A Message from the Director
Summer Vacation is what every kid looks forward to throughout the school year. Capital Kids Summer Camp 2020 wants to make sure that every camper’s summer is even better than they could have dreamed. With every day packed with variety, adventure, and fun, Capital Kids Summer Camp 2020 will give you lasting memories for years to come. We make sure your summer is full of highlights with safety as our top priority!
For more information about our events or how you can enroll, please review the various event pages within this website or call our office at (703) 568-7484 or drop us a line and we will help you however we can.
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Capital Kids Camp 2020 takes place conveniently within the facilities of Capital Baptist Church in Annandale, Virginia. With a wonderful gym, activity rooms, our craft shop, and many thematic surprises along the way, we pack out our facilities for an awesome time. When it comes to activities in a Capital Kids Camp 2020 summer, the obvious question is, “What more could a kid ask for?”
It is our staff that makes lasting memories at Capital Kids Camp 2020. Our staff is highly trained, carefully vetted, and make camp the joyful place that it is. Camp is like a big family encouraging and strengthening one another. We will do whatever it takes to make sure your child feels at home at Capital Kids Camp 2020 and walk away with new friends and new experiences!
Our campers enjoy learning a lot as they have a great time. They go home feeling that they’ve spent the day with good friends who really care about them as individuals—as well as an important part of the group. It’s just the thing for kids enjoying their first camp experience as well as those who’ve been to camp before.
We’re planning everything carefully to make the week great. So plan on registering soon so your family will not be disappointed by a full camp. You and your camper will love what we’ve planned. We’ll make sure your child has a safe and fun time each day at camp!
About Day Camp…
Capital Kids Camp 2020 provides the perfect combination of fun, adventure and Christian character training. It’s for both guys and girls rising to Grade 2 through 8 in the fall.
Day by Day at Camp
When is it? For the 2020 summer season we will have three camps.
How are campers divided? Campers are divided into teams by age groups and gender, although many activities are campwide where everyone participates as a group with their counselors.
Where is the camp? Capital Kids Camp 2020 is based at the campus of Capital Baptist Church in Annandale, Va., off of Gallows Road. We’re just a short distance from the beltway and Inova Hospital.
Who directs the camp? The camp is presented by Capital Baptist Church. Director Michael Eicher has been involved with the church for over eighteen years. You’ll love our staff. They’re carefully selected, vetted, and trained to keep your child safe, handle emergencies, and give your camper the best day you could ever imagine.
How long is the camp day? A basic day at camp is from 9am until 4pm. You can arrive 15 minutes earlier or stay 15 minutes later at no additional cost. We suggest you check-in by 8:50am to get your camper to the Team Meeting on time.
But I need to be at work before 8:45am and I’ll never make back it to pick up my child by 4:15pm. We’ve got you covered! The optional Early Show is for kids who arrive between 7:15 and 8:45am, and the Late Show is for kids who leave between 4:15 and 5:45pm. Note that this is a Day Camp, not daycare. We encourage campers to be here for the entire day and for the entire week so they won’t miss anything!
Who can come? Attendance at Capital Kids Camp 2020 is open to all kids from all backgrounds. Please remember that Capital Kids Camp 2020 is a Christian camp that teaches biblical principles to our campers. Participation in the camp is a privilege, not a right. In order to participate in camp, children must be able to successfully function in a large-group community setting. While all children make mistakes while growing up, for the safety of our campers we cannot accommodate children who cannot or will not properly relate to authority, who fail to show respect for equipment, the facility, and for other campers, or will not submit themselves to camp rules and policies.
What about lunch? Campers bring their lunch each day. Snacks (including lots of healthy ones) and beverages are available for purchase at the Comfort Zone.
