Make sure you have registered any campers you would like to send to camp! You’ll find all the info you need on our registration page.
After your camper has been confirmed to attend camp, you will need to log in to your account and complete the required information. The following forms are required to finalize the registration process:
Medical Information – This is a required section which includes health history, allergies, insurance information, emergency contacts, etc. It is very important to tell us about your camper’s medical needs in the camper’s health history. Please be thorough and include anything we may need to know throughout the camper session. Nursing staff will review your camper’s health history before camp starts. If we have any questions, we will call you to discuss. If you have health concerns you would like to talk through, feel free to contact Candi Douthit directly.
Camper Profile – This is a required section allowing you to share information with our counselors which may help us serve your camper while they are with us. We strongly encourage you to spend some time responding to each question thoughtfully. Our counselors spend significant time reviewing these responses and preparing to care for and accommodate each individual camper. The more information we have, the better prepared we are!
Health Form – Your camper is required to submit a current doctor’s physical health form. This must be filled out and signed by your camper’s doctor and then uploaded on your account. You will find the health form available for download in your account dashboard or here: Health Form
Immunization Records – You are required to submit current immunization records from your camper’s doctor’s office. You must upload all records to your online account.
We are passionate about taking good care of campers while they are with us. We invite you to help us do that well by understanding our approach to camp. Please visit our Health and Safety and Camp Policies pages to learn more about how we do things at LLYC.
Representatives from our healthcare team will be present on Opening Day to help check in your camper’s medications and chat with you about their administration. For safety purposes, no campers or staff are allowed to keep medications in camper cabins.
If your camper will be coming to camp with medications, please view the Medications at Camp section of our Health and Safety page for lots more important information on what you need to know, how to prep well, complete all the right forms, and what to expect for medication check-in on Opening Day and medication pick-up on Closing Day.
If your camper would like to stay in the same cabin as a friend, you must make a roommate request through your account. Your request must be completed at least 3 weeks prior to the session start date. One request is allowed per camper. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee your request due to many factors, but we will sure try! We know how important those camp friendships are. That said, we also know that each year new cabin groups form wonderful connections and deep friendships. Feel free to read more about how we make cabin assignments on our camp policies page.
We ask that families make their own arrangements for campers to arrive by car. Please visit our contact page to find our address and a link to google maps.
If you would like to send a camper by air, you will need to pay for an airport pick-up and/or drop-off through your account after you have registered your camper. When possible, LLYC will gladly arrange for one of our summer staffers to make an airport run to San Antonio to pick up your camper.
Flights must be booked into and out of the San Antonio International Airport (SAT). Arrival flights should be made between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Departure flights should be made between 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Campers with flight reservations will be picked up and/or dropped off at the airport by an LLYC counselor and transported via car back to camp. Please send a copy of your flight information along with your cell phone and camper’s cell phone numbers to Emily McRae. These will be given to the counselor picking up your camper.
Before camp, you will receive luggage tags from LLYC in the mail. These are for labeling large items like trunks, suitcases, duffels, and fans with your camper’s name and gender. When you arrive at camp, staff members will greet you at your car and help you place these items in the correct location for transportation to your camper’s cabin. If you have been to camp before, please remove old luggage tags before adding this year’s tag to ensure we deliver your luggage to the correct location.
Check out our packing list for lots of great info about what to bring (and what not to bring!) when you come to camp!
Bunks are randomly pre-assigned by counselors prior to your camper’s arrival (there is no need to arrive early to get a bunk for your camper). If your camper has a special need that requires a specific bunk, or if they would like to be in a bunk next to a friend, please put that information in their camper profile through your account so we can make arrangements prior to your arrival. Only one bunk-mate request per camper. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate all requests, but our counselors will do their best!
Living in Community
We strongly believe that the camp experience is greatly enhanced if more parents have a pre-camp conversation with their camper about some of the challenges and also the wonderful benefits that come from living in close community with others. There will be lots of opportunities for your camper to have fun and build close relationships, but any relationship can be challenging at times. We believe navigating relational challenges can be one of the most formative and valuable parts of the camp experience. But that takes work.
There will be campers who are very different from your camper. There may be some disagreements or impulsive or even unkind behavior from other campers that isn’t easy to respond to. Our counselors do their best to monitor relational dynamics at camp, but the truth is we won’t always catch everything. Your camper may need to ask for help from their counselors. This is something we can’t emphasize enough! Make sure your camper knows that it is their responsibility to communicate if they see or experience anything that makes them uncomfortable. At LLYC, our hope is not that we avoid these difficulties, but instead that we respond in Christ-like love, honest communication, and by setting clear boundaries for campers moving forward. Talk to your camper about relational dynamics they might experience at camp, the importance of self advocacy, and reporting any incidents to counselors or directors.
