Frequently Asked Questions about our Camp
Do I have to attend Open House to get the discount? No. But payment and registration forms must be in by the close of the open house with no exceptions to honor that days price. Click here for more information: Open House Payment Rules
What are the trips? A weekly offsite field trip is included for all weekly campers & 3 day rate campers. Additional campers may be able to go on a sliding scale of attendance. The more days the camper is enrolled the more likely we are able to accommodate their inclusion. Campers who attend on the daily rate will be offered space on an as available basis. Campers who attend only 1 day will be accessed a trip fee if we are able to take them. All campers will be given a camp shirt on the day of their first trip and are expected to wear it on any subsequent trips. Replacements will be available for purchase. No camper will be allowed to attend a trip without the required shirt as it a feature of our safety program when leaving campus. We have 3 vehicles we transport in with the majority of trips using our 72-passenger bus. Future destinations are released the week prior.
Trips require a tremendous amount of staff preparation, administration, and logistics. For this reason we are enforcing our long-standing policy of requiring all schedule changes to be in by the 15th of the month prior to your camper attending Marple. Please make changes as sparingly as is absolutely necessary. For the safety and welfare of our campers and staff we cannot make modifications to the trip attendance once we have set the itinerary and guest list. The day of the week of the trip for each age group can vary due to attendance, staffing, venue, weather and a host of other factors. Trying to maximize your attendance by making frequent schedule changes is discouraged for this reason.
What are the camp hours? Camp activity hours are 8:30am-4:30pm but we are open from 7am-6pm should you need before or after care at no additional fee! We utilize a daily schedule that maximizes participation and variety. It is best for campers to be dropped off before 830Am so that they can attend morning meeting.
What is Car Line? AM & PM car lines are provided to facilitate the check in and check out of campers in the most efficient and safe manner possible. AM Car lines enters the parking lot at the 1st entrance closest to Reed Rd and follows the straight line of cones directly toward our front doors. Please have your child ready to exit the vehicle when you pull up to the next attendant working car line. Please exit out of the 2nd exit after drop off. PM car line utilizes a S curve that goes deeper into our lot and curves back near the side of the building and ends at our street side front doors.
AM Carline is 7:30AM-8:30AM. Drop offs after 8:30 will require parking and walking your camper into the lobby.
PM Carline is 4:00PM to 4:45PM. Pickups prior to and after car line will require parking to enter the lobby and pickup.
We utilize a one way system for AM & PM car line. Our second entrance will normally have a DO NOT ENTER sign and cones denoting EXIT only.
How do I request a schedule change? All schedule changes must be received and acknowledged no later than the 15th of the month prior to coming to camp. The only person authorized to modify a previously accepted schedule is Patty Henning, our Camp Administrator. With such a dynamic and diverse camp program it is imperative the staff has the time necessary to make appropriate and well-balanced squads for the next week and the task requires a significant amount of time. You can contact Patty at our main number, 610-338-0111 Ex 1 most days between 10AM and 6PM. Patty can also be reached via email ( phenning@marplesportsarena.com ). We will not accept any late changes beyond our deadline.
Can I split my prepaid week into single days over different weeks? Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate this request. The weekly rate has a significant discount to reward families for committing to Marple and due to the reduced administrative cost of attending weekly. That savings is passed onto our customers in the form of a discount on full week participation. Full weeks not needed but rescheduled in advance following our advance notice requirement may be able to be converted to daily rate attendance on a per dollar basis. These decisions are on a case-by-case basis and multiple factors go into if we are able to accommodate the request. As always, the greater amount of lead time we have the better we are able to evaluate our ability to help.
What is Morning meeting? Each day at Camp the campers gather into their squads and hear from our Camp directors about the day's events. Additionally, their councilor will be taking their lunch count and or swim count. Late arrivals after 830AM necessitate additional administration to accommodate lunch preparation so we ask that you use late drop off as sparingly as is possible for your family.