What else would you like me to know? This website represents the official policies of the camp. As camp time approaches please read each page of this website as it contains specific information that is a part of how we do camp. Last minute additions can be found here as well. These pages explain our policies and most everything you’ll need to know. As a Religiously operated day camp, Capital Kids Camp 2020 is not licensed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, but is registered with the state and meets or exceeds all requirements and standards. In other words, we do camp right! Have more questions? Just give us a call at (703) 560-3109.
Here are some of the things you’ll need to know to make your camp experience a great one! Everything is important, so be sure to read it all!
When you arrive…when you leave
Day Camp begins each morning at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m. Your child may arrive anytime after 8:45 a.m. and must be picked up before 4:15 p.m. We encourage your camper to arrive between 8:45 and 8:50am to get to the daily team meeting before the morning rally.
Please enter camp at the door xxx. Never leave your car unattended and park in a marked parking spot.
When you arrive, sign in your child at the check-in desk and then find your camper’s name badge. The lanyards match your camper’s team color if we have assigned colors for your specific camp. If your camper’s name is not on the sign-in sheet, ask for help at the check-in table.
After the first day of camp, a camper on the blue, orange, red, or yellow team may sign in without parental assistance. You can drop off your child to go in to sign-in independently. Parents (or another adult authorized by the parent) must, however, sign out their campers each afternoon.
Arriving early…staying late
The Early Show begins each morning at 7:15am for campers who must arrive early. Parents get a 15-minute grace period to pick up their campers between 4:00 and 4:15pm. The Late Show lasts from 4:15 until 5:45pm for those who must stay late. The clock at the camp check-in station determines if a child is early at camp or has stayed late.
Tickets for the early/late programs are available in advance at $5 per day for each. Tickets may be used for any camper on any day for morning or afternoon. Campers planning on participating in either program should arrive at camp with a ticket, filled out with the date, the camper’s name and whether the ticket is for the Early or Late Show.
Please do not drop off your child early with instructions to come in at starting time, or ask your child to wait outside for you.
It is to your advantage to purchase Early/Late Show tickets in advance. These tickets are non-returnable (but they may be transferred to another camper or saved to use next year).
Our staff works hard and we cannot ask them to stay later because parents are late picking up their children. Campers picked up after 5:45pm will be charged an additional fee of $5. Children picked up after 6:00pm also will be charged an additional fee of one dollar a minute beginning at 6:01pm.
If you will be unexpectedly late, call the check-in table. We understand unexpected things come up. We’re here to help.
Camp Teams
Unless we’ve informed you otherwise, your camper is assigned to a team by gender and the grade in school next fall. Each team is identified by a different color. Check the chart at the bottom of this page.
The Comfort Zone Snack Shop
The Comfort Zone Snack Shop offers beverages, fruit, yogurt, ice cream, candy, and various healthy snacks. The snack shop also sells the traditional candy and other things you may want to limit. When you register your child you have the option to put limitations on what your child can or cannot buy or how much your camper can spend. If you want to amend your instructions after registration, send us an email!. Items may be purchased at the daily snack time or at lunch.
Campers bring their own lunch, but we always try to keep microwavable lunch items on hand for campers who forget.
What to bring to camp
Campers should bring a lunch, swimsuit, sunscreen and towel, and nothing else (unless you have received notice online of a special activity for which campers may bring something else from home). Campers are busy all day and shouldn’t bring anything else without permission. This includes iPods, and handheld video games or toys. Campers may not have cell phones with them at camp. If they bring one, they will leave it at the check-in table and pick it up when they leave camp. We are not responsible for things your camper loses.
When you arrive at camp
Come in and sign in your camper. (After the first day, all campers except Purple and Green Teams may sign themselves in.) Find your camper’s name on the check-in sheet and write the time on the clock at the check-in table.
If your camper’s name is not on the sheet, see the Registrar at the table. Then find your name badge.
The lanyard colors match the color of your team. Finally, drop off your things at your team room (follow the signs). If you arrive before 8:45am, then go to the gym for the early show. If you happen to arrive at 9:15am or later (only in case of emergency) ask the Registrar where your camper’s team is so your camper can check-in with the counselor.
