Frequently Asked Questions about camp
Q: What does a typical day at camp look like?
A: You should receive an email from the deans of the week prior to your week of camp. The schedules will vary a bit, but you’ll experience all camp has to offer! Each day will include breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Free time (including activities like the lake, pool, scream swing, zipline, and more), worship time, small group or “family” time, rest time, big group activities, night activities (campfire, night swim in the pool, faculty hunt), canteen time, and other camp activities will be scheduled throughout each day as well.
Q: How do you handle dietary restrictions and picky eaters?
A: Please let us know of any dietary restrictions or allergies as soon as possible. Encourage your camper to let us know at meal times if he or she has a restriction - we’ll have food for them! Our menus are kid-friendly, delicious, and nutritious. We also always have sandwich ingredients on standby, so encourage your camper to let an adult know if they want something else. We know kids need to eat to have energy to stay at camp all week, so it’s important to us!
Q: How do you handle kids who are homesick?
A: We know homesickness happens. Our team and volunteers are GREAT at making sure that our campers are included in activities, fostering friendships, and stay so excited and busy that they don’t think much about home. When we do get the occasional request to call home due to homesickness, we try to redirect their attention to a fun activity or hanging out with a friend ONE time. If they ask us to call home a second time, we will let them use a staff phone to make a call home. We have learned that kids who call home frequently actually have a harder time dealing with homesickness. And as a parent, you may not want to hear this, but we have also realized that parents tend to be more homesick for their kids than the other way around.
Q: How do you handle disciplinary issues?
A: This is on a case by case basis. Please encourage your camper to be honest and communicate with a trusted adult if another camper is bullying or making them feel uncomfortable. Our goal is to keep kids at camp so that we can share the good news of Jesus with them, but camper safety is paramount. We will always communicate with parents if we are having disciplinary issues with a camper. Please note that any camper who is sent home due to a disciplinary issue on their part (physical violence, sneaking inappropriate items into camp, etc), no registration refunds will be offered.
Q: Am I as a parent allowed to volunteer?
A: We welcome volunteers, but space, time, and money do not allow us to accept and accommodate everyone. The need for additional volunteers will be determined by the leadership for each camp week and NFCC leadership. Every volunteer must pass a level 2, nationwide background check including fingerprinting.
Q: Can my child attend for the day only, and I pick him or her up each night?
A: This is very disruptive to camp programming, so we do not allow day-only campers.
Q: Can my child attend more than one week of camp?
A: Your child may attend any camp program that they are eligible for! Some kids are in that sweet spot where they might be able to attend both elementary programs, the preteen program, and two middle school programs, for instance. No discounts are offered for multiple weeks.
Q: How much money does my child need to have put in their FunFangle account for canteen each week?
A: Typically canteen is open two times a day for every full day of camp. Each item in canteen costs 1.50 and campers are allowed two items per canteen. Campers are also allowed to use the money in their FunFangle account to donate to missions or buy camp t-shirts. The minimum amount that is suggested for a week of camp is $24 and the maximum amount would be around $50. If you send your child to camp with cash for canteen, please know that we will apply this to their FunFangle account since we do not encourage campers to keep cash on hand to prevent it from being lost or stolen.
Q: What if my child takes daily prescribed medications?
A: The nurse will accept the medication in its original packaging, labeled with the camper’s name and any special instructions.
Q: What if my child takes daily vitamins?
A: The nurse will accept any vitamins that you require your child to take every day as long as you have the camper’s name and any special instructions listed with the medication.
Q: Are campers ever given OTC medications?
A: Yes, but only if the parents allow it and the camp nurse follows the dosage instructions on the bottle. If your camper takes more medication than what is listed on the medication, please provide the nurse with a note that gives permission for more medication to be administered, if needed.
Q: What if I need to change the pick-up person for my child?
A: All changes like this need to be in writing. If you need to change the pick-up person for your child, it can not be done over the phone. Please email any changes to becca@nfcsc.org.
Q: My child is registered for back-to-back weeks of camp. Can they just stay the weekend in between?
A: Unfortunately the answer is no. Most of our weekends are booked by outside retreat groups, many of our team take the weekend off, and we do not have the staff numbers necessary to care for campers between sessions. Plus the weekend between camp sessions is the perfect time to catch up on hugs, rest, and laundry.
Q: Can my camper bring a stuffed animal or other comfort item from home?
A: Yes, they can bring a comfort item. We highly recommend labeling EVERYTHING you want to take back home with you. We camp staff are not responsible for lost or damaged items from home.
Q: Are phones or electronic devices allowed?
A: No, we do not allow campers to have their personal phones or electronic devices with them. Camp is a great time to unplug. We encourage campers to leave their phones with parents. We’ll lock them safely in the office if that is preferred. The only exception to this is campers who need their phones for medical reasons, such as blood sugar monitoring. Please make camp leadership and the camp nurse aware of this need ahead of time.
Q: Can I send my camper with snacks?
A: No food or drink other than water is allowed in any of our sleeping areas. If a camper receives snacks in the mail, or if they bring snacks with them, the snacks will be stored in the dining hall.
Q: Can I send mail to my camper:
A: Mail?! Did you say mail?! Yes! We love mail call! Keystone Heights is a very rural area, and sometimes it takes several days for mail to be delivered. Because of this, we highly recommend either sending the mail much earlier than their week (we’ll hold on to it until your camper arrives), or dropping it off with the dean of the week during the check-in process. If you want to mail something, use the following format:
Camper Name
℅ North Florida Christian Camp
6779 Camp Road
Keystone Heights, FL 32656
Please do not send food items in the mail - your camper will not be allowed to have it in their sleeping area.