What should I do if my child is sick? Children who are exhibiting signs of illness (fever, diarrhea, vomiting, etc.) should be kept at home. If the child becomes ill while in our care, he/she will be brought into office and parent will be notified to pick the child up immediately. Campers must be fever free for 24 hrs to attend camp. Please call to make us aware your child will not be attending due to an illness.
What happens in the event of a medical emergency? When a situation arises where medical care beyond first aid is required, all expenses will be the parent’s sole responsibility. All participants are required to have their own health insurance.
After our staff evaluates the situation appropriate medical care will be administered as applicable.
Will you be going outside during the day? Yes, we will have outside activity time and request that sunscreen is applied to campers each morning. We will reapply in the afternoon should they be participating in water activities. Please provide your child with labeled spray sunscreen if you want this applied before swim time or outdoor fun time.
What are your drop off and pick up procedures? We will have a car line daily from 730 am to 830am for morning drop off and 4:00pm-4:45pm for afternoon pick up. Each family will be given a car line card to be displayed on your windshield to make the pick-up process seamless. We will give each family two cards in case there are multiple cars picking up. Should someone be picking up that does not have a card the car line counselor will check the campers file for permission and check ID. If your child is hesitant about entering the arena, please park your car and walk them in, do not park in the car line!
Do I need to pack meals for my camper? We will provide a morning & afternoon snack to all campers as well as a lunch. If you have a selective eater, feel free to pack them their own snacks and lunch but be aware we are a totally NUT FREE camp. On some prearranged trip days, we will ask that you pack a lunch as the children will be out of the building during their scheduled lunch period.
How do you handle discipline? We use a 3-strikes and you’re out policy for minor infractions (1st time out, 2nd sent to office, 3rd sent home for the day). If your camper puts their hands on another camper, they will immediately be sent home, we have a zero-tolerance policy for intentional physical contact.
What if my camper needs to take daily medication? The office staff or nurse will dispense medication to your camper with your written consent. The staff will only dispense medications that are needed for appropriate behavior modification or for potential’ allergic reactions.
What should my camper wear to camp and have in their bag? Campers should dress for an active day. They should also pack with them a bathing suit, water shoes, sunscreen and a towel. We also ask that you pack an extra change of clothes. All items should have your child’s name on them.
Can my camper bring their cell phone or tablet? NO! Please, we try and engage the campers in a variety of games, activities, and technology. Bringing in outside tech can be problematic from a engagement and security perspective. If it is necessary for them to bring these items they must be left in the front office. NO EXCEPTIONS!
Why are you a nut free camp? In order to respect the many children that have peanut allergies, we have found it important to operate as a peanut free camp. We request that parents refrain from sending their child with any peanut products including sandwiches, crackers, candy, or anything else.
Are children required to be potty trained? Yes. We require that all children be potty trained in order to attend camp. We cannot make exceptions to this policy.
What are your procedures for opening during the Pandemic? We have reviewed and revised all of our internal cleaning, hiring, scheduling, maintenance, and childcare procedures and policies to adapt to CDC recommendations. We also are following the guidance of Marple Newtown School District where applicable and doing our best to be agile to ever changing best practices.
Does my camper have to be 5 by the start of camp? Yes. Our programs while adaptable and age appropriate do require a minimum age for the benefit of your camper and camp as a whole. Games & equipment are purchased with a minimum age target for this purpose.
My child may need special accommodations, can we register for camp? In this scenario please reach out to nflynn@marplesportsarena.com. Each accommodation is reviewed on an individual basis to determine if we are able to help. All requests must be made and answered prior to registration. Submitted paperwork with written requests is not sufficient for us to be able to adequately determine if we can provide support for the request. Please make these requests in a timely manner. No request will be honored without explicit confirmation we have received, reviewed, and agreed to the request. Your camper may be requested to attend a day camp prior to summer camp to evaluate our facilities ability to accommodate your request.