Payments
All payments (except those made online) must be made at the front desk. For the first time in 2020, Capital Kids Camp 2020 will begin accepting card payments! You may of course continue to pay in paper form; with a properly filled out payment envelope that allows us to be sure what the payment is for. We’ll provide these envelopes for you when you first check-in your child at camp. These envelopes are for depositing funds in your child’s Comfort Zone snack shop account and purchasing any available items.
When you need a receipt for your camp fees, log onto your account by clicking here. For some forms you may fill out if you have a reimbursement benefit at work, or to claim the Child and Dependent Care Credit on your federal tax return, you may ask for our federal tax ID number.
Typical Schedule
Each day at camp is different but there’s a general schedule we usually follow. Sometimes we have to make last-minute changes due to the weather or other things that may come up. Here is a typical day at camp:
7:15am Early Show begins
8:45am Campers not in Early Show begin check-in
9:00am Team Meeting
9:15am Morning Rally
10:00am Seven “Acts” begin (activity periods) during which campers rotate through various activities
3:15pm Clean-up and campers gather their things
3:30pm Closing Rally
4:00pm Camp ends
4:15pm Late Show begins
5:45pm Late Show ends and facility closes
Each day every team has a “Snack Time” during which campers may buy snacks or eat snacks brought from home as well as have free time with their teams to participate in various activities. There is also one “Act” devoted to lunch. There’s usually a kid-friendly Bible study, either during the Morning Rally or in a separate Act. Campers usually visit the Craft Shop each day, go to the gym for competition or special events, and head outside for other numerous activities. Campers go to the “Spark Lab” most days to enjoy the high-tech and brainy activities they’ll find there.
Taking trips
From time to time campers may leave the camp facility to go to a nearby pool, park, or other activity center. Campers always travel by chartered school bus or in a Capital Baptist Church vehicle, all driven by fully licensed drivers. When away from camp your camper is as well-protected and carefully cared for as if he or she were at the camp facility. Any first aid medication and special instructions always travel along with the counselor when the team leaves the camp facility. If you sent an EpiPen, it goes along to the pool or to a nearby park facility if your child goes.
Activities at Camp
Camp is fun! We’ll get wet most days so your child will always want to have a swimsuit and towel at camp. Because of weather issues, we probably won’t know when we’ll do water activities until the day begins, so always be ready.
Please send sunscreen with your campers. Dermatologists suggest choosing only products that are labeled “broad spectrum” and have an SPF rating of 30 to 50. Teach your kids to use a lot over all visible skin and have friends apply it to their backs.
If your child is young be sure he or she can put on and take off swimsuits without help, dry off, and change into other clothing.
Contacting us
If you need to pick up your child before 4:00 p.m., please let us know in advance so we can have your child ready when you arrive. You can call the check-in table anytime during the day at the number we will provide. If your call goes to an answering device, leave a message and someone will call you right back.
If you need to reach us during the day you may always call or, better yet, text camp director Michael Eicher’s cell phone at (703) 817-6193.
You can also email us at capitalkids@capitalbaptist.org.
Other important things
Attendance at Capital Kids Camp 2020 and participation in the program is open to all children regardless of race, religion or ethnic background. Capital Kids Camp 2020 is a Christian camp that teaches biblical principles to our campers.
Participation in the camp is a privilege, not a right. In order to participate in camp, children must be able to successfully function in a large group community setting. While all children make mistakes in growing up, for the safety of our campers we cannot accommodate children who do not properly relate to authority or will not submit themselves to camp rules and policies.
Campers are responsible to keep up with their name badges. If your child loses a name badge they will be provided with a replacement by the registration desk.
Missing something?
You’ll find our collection of smelly towels and other lost items in the camp lost and found bin near the check-in table. All items are discarded after camp each Friday, so be sure to check each week. Campers are asked to take home all their “stuff” each afternoon when they leave camp. Every camper is provided with a nylon backpack to hold their swimsuit and towel and their lunch. We suggest you send nothing to camp that won’t fit in that backpack. Please clearly print your camper’s name on everything that comes to camp.
