We Can’t Wait to See You!
Welcome to our vibrant, diverse, and youth-centered community. Below you will find our summer calendar and session information for all BYM Camps programs. Please take note of our Sliding Scale Tuition system, and our deposit policies.
*Kindling Sessions are offered for first time 9 or 10 year old campers at Catoctin, Opequon, and Shiloh. They’re very much still full blown overnight camp programs, geared toward letting your family see if our programs are the right fit for your camper. Returning campers and campers 11 years or older are not eligible for Kindling Sessions.
If you have any questions about the summer calendar, deposits, tuition, or financial aid, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Before May 15: $100 deposit is required upon registration.
After May 15: full tuition is required upon registration.
Sliding Scale? How does it work?
The full cost of camp for each camper is represented by Tuition Level A, so if a family is able to pay that amount, we strongly encourage them to do so. The true cost represents what is needed for BYM Camps to pay our staff fairly and justly, to preserve and maintain our properties, and to invest in the long-term health of our program.
With that said, our Sliding Scale Tuition system is based on the principle that a family’s financial commitment should be proportionate to its financial resources. If you are excited about your child attending a BYM Camp, if you think they’d benefit from our vibrant, diverse, and youth-centered community, but you can’t afford to pay at the highest tuition levels, we strongly encourage you to register them right away! Then, within our registration system, you can access and fill out our Sliding Scale Tuition Family Worksheet. The Family Worksheet is a simple form that helps us determine a family’s Sliding Scale Tuition rate. Tax returns are not requested nor required. BYM Camps will review the Family Worksheet and confirm your Sliding Scale rate within 7-14 days.
Families that register for camp and fill out the Family Worksheet are under no financial obligation until their Sliding Scale Tuition rate is confirmed and accepted.
How do I know if I am eligible for the Sliding Scale?
Everyone is eligible! There are no eligibility requirements, no need to qualify for the Sliding Scale. It is open to all families, regardless of financial situation.
We are committed to making sure all campers can come to camp. If it’s the right thing for your family, please feel free to register your camper on the Sliding Scale, and fill out the Sliding Scale Family Worksheet where we ask families: What can you pay? No one knows their family’s financial situation better than the family themselves. We are trusting families to be honest, and to genuinely pay what they can.
If I pay in full, am I underwriting Sliding Scale Tuition for a family in need?
Absolutely not! To ensure that this process is fair and equitable for every family, families that pay in full are not asked to pay more than their fair share of camper tuition costs. Tuition Level A represents the full cost that is required to operate our camps each year and to invest in their long-term maintenance and quality. Tuition Level B represents what is required to operate our camps each year, but does not include investment in long-term maintenance and quality.
For families that pay at all other levels, BYM Camps actively fundraises to offset all tuition reductions provided through our Sliding Scale. It is our commitment that no child be turned away due to a family’s inability to pay.
Do I need to fill out a Sliding Scale Tuition Family Worksheet?
No, filling out the Family Worksheet is optional. If you choose not to complete the Family Worksheet, you can simply choose to pay at Tuition Level A or Tuition Level B when completing your camper’s registration.
Does Sliding Scale Tuition affect the quality of experience offered at BYM Camps?
No, not at all. Because we actively fundraise to ensure equity and access to BYM Camps, our programs and activities are structured as if each family was paying full tuition. This enables us to provide a high-quality experience for all campers attending BYM Camps, creating an environment of true equality, regardless of a camper’s or family’s financial situation.
What happens if a family wants to fill out a Family Worksheet for more than one child?
That is fine! There is space on the Family Worksheet for you to identify the number of children that you’re hoping to send to camp, along with their names. This will be factored into the Family Worksheet review process and Tuition rate confirmation. Again, it is our commitment that no child be turned away due to a family’s inability to pay.
What should I do if I receive a Sliding Scale Tuition rate that is still not affordable for me to send my child to BYM Camps?
If you receive a Sliding Scale Tuition rate that you do not feel is affordable, we welcome you to contact our Program Manager, Brian Massey, to further discuss tuition and how we can make it work. Brian can be reached at brianmassey@bym-rsf.org or 336-301-5210. Once again, our commitment is that no child be turned away due to a family’s inability to pay.
How can BYM Camps offer Sliding Scale Tuition?
BYM Camps is a program of the Baltimore Yearly Meeting Religious Society of Friends, also known as Quakers. The larger communities of both BYM and BYM Camps are committed to creating an environment of both equality and equity, not letting financial barriers get in the way of a child’s access to BYM Camps. It is through the generosity of our vast network of alumni, stakeholders, community partners, and friends, and through their belief in the power and importance of our camps, that we are able to offset the reduced tuition costs provided by our Sliding Scale.
We believe that every child deserves the opportunity to experience our vibrant, diverse, and youth-centered community, to both find themselves and be themselves, to gain a lifetime of lessons, confidence, and connection, all at BYM Camps.
Are there Sliding Scale Tuition payment plans available?
Yes! Upon receiving and accepting your Sliding Scale Tuition rate offer, you will login to the registration system and either pay in full or set up a payment plan that works for you. All payments must be made by May 15th, unless arranged otherwise with the Program Manager.
All of the BYM Camps are gender-inclusive, and our community (and by extension, our registration system) is not divided by an individual’s sex assigned at birth. Instead, we support each community member to be in housing that most aligns with their gender identity. BYM Camps includes non-binary and transgender staff and youth, and we work to model inclusivity in many ways, and invite all community members, as they feel comfortable, to share their gender pronouns. BYM Camps is a community where campers and staff use the full spectrum of gender pronouns and identify with the full non-binary spectrum of gender.
To learn more about what gender looks like at BYM Camps, in our Family Resource Center.
17100 Quaker Lane
Sandy Spring, MD 20860
301-774-7663
brian@bymcamps.org