As we close out the calendar year, we are hopeful that 2021 will bring a return to our summer camping program at Hidden Valley 4-H Camp. We have been working behind the scenes on all the details and wanted to take the opportunity to share with our camper families, former staff, and our community a few of our tentative plans for our season. We will use Bunk1 as our online platform for the season and will open registration on February 1st. At this time, we believe our Residential Camping program may be reduced by a 50% capacity and will lead to a waiting list. We anticipate knowing more information about resident camping by the Spring. In recognition that the “unknows” may lead families to wait to enroll, we want to help simplify our registration process in the upcoming year. In 2021 from February 1st through April 1st you will be able to register for day and/or residential camp without adding a deposit, which we hope will help families feel comfortable in completing the registration and reserving their campers’ space at Hidden Valley. After April 1st we anticipate knowing stronger details about our upcoming camping season and our Camp Registrar, Dayna Karius will contact you about paying for camp in full or completing the deposit to keep your campers spot reserved.
We are also thinking of our former staff and new staff who may be considering employment at Hidden Valley 4-H camp for our upcoming season. We have been working on updating position descriptions and will have our positions posted by mid-February. We will post to our social media sites when the postings are ready, and they will also be on our Cornell Cooperative Extension Schuyler County website.
We will continue our accreditation with the American Camping Association (ACA) for 2021. Our relationship and connection to ACA has provided relevant resources and professional development for camp planning during Covid-19 and we anticipate additional resources throughout the coming year that will assist with continued planning as we move through the health pandemic and plan for a safe return to camp.
Thank you to all our camp families, staff, and community for your support this past year, it has meant a lot to us, and we are grateful for your continued connections. We wish you a warm, safe, and healthy New Year…and cannot wait to see you around the campfire!
Hidden Valley 4-H Tentative Camping Dates for 2021:
July 2-4: Friends, Family and Alumni Welcome Weekend
July 3: Hidden Valley 4-H Camp Celebrates 75 Years of Camping
July 4-9: Week 1 of Residential and Day Camp
July 11-16: Week 2 of Residential and Day Camp and Special Event Week
July 18-23: Week 3 of Residential and Day Camp
July 25-30: Week 4 of Residential and Day Camp
August 1-6: Week 5 of Residential and Day Camp
August 8-13: Week 6 of Residential and Day Camp
*In 2021 we will not offer any Weekend Stayover Events in anticipation of needing Saturday for a cleaning of all spaces as we transition campers*
We also have a special holiday greeting for all to view on our Hidden Valley 4-H Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/HV4HC
New York State Camp Director’s Association (NYSCDA) – Protecting NYS camps for over 50 years!
American Camping Association
This post was brought to you by:
Melissa C Schroeder
Youth and Family Program Director
mcs35@cornell.edu
