A group of children who attended the Norwich Family YMCA Camp Thompson last year, which was the camp’s 50th anniversary. Registration for this year's camp season is open now and through the entire summer for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. (Submitted photo)

NORWICH — The Norwich Family YMCA Camp Thompson is open for the summer season, with day camp programs officially beginning on June 27 for children in kindergarten through eighth grade.

"Kindergarten through fifth grade is the Y Camp Thompson program, and then sixth through eighth grade is called Junior Leaders at Camp Thompson," said YMCA Youth Development Director Kelly Reppert. "So that program gives the children a little bit more independence, a little bit more responsibility. But they still get to enjoy all of the fun things of camp, and they still have a camp counselor with them throughout the day, and all of those things are still the same."

Registration is ongoing throughout the summer months, and parents can sign their kids up for whatever days they need childcare.

"Families can do whatever works best for them or whatever they need," said Reppert. "Some families will register for the whole summer, some will be just for a day, or some for a week. So it’s very flexible for whatever is needed."

Sign up forms and a parent's handbook are available online at norwichymca.org, or physical copies can be picked up at the Norwich Family YMCA front desk.

Camp programs cost $25 per day for YMCA members and $35 per day for non-members, but financial assistance is available for those who need it through the YMCA Open Doors Scholarship program.

"We started the campaign several years ago in an attempt to raise additional funds to support scholarships that we were giving out to individuals and families that would like to use the YMCA but might be in a tough financial pinch," explained YMCA Executive Director and CEO Jamey Mullen. "It could be based upon their annual income, it could be because of financial challenges with relocating, financial challenges due to bankruptcy, financial challenges due to medical or attending doctors appointments, and things of that nature."

"The financial assistance can be good for membership to provide access to the facility, but it's also good for program fees also," he continued. "A lot of families need childcare, so they will apply for some assistance to help them with the ongoing cost of childcare for their children, so they can continue to work and know their children will be in a safe spot during non-school hours or after school hours."

Scholarship applications are available on the Norwich Family YMCA website and at the front desk. Applicants will need to submit a completed application as well as a copy of the prior year's tax return 1040 form, and other supplemental documents. Processing of applications can take up to two weeks.

The awarding of a scholarship can help to cover the cost of a child attending Camp Thompson, where they can enjoy several outdoor activities, games, and crafts.

"There’s different outdoor activities. They can swim in the lake that’s there, they have yard games, they go on nature walks, there’s a gaga pit game, that’s one of the children's favorites. So different things like that. There’ll be arts and crafts," said Reppert. "The activities will be differentiated by age. So the activities for the younger kids will be age appropriate for them, where they might have different expectations for the older children. So they stay within their age group throughout the day and they go through rotations with their age group, and each group has a dedicated counselor for the day."

The YMCA day camp program runs for eight weeks in total, ending on August 19. In addition to the many activities available at Camp Thompson, each week will also have it's own theme.

"Each week will have its own theme. I don't know all of the specific themes at this time. I know some favorites that have been done in the past are Water Palooza, Olympics Week, I believe that was called Camp Olympics, and Summer Beach Party," said Reppert.

Children who are registered for camp can be dropped off at the Norwich Family YMCA as early as 7 a.m., but no later than 8:45 a.m. Buses will transport the kids to Camp Thompson, located at 330 George Crumb Road in Smyrna, at 9 a.m. for a full day of summer fun. They will be brought back to the YMCA at 4 p.m., and parent pickup will be held between 4:30 and 5:30 p.m.

In the event of inclement weather, children will stay at the Norwich Family YMCA for the day, where Reppert said "the groups go to the kids' gym, the main gym, and the swimming pool."

More information on the Norwich Family YMCA, Camp Thompson, and the Open Doors Scholarship can be found online at norwichymca.org, or on the Norwich Family YMCA Facebook page. Information and forms are also available at the Norwich Family YMCA, located at 68 North Broad Street in Norwich.