We’re here to serve you.
Please tell us if there’s anything we can do to improve your child’s experience at camp. Also, let us know how we can make serving you easier, faster and simpler. We are honored to be a part of your family for the summer!
When you leave each afternoon
A parent or someone the parent has authorized must personally come in to sign their camper out.
Your camper will turn in the name badge when leaving in the afternoon.
Arriving Early or Staying Late at Camp
What are the hours for camp?
A day at Capital Kids Camp 2020 is from 9:00am until 4:00pm. Campers may arrive as early as 8:45am and stay as late as 4:15pm without additional charge. In fact, we encourage campers to arrive by 8:50am to get to their team meetings and begin their day at camp.
Suppose my child needs to arrive even earlier or stay later?
We’ve got you covered! Campers who arrive between 7:15am and 8:45am are a part of the “Early Show.” Campers who are at camp after 4:15pm and are picked up no later than 5:45pm become a part of the “Late Show.”
Do I need to tell you when my child will arrive early or stay late?
No! Campers may come to the Early Show or stay for the Late Show any day for which they are registered as a camper.
How do I pay for the Early or Late Show?
To participate in either the Early Show or the Late Show campers must present an Early/Late Show Ticket. These should be purchased in advance at $5 each, completed before you arrive (see example below) and turned in at the Check-in Table when you arrive at camp. So in addition to the regular weekly Camp Fee, you will need an Early/Late Show Ticket any day your camper arrives early or stays late, for two tickets if they do both. Just turn them in when your camper arrives. If you at the last minute need your child to be in the Late Show (for instance, if you’re running late), just give us a ticket when you pick up your camper. If you have tickets leftover from last year, they are still valid and you may use those. We suggest you order in advance the tickets you know you’ll need, no later than three weeks before camp begins.
Oops! What happens if I’m running late and unexpectedly can’t pick up my child by 4:15pm?
No worries! If a parent had not planned on the camper staying for the Late Show but is running late picking up the camper, we will automatically put the camper in the Late Show. The parent may present a ticket when arriving to pick up the camper or pay $5 for arriving after 4:15pm. (4pm-4:15pm is an automatic free grace period). We suggest you give us a call at the number printed on the ticket if you are unexpectedly late so we can notify your camper that you will arrive later. Kids worry about things like that.
How do I get Early/Late Show tickets?
These tickets should be pre-purchased so you won’t have to wait in line at camp. You can also buy tickets anytime at the Check-in Table. Tickets can also be purchased online beginning at the end of June. You will receive the tickets by return mail before camp begins. And again, you can always purchase more at the check-in table.
Suppose I show up for the Early Show or pick up from the Late Show without a ticket?
No problem. You can pay us when you arrive.
Traffic was awful today! Suppose I arrive after 5:45pm?
Oops! There is a penalty for picking up your child after 5:45pm. You will be charged an extra $5 if you pick up your camper after 5:45pm, whatever the reason. On top of that, you will be charged an additional dollar per minute you pick up your child after six o’clock. Why? Our staff is tired, too, and they need to get home. We pay them extra if you are late. They deserve it.
Can I get a refund for tickets we don’t use?
No, but they can be transferred to other campers or saved for next year.
That’s all nice but I still have a question. What do I do?
No problem. Give us a call at (703) 560-3109 and we’ll do our best to answer it for you.
Here is a sample Early/Late Show Ticket, both front and back.
Why was pre-registration so early?
Capital Kids Camp 2020 has become quite popular and fills up very quickly. We regret that we cannot accommodate all campers who want to come. We schedule registration prior to the end of school so parents can make other arrangements if we cannot take care of all your camping needs.
What do I do when I pre-register?
You will complete one online registration form for each camper. But don’t put it off so long that you forget!
