Frequently Asked Questions

What area do most day campers come from?

Around 17% live on Cape Cod year round, another 36% live in Massachusetts but off Cape. 66% of our campers are from New England.13% are from New York and New Jersey. 15% are from the rest of the United States. And 6% are from foreign countries (recently Canada, England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Japan, and Singapore).

Are there a lot more boys then girls?

No. Our ratio is approximately 53% boys, 47% girls.

Do most campers take the bus?

Yes. Around 80% of our campers take one of our four buses on a regular basis. In addition to the experienced bus driver, there is a camp counselor who rides on each bus every day. Campers of all ages take the buses. If a camper who usually rides the bus, cannot take the bus on a particular day, that’s fine too.

How long do most campers attend?

The average stay of our campers is 3 weeks. However, 26% attend only one week, and 32% attend two weeks. On the other extreme, 17% attend all seven weeks.

Should my camper come for consecutive weeks, or take a week off?

It depends on your camper. There will certainly be more continuity in program and other campers for those who attend consecutive weeks. But for some campers, particularly the Crew (4 and 5 year olds), this is a tiring program and a week off gives campers a chance to rest up. Certainly if your summer schedule requires that campers need to be somewhere else for a week, there is no reason why they can’t miss a week at MDC and then return.

Can campers come for 3 days a week or other partial week schedules?

No. Our enrollments are always for Monday to Friday programs. Campers can come for any number of weeks. But all weeks are 5 day weeks, 9am to 3pm.

Is there an age requirement for sailing?

No. Campers must be in American Red Cross (ARC) swim level 3 or higher to participate in sailing. If your child has never been tested according to ARC requirements, they will be tested on their first day of camp, to be placed in the appropriate swim group.

When do we sign up for activities?

Campers sign up for activities while they are at camp. On Monday morning they sign up for their Occupation (weekly activity), and every day they sign up for their elective (daily activity). The Crew unit (4 and 5 year olds) does not sign up for activities. They stay with their unit the entire day.

What’s the difference between Days A-Way and Campers A-Way?

Days A-Way (DAW) is a five day/four night program, that goes Monday to Friday and runs in conjunction with day camp. From 9am to 3pm, DAW and day campers are in the same units, on the same schedule, participating in the same activities. At 3pm the day campers go home and the DAW continue with their day at camp. There is very little interaction between the DAW campers and the resident campers who are here for longer stays.

Campers A-Way (CAW) however is a ten day program that runs in conjunction with the resident campers who are here for longer stays. CAW campers stay in the cabins with the resident campers and are on the same schedule as those campers. CAW is for children ages 8-11. DAW is for children ages 8-13. Both programs are intended to be introductions to overnight camping experiences.