the caving experience because that was new and particularly exciting. When I pulled out the incredibly muddy clothes and shoes she wore, I thought, this is the kind of thing I send my kid to camp for... adventure, getting very dirty climbing and sliding... stuff she doesn't have a chance to do at home.

When I asked her how she did without TV, her response was "I didn't have a chance to think about it."

Of course I was a worried mom so I called the camp to check in. Each person was attentive to my questions, professional, and cheerful. They took the time to counsel a worried mom. I really appreciate how easy it was to call and get a response.

Who can I contact if I need help?
Contact US

General Sleep Away Camp Information