How do I pay?
You will complete an online form and enter payment information. You will pay for the camp at the time of registration. We’ll send you the online link to the payment center when it’s time.
How much does one week at camp cost?
Our camp is $195 per camper. If you preregister prior to May 22 the cost is $150 per camper.
This amount pays for your camper to be with us during the regular 9am-4pm camp day. Your camper may arrive beginning at 8:45am and stay as late as 4:15pm without additional charge.
Can my camper come earlier or stay later?
Yes! Your child may arrive as early as 7:15am or stay as late as 5:45pm as a participant in the Early Show or Late Show. Parents pay for this by purchasing Early/Late Show tickets that can be used for any camper. You do not need to make reservations for the early and late programs in advance. The cost is $5 per ticket, and these can be used for any camper, on any day, for either program. Click here to learn about the Early and Late Shows. In June we will notify you that you can pay online to pre-purchase tickets that will be mailed to you before camp begins. After that, tickets can be purchased at the check-in table at camp.
Do you have a cancellation policy? Suppose I purchase a week of camp and later find I cannot use it. Can I get a refund?
We do everything we can to keep our camp fees as low as possible. For that reason, camp fees (except for deposits to the Comfort Zone snack shop account) are not refundable.
If your plans change after you pay:
• You may sell or give your week of camp to another child entering Grade xx-Grade xx in the fall. If you sell it to another family, they will pay you directly. Whether you sell the week or give it to another child you will need to complete an online form telling us your camper’s name, the week(s) of camp that should be transferred from your child to another camper, and the name of the camper who will use the week of camp, as well as that camper’s parents’ email address and phone number. We will then email that family and tell them what they need to do for us to make the transfer. The parents of the family taking your week of camp will go to our registration page and pay us a twenty-five dollar transfer fee for each week of camp for each camper involved. If their camper is not already registered for other camps this summer, the camper’s parents will complete the online registration form like you did for your camper. We can transfer a week of camp to one of your child’s already-registered siblings without charge.
•
• We will not sell weeks on your behalf.
• If you would like to sell a week of camp that you have purchased, you must do so of your own accord via the above method.
• IMPORTANT! Because of the preparation time required to get ready for each week of camp, any transfer of a reservation from one camper to another must be completed by 5pm of the Wednesday before that camp begins. This includes registration of the new camper and payment of the transfer fee.
One more time: how do I secure one or more camps for my child?
There are four things you must do to hold your camper’s reservation:
1. Complete the pre-registration form for each camper. This process is not first-come, first-serve.
2. Once we notify you that space you requested is available, go online to pay your registration fees by the deadline we give you.
3. You will receive an email notification that we have received your payment. This will let you know that your child has an assured spot for the week(s) of camp we have reserved for you. This email also acts as your receipt. We will later provide any other receipt you may need. You may be eligible for reimbursement for camp expenses by your employer, or for Child and Dependent Care Credit on your Federal Tax return. Therefore, please be sure to save your receipt.
4. IMPORTANT! If you have not done so in previous summers, provide us a photocopy of your child’s birth certificate or passport (as the Commonwealth of Virginia requires that we verify your child’s identity) and a photocopy of your child’s health record that includes your child’s immunization record. You can give us a copy of the most recent form you turned in to your child’s school, or download a form here for your child’s health provider to complete. These two documents must be in our possession before your child attends camp. If you have previously submitted these documents, we have them on file and will automatically transfer them to this year’s record. We must have these documents before we can legally admit your child to camp.
Remember that your child does not have a reserved spot at Capital Kids Camp 2020 until steps 1 and 2 are completed, and may not attend camp until you have completed step 4.
AS YOU REGISTER YOUR CHILD,
WHEN THE FORM REQUESTS
YOUR CHILD’S GRADE IN SCHOOL,
IT IS ASKING FOR YOUR CHILD’S GRADE NEXT FALL,
THE 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR.
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