Bathroom Etiquette and Modesty
Our cabins have shared bathroom facilities with private stalls. On Opening Day we instruct all of our campers to be respectful of others, especially in bathrooms, and while changing clothes. We have rules that there should be no crude or derogatory discussions at camp, no nakedness in camp, and that campers should change discreetly. Any inappropriate “locker room” behavior and discussions in the bathrooms is also not allowed, especially during shower time. We train our staff to facilitate bathroom time, be on the lookout for this type of behavior, and to shut it down immediately if they see it. But we also need your help! We strongly encourage you to have an open conversation with your camper about appropriate and inappropriate bathroom behavior at camp. We also encourage you to remind your camper (we will do the same!) to report any inappropriate behavior immediately.
Bedwetting
If your camper has wet the bed in the last year or so, it is likely to happen at camp. Often the change in rhythm, less sleep, increased sugar intake, etc. can cause this to happen. Not to worry! We are thoroughly prepared for this eventuality, and it happens often. If you are concerned at all about your camper wetting the bed while they stay with us, please make sure to have a conversation with a director or one of your camper’s counselors on opening day. That way we can be fully prepared to help! We also encourage you to have a conversation with your camper about this possibility and to discuss exactly what they should do if it happens. Most importantly, they need to tell their counselor. Their counselor will handle it super discreetly, and not make it a big deal. Sometimes it helps to create a secret signal or code with the counselor on Opening Day. Then it’s easy and less embarrassing to let counselors know if it happened. See more about how we handle bedwetting on our camp policies page.
Homesickness
What to tell your camper about homesickness at camp:
It’s always a good idea to have a conversation with your camper before camp to discuss the possibility that they might really miss you while they are away, and to talk about how they might work through those feelings. Here are a few things you might say in that conversation:
What not to tell your camper about homesickness:
We strongly encourage parents not to make a deal with their camper that they will come pick them up if they don’t like camp or aren’t having fun. Once a deal is made, campers rarely find the courage to overcome fears or challenges and lean in to the camp experience. Instead, they often focus only on the easy-out option of going home.
How to respond to homesick letters:
It is not uncommon that a camper experiencing homesickness will write a somewhat heart-wrenching letter home. We know these are really hard to receive as parents. If you receive one or two homesick letters, usually the best thing to do is to respond quickly with a letter that is upbeat and that encourages them to pull their counselors aside and tell them exactly how they are feeling and talk through any issues they might be having. Encourage them that they can do this and that you know they will be proud of themselves if they stay the course! If the letters continue you are welcome to call or email our staff and they will be happy to check on the situation.
For more helpful information, please review how we handle homesickness on our camp policies page.
Opening Days happen on Sunday. We will be scheduling staggered afternoon arrival times between 1:30pm and 3pm for camper drop-offs. You will be assigned an arrival time prior to the Opening Day of your session. Families who have campers attending both Singing Hills and Echo Valley will be assigned one of the first arrival times. Please do not arrive earlier than your assigned arrival time on Opening Day.
All incoming campers are screened for lice during check-in. However, we highly encourage having your camper pre-screened for lice up to one week prior to camp (see here and here for pre-screen options). This saves time and eliminates the worry or unexpected need for lice treatment prior to moving into the cabin. A specialty lice treatment company handles lice screening and treatment for LLYC. If lice or nits are found, this company will treat campers on-site for $250. Treatment is fully guaranteed. Should you choose not to have your child treated on-site, we will require you to remove your child from camp to receive treatment. Your camper can then return to camp the following day, be rechecked and admitted to camp. We are sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause you or your family, but we trust you understand the seriousness of this issue and its effect on the LLYC community.
For liability and safety reasons, please do not bring your pets to camp on Closing Day.
Closing Days happen on Saturday. Check-out begins at 8:00 a.m. and should conclude by 11:00 a.m. Please plan on arriving between 8 and 10 a.m. After you find your camper(s) and load up their luggage, you will have a chance to hang out for a bit, grab some brunch from our Ranch House, visit with counselors and leadership staff, check out the session video, and shop at our camp store if desired. Make sure to grab your Camper Highlights Card from your camper’s counselors, and don’t forget to pick up your meds from the healthcare staff before you leave! When you’re ready (we know it’s hard!), give lots of hugs to your camp friends, and say “see you soon!”
As a new feature, we will have a brief, optional Closing Day message from one of our directors for parents, staff, and families to attend on Closing Day. This will happen at 9:00 a.m. for Singing Hills and 9:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. for Echo Valley. It will be a quick opportunity to hear a few session highlights and our hopes for campers as they are headed home.
For liability and safety reasons, please do not bring your pets to camp on Closing Day.
Didn’t find the answer to your question? Try visiting our Parent FAQ page.
