Sapling Camp

A sliding scale is a tool to help increase access to experiences like summer camp, while acknowledging differences in financial resources. We ask for your active participation in deciding your contribution. We do not require proof of income but ask that you take a moment to thoughtfully reflect and choose the option that best represents your situation.

1. Pay what you can. ($525) – The community is supporting you to cover the full cost of camp
2. Pay your way. ($615)  – This covers the actual cost of running camp
3. Pay it forward. ($695)  – You are supporting those for whom the full cost of camp would be a significant hardship 

We want to give a huge thank you to those who were able to opt for our highest sliding scale tier last year; you helped 32 kids attend camp at a lower rate in 2024!

If you do not wish to pay in full upon registration, we offer 2 payment plans:

• Half-pay / Due on June 1st: Pay half of your balance upon enrollment and half on June 1.
• Monthly: Pay half of your balance upon enrollment and the remaining balance will be divided across monthly payments until June 1st.

Our Scholarship Program:

Donations: There is an option to donate to the scholarship fund during the registration process. All scholarship funds go directly towards camp spots for scholarship recipients. In 2024, the money raised through these donations funded 8 additional completely free camp spots! Thank you to everyone who donated!

Recipients: If none of the sliding scale choices are affordable to you, please email us at riversidecamps@gmail.com to ask about our scholarship program. In order to offer assistance without increasing barriers, we do not require proof of income, but ask that you only request scholarship funds if you’re not able to attend otherwise.

• My child is on the waitlist. How likely are they to get into that camp session?
  • I would not count on it. While it does happen from time to time, it is generally unlikely. Please refer to our cancellation and waitlist policy at the bottom of the page.
• Will my child be in the same group as his or her friends?
  • If they are signed up for the same camp (Old Growth, Birch Sapling, Red Oak, etc) and the same week they will be in the same group.
• What is the difference between Red Oak, White Oak, and Post Oak camps?
  • Red Oak, White Oak, and Post Oak camps are separate groups of kids with a different set of counselors, but will have the same programming in regards to adventure activities. They are equally awesome!
  • The same is true for Maple Sapling and Birch Sapling.
• Do you perform background checks on your staff?
  • Yes. We perform annual checks on all of our camp staff through a third party which covers local, state, federal and sex offender registries.
• My child is turning _______ years old on ________. Can you make an age exception?
  • We almost never make exceptions in regards to our age groups. We have built into our camp structure a one year overlap in camps (i.e. a 9 year old could attend Sapling or Oak, and a 12 year old could attend Oak, River Shredders, or Old Growth).
• I am trying to enroll my child in a camp but I’m not seeing the enrollment options for their age group.
  • It’s most likely that the camper’s age was incorrectly listed upon enrollment. Please email us at riversidecamps@gmail.com if you run into this problem.
• Do you offer extended day programming?
  • We have built into our schedule a flexible pick-up time between 3:30PM and 4:00PM.
• I’ve forgotten my password and when I try to reset it through the website I am not receiving any emails.
  • Most likely, the email you used to initially register your account is no longer current. Your email address is like a user name in our system so if that changes we need to be notified to change that on our end. If you can think of what email you initially received our confirmations from, that is the account to sign in on and book for the summer.
• Do you have a Counselor-In-Training (CIT) program?
  • Yes! 16-17 year olds are welcome to apply as CITs. Apply here. Our CITs volunteer at our Sapling, Oak, and Earth Heroes camps for 2 weeks during the summer (preferably consecutive, Mon-Fri). They function as counselors and role models for the kids, are directly mentored by our experienced staff, and learn both technical and transferable skills in the education and outdoor recreation fields. If all goes well, they receive stellar references from us and are invited to apply to work with us as counselors once they turn 18.

**Cancellation/Refund Policy: All payments are non-refundable. Exceptions made at the discretion of our staff. If we are able to fill your camper’s spot through the waitlist, we will refund you all but a $35 per instance processing fee. See our waitlist policy below.**

**Wait List Policy: If we are filling spaces in a camp more than 1 month out from the start of that camp week, we will call one family at a time from the wait list on a first-to-sign-up basis and give them 48 hrs to accept the spot. After 48 hrs we will call the next family on the list.  If we are calling within a month of a camp session, we will call everyone on the wait list concurrently and follow a first-to-respond policy.**