YMCA Day Camp Duluth Area

The YMCA Day Camp program has two sites, the Essentia Wellness Center (EWC) at 4289 Ugstad Road, Hermantown and  North Star (NS) Academy at 3301 Technology Drive, Duluth. 

Camp programming begins at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 4:00 p.m., however, campers can be dropped off as early as 7:00 a.m. and all campers must be picked up by 6:00 p.m. Programs will vary by locations, but all will include the same components, including small group time, outdoor play, and enrichment activities.  The North Star site will take a bus to swim one day a week at the downtown YMCA.  Campers at the EWC site will swim on-site at the EWC pool facilities. The days and times of swimming opportunities at each site vary annually.

Here’s what you can expect:

YES. Day camp is fun and friends should be together! Please provide this information on the registration form. They must remain together in the same group for the entire week. 

Visit duluthymca.org to register for Day Camp at the Essentia Wellness Center or North Star Academy. For assistance, call 218-722-4745 ext. 140 or ext. 103.

Be sure to have your child’s current medical information, health history, and vaccination records available during registration. As a Minnesota state-certified program, vaccination records are required to meet state certification requirements.

Yes, spaces are limited to best serve our campers. If a specific week is full, we will add you to the waiting list and notify you if a spot becomes available.

• Sibling Discount: 10% off when enrolling multiple children at the same time using promo code WEAREFAMILY at checkout.
• Member Discount: Families with a Duluth Area Family YMCA membership (not youth memberships) will receive the member rate.

A non-refundable $52 deposit is required for each week your child will attend camp. This deposit guarantees your child’s spot in the program.

Please note that camps fill up quickly each summer. If the remaining balance is not paid by the due date, the deposit and camp spot will be forfeited. Deposits are non-refundable and non-transferable.

Remaining balances are due Monday, two weeks prior to the week of attendance. Payments can be made by automatic bank draft or credit card.

If payment is not made by the deadline, your child will be unenrolled, and you will lose your spot for that week. Cancellations and changes must be made at least 17 days prior to the start of the camp week. No refunds will be given for missed days.

Registration and schedule changes must be made by calling the registration office at 218-722-4745 ext. 140 or ext. 103, or emailing ar@duluthymca.org. Families must contact us at least 17 days prior to the camp week to drop or change day camp dates. After this deadline, weeks cannot be cancelled for a refund, but an existing registration can be transferred to a later week. A $10 change fee will apply for transfers made within two weeks of the camp week. Please note that accommodations cannot be guaranteed.

No refunds will be issued after the deadline for summer programming. Refunds will only be issued if proper notification is given and contract commitments are met.

For assistance with any changes or cancellations, please contact the Billing and Registration department.

We believe every child should experience Day Camp.  Thanks to the generous support of our donors, we are able to offer financial assistance to families in need. Families must apply for Child Care County Assistance prior to applying for financial assistance. 

Financial Assistance is awarded to qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Families are responsible for all child care payments until financial assistance has been awarded. Financial assistance is awarded at a discounted rate based on qualifications and applies only to future enrollments, not past-due balances. Families should wait to receive their financial assistance award notification before registering their child for the program.

Financial assistance applications are available by contacting kcorbett@duluthymca.org or 218-722-4725 x 124.

The Duluth Area Family YMCA will send you an invoice at the beginning of every month for the outstanding balance. Please be advised that the county payments are often behind on their periods of service payouts and the bill may not reflect all periods of service that we have received payment on from the county.

All CCAP families must fill out a “CCAP Families Payment Agreement” that will be provided upon receipt of CCAP paperwork. It is the caregiver/guardian responsibility to:

●  Know what you have been awarded from the county.

●  Know your co-pay amount.

●  All communication with the county is the responsibility of the caregiver(caregiver/guardian). 

●  The county is not allowed to share information with us beyond your awarded amount of coverage.

●  Pay balance in full.