A: You should receive an email from the deans of the week prior to your week of camp. The schedules will vary a bit, but you’ll experience all camp has to offer! Each day will include breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Free time (including activities like the lake, pool, scream swing, zipline, and more), worship time, small group or “family” time, rest time, big group activities, night activities (campfire, night swim in the pool, faculty hunt), canteen time, and other camp activities will be scheduled throughout each day as well.
Q: How do you handle dietary restrictions and picky eaters?
A: Please let us know of any dietary restrictions or allergies as soon as possible. Encourage your camper to let us know at meal times if he or she has a restriction - we’ll have food for them! Our menus are kid-friendly, delicious, and nutritious. We also always have sandwich ingredients on standby, so encourage your camper to let an adult know if they want something else. We know kids need to eat to have energy to stay at camp all week, so it’s important to us!
Q: How do you handle kids who are homesick?
A: We know homesickness happens. Our team and volunteers are GREAT at making sure that our campers are included in activities, fostering friendships, and stay so excited and busy that they don’t think much about home. When we do get the occasional request to call home due to homesickness, we try to redirect their attention to a fun activity or hanging out with a friend ONE time. If they ask us to call home a second time, we will let them use a staff phone to make a call home. We have learned that kids who call home frequently actually have a harder time dealing with homesickness. And as a parent, you may not want to hear this, but we have also realized that parents tend to be more homesick for their kids than the other way around.
Q: How do you handle disciplinary issues?
A: This is on a case by case basis. Please encourage your camper to be honest and communicate with a trusted adult if another camper is bullying or making them feel uncomfortable. Our goal is to keep kids at camp so that we can share the good news of Jesus with them, but camper safety is paramount. We will always communicate with parents if we are having disciplinary issues with a camper. Please note that any camper who is sent home due to a disciplinary issue on their part (physical violence, sneaking inappropriate items into camp, etc), no registration refunds will be offered.
Q: Am I as a parent allowed to volunteer?
A: We welcome volunteers, but space, time, and money do not allow us to accept and accommodate everyone. The need for additional volunteers will be determined by the leadership for each camp week and NFCC leadership. Every volunteer must pass a level 2, nationwide background check including fingerprinting.
Q: Can my child attend for the day only, and I pick him or her up each night?
A: This is very disruptive to camp programming, so we do not allow day-only campers.
Q: Can my child attend more than one week of camp?
A: Your child may attend any camp program that they are eligible for! Some kids are in that sweet spot where they might be able to attend both elementary programs, the preteen program, and two middle school programs, for instance. No discounts are offered for multiple weeks.
Q: How much money does my child need to have put in their FunFangle account for canteen each week?
A: Typically canteen is open two times a day for every full day of camp. Each item in canteen costs 1.50 and campers are allowed two items per canteen. Campers are also allowed to use the money in their FunFangle account to donate to missions or buy camp t-shirts. The minimum amount that is suggested for a week of camp is $24 and the maximum amount would be around $50. If you send your child to camp with cash for canteen, please know that we will apply this to their FunFangle account since we do not encourage campers to keep cash on hand to prevent it from being lost or stolen.
Q: What if my child takes daily prescribed medications?
A: The nurse will accept the medication in its original packaging, labeled with the camper’s name and any special instructions.
Q: What if my child takes daily vitamins?
A: The nurse will accept any vitamins that you require your child to take every day as long as you have the camper’s name and any special instructions listed with the medication.
Q: Are campers ever given OTC medications?
A: Yes, but only if the parents allow it and the camp nurse follows the dosage instructions on the bottle. If your camper takes more medication than what is listed on the medication, please provide the nurse with a note that gives permission for more medication to be administered, if needed.
Q: What if I need to change the pick-up person for my child?
A: All changes like this need to be in writing. If you need to change the pick-up person for your child, it can not be done over the phone. Please email any changes to becca@nfcsc.org.
Q: My child is registered for back-to-back weeks of camp. Can they just stay the weekend in between?
A: Unfortunately the answer is no. Most of our weekends are booked by outside retreat groups, many of our team take the weekend off, and we do not have the staff numbers necessary to care for campers between sessions. Plus the weekend between camp sessions is the perfect time to catch up on hugs, rest, and laundry.
Q: Can my camper bring a stuffed animal or other comfort item from home?
A: Yes, they can bring a comfort item. We highly recommend labeling EVERYTHING you want to take back home with you. We camp staff are not responsible for lost or damaged items from home.
Q: Are phones or electronic devices allowed?
A: No, we do not allow campers to have their personal phones or electronic devices with them. Camp is a great time to unplug. We encourage campers to leave their phones with parents. We’ll lock them safely in the office if that is preferred. The only exception to this is campers who need their phones for medical reasons, such as blood sugar monitoring. Please make camp leadership and the camp nurse aware of this need ahead of time.
Q: Can I send my camper with snacks?
A: No food or drink other than water is allowed in any of our sleeping areas. If a camper receives snacks in the mail, or if they bring snacks with them, the snacks will be stored in the dining hall.
Q: Can I send mail to my camper:
A: Mail?! Did you say mail?! Yes! We love mail call! Keystone Heights is a very rural area, and sometimes it takes several days for mail to be delivered. Because of this, we highly recommend either sending the mail much earlier than their week (we’ll hold on to it until your camper arrives), or dropping it off with the dean of the week during the check-in process. If you want to mail something, use the following format:
Camper Name
℅ North Florida Christian Camp
6779 Camp Road
Keystone Heights, FL 32656
Please do not send food items in the mail - your camper will not be allowed to have it in their sleeping area.