Please notify your case worker directly that you are utilizing the Day Camp program for care and what Day Camp site your child(ren) will be attending. YMCA Day Camp has a child care provider number with St. Louis County. Families must have CCAP arrangements in place and paperwork completed by the start of camp. We can assist you with your provider number as needed.

Drop off and pick up will be curbside-only from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Only Duluth YMCA employees and registered campers will be permitted into the buildings.  Caregivers must sign their child in and out daily. At this time, we are not offering early drop-off or late pick-up. Late pick-ups will result in a late pick-up fee of $1 per minute per child. 

Most campers bring a backpack or bag to camp that contains the following items:

• Closed-toe shoes that attach to the foot (please no sandals or shoes with heels)
• Water bottle(s)
• A hat
• Change of clothes
• Sunscreen
• Bug spray
• Healthy lunch, extra snacks & drinks (no sugary drinks or soda permitted at camp) LUNCH AND SNACK IS NO LONGER PROVIDED AT EITHER DAY CAMP
• Campers should wear OLD CLOTHES to camp.
• A towel
• On swim days, a swimsuit and extra towel
• A nylon/parachute material hammock
• Rain gear
• A book

To ensure your child is successful in our program, they must be able to do the following: 

• The child can stay with the group at all times.  For the safety of all in the program, we must stay in the ratio. Children that elope from the group pull staff out of ratio. 
• The child is able to participate in structured activities and transition independently. We are not able to provide one-to-one or small group support. We are in ratios of 12-15 children to one (1) staff member. 
• The child is toilet trained and can use the bathroom without assistance. We are not able to provide support in the bathroom and/or change soiled clothing.
• The child is able to participate for long periods of time outdoors. The majority of our programming takes place outdoors. In light/moderate rain, we will still hold outdoor programming. In the event of lightning and/or thunder, we will move indoors until the weather improves. Youth will encounter bugs, engage in a lot of hiking, and will play in the woods in different types of weather/temperatures.

If your child is not able to follow the areas above, they may be removed from the program. If a child is removed from the program, families will still be responsible for the weekly fee.

Families who have children with special needs are welcome to register and attend the YMCA Day Camp program. If your child needs accommodations or has an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) during the school year, please contact the Camp Director at your child’s site prior to starting the program. Families may also want to contact family support services at 218-726-2012 for additional support. 

Regular email about summer camp will be shared with enrolled families. Please follow us on Facebook at “DuluthYMCADayCamp” for updates and pictures. For questions, please contact: 

• Day Camp Director: daycamp@duluthymca.org or 218-722-4745 x111
• Registration and Billing: AR@duluthymca.org or 218-722-4745 x140 or 103 

At the Y, our priority is always on the health and safety of your child.  In addition to the many steps we take every day to protect the health of our guests, campers, and staff, we will work closely with our YMCA Risk Management team to incorporate recommendations from local, state and national agencies and follow guidance from the American Camp Association and MN Department of Human Services.

Safety is our number one priority, for our staff and our campers.  We follow the guidance of the Minnesota Weather Watch rubric to help guide decisions on heat and activity level.  Any feels-like temperatures above 90 degrees F will lead to lower outside activities and more time spent indoors.  Any feels-like temperatures of over 100 degrees F will lead to all indoor activities.

We are an outdoor camp, and as such, the majority of our programming takes place outdoors.  In light/moderate rain, we will still hold outdoor programming.  In the event of lightning and/or thunder, we will move indoors until the weather improves.

At the Y, we are pleased to offer opportunities for individuals or groups to do volunteer work together.  Whether you are an individual or a group of co-workers, friends or service club, we have something for you! At day camp, the minimum age to volunteer is 15. For more information, please email gmiller@duluthymca.org or call 218.722.4745 x159.

We are beyond grateful to the members of our community – our members, guests, camper families, volunteers, and staff – who have recognized the challenges crises like this can pose to a human services organization regardless of their own hardships that they may be facing. For those that are able and interested, please make a gift online at www.duluthymca.org/give (please select the Community Services Campaign). THANK YOU for your support of children and families.