Where is Eagle Hill located? Where do Eagle Hill campers come from? How is the program different for older campers? Do you have a CIT program? Can you accommodate special diets? Are there any snacks or vending machines available to campers throughout the day and evenings? Would you say Eagle Hill has a structured or non-structured program? What is the basic philosophy behind the Camp Eagle Hill program? Would you say Eagle Hill is a competitive or non-competitive camp? Does the camp have any religious affiliation? Are there any services at camp or is there any religion involved in any part of the program at camp? What is a cabin like? What is a typical camp group like? What if my child gets homesick? How will my child communicate with me? How often will my child shower? How will my child's laundry be done? Will my child need extra money and will they have the opportunity to spend money in camp? How are children grouped together? Who do I call to speak with if we have a question, problem, or to notify that we are going out of town? What if my child gets sick or injured? What if my child takes medication? What communication will the camp have with parents regarding their child's health? Where is Eagle Hill located? Eagle Hill is located 90 miles north of New York City off the Taconic State Parkway near the towns of Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Red Hook, and Hudson. We are situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, not far from the New York / Massachusetts border. We are about one hour southeast of Albany, New York. The area has many attractions, such as beaches, mountains and trails, shopping, antiques, and many other fun excursions. back to top Where do Eagle Hill campers come from? The majority of our campers come from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and other New England states. Some campers come to us from other parts of the United States, and other countries. Over the past few years we have had campers from Spain, Korea, Mexico, Japan, Italy, and Israel. back to top How is the program different for older campers? Older campers at Camp Eagle Hill wake up later in the morning and go to bed later in the evening. There is some emphasis on coed time and social activities. Older campers have more choices in their schedule during structured "options" periods. They take more trips off camp grounds to places that are especially well suited to their age group. back to top Do you have a CIT program? We offer a CIT program for campers who have just completed 10th grade. The aim of the program is to give this age group an opportunity to have a summer filled with both some time working with our campers or at program areas, as well as enjoyment of their own social and recreational experience. Typically, our CITs live together as a group and spend two days a week working with a specific group of campers, two days a week working at a program area of camp, two days a week enjoying a recreational program of their own, and a final day each week getting out to explore the area local to camp on a group basis. For more details, please discuss the program with our camp directorship. back to top Can you accommodate special diets? Yes, we can accommodate certain dietary needs depending on the nature and scope of what's needed. Each meal has a variety of options that should help campers who are vegetarians or those with other needs, to find alternatives at each meal. Because we are a modestly sized camp, individual concerns can be managed quite efficiently at meal time and in many areas of camp life. back to top Are there any snacks or vending machines available to campers throughout the day and evenings? Campers are provided with snacks at our Canteen during the evening, a number of times each week. No money is collected and our campers can each have a drink and a snack upon each visit to the Canteen. We do not have any vending machines for camper use. back to top Would you say Eagle Hill has a structured or non-structured program? Camp Eagle Hill offers a healthy mix of structured programming and enough options to meet the individuality and unique interests of all of our campers. Each day contains some group activity time aimed at giving our campers some skills and fun with their peers. This type of programming helps to foster great relationships within camp groups and between campers and staff caring for our groups. At other times of the day, "options" periods gives our campers individual choices amongst a list of numerous activities. back to top What is the basic philosophy behind the Camp Eagle Hill program? Basically, we are interested in keeping our campers quite busy doing things that are worthwhile, fun, and filled with opportunities for learning skills. Campers that are busy leading active lives at camp tend to get entrenched in camp life very quickly without getting sidetracked by things that might be other than the best for them. We don't like to force campers into participation. Rather, we would prefer to find creative ways to engender participation. At all times, we are most interested in seeing to the individual camper's level of comfort in all things done at camp. Throughout the day, there are a few periods of down time where campers can relax and enjoy simple things like flipping around a frisbee, reading a book under a tree, and the general beauty of camp life. back to top Would you say Eagle Hill is a competitive or non-competitive camp? We are a little bit of both. For campers who are looking for some competition, we organize teams and hold practices for sports events that take place with other camps. We have a number of intercamp tournaments that any camper may participate in on an optional basis. For those campers simply interested in "the fun of the game", our camp program features an athletics program geared around fun, promoting exercise, and the joy of sharing in sports activity with friends at camp. back to top Does the camp have any religious affiliation? Are there any services at camp or is there any religion involved in any part of the program at camp? No, Camp Eagle Hill has no religious affiliation and no services nor programming devoted to any religion. Our camp population is comprised of campers of varied religious backgrounds. back to top What is a cabin like? All of our cabins have wood frame, modern construction and house either one large group of campers or two smaller groups of campers. Each cabin is complete with porches, full bathrooms, attic fan, smoke detector, fire extinguisher, windows and screens, and its own hot water heater. Almost all campers live in brand new single wooden beds. There is ample space for the storage of clothing and camper belongings. All bathrooms in cabins consist of four sinks, three private showers, and three private toilet facilities. back to top What is a typical camp group like? Each camp group consists of approximately seven or eight campers coming out of the same grade in school. Two counselors live and work with a group this size. Typically, one of the counselors is a general counselor and spends the greater portion of his or her day caring specifically for the group. The second counselor is in most cases, a specialty counselor who lives with, has meals with, and spends certain times of the day with his or her group. The specialty counselor works at a program area during a typical camp day. In every camp group, we try to mix campers who have been with us at camp before with some campers new to Camp Eagle Hill. Accommodations for grouping campers together can be made for children who come to camp with friends from home or those seeking to live with friends from previous summers. back to top What if my child gets homesick? Believe it or not, very few children at camp get truly homesick. Certainly, there are times when campers, both new campers and old timers, as well as staff members, have moments of homesickness. Most often, episodes of homesickness occur during the quiet times of the typical camp day. Where homesickness does exist, we deal with the problem on an individual basis, where one child's needs may not be quite the same as another child's. Although there is no pat answer, we do have some tried and true remedies that may include more active involvement with activities, an attempt to create better quality connections with other campers, the possibility of switching groups, the possibility of switching staff members within groups, or amending a child's schedule to give them a change in their program. Regardless of the particular need, we are going to do everything that we can to see that every child has the best possible opportunity to succeed at camp. back to top How will my child communicate with me? Our campers communicate with home in a number of ways. We have special "letter writing days" twice a week where campers must write a letter to their families. While at camp, our campers receive email from friends and relatives, and in return may send email replies at your family's option. Rather then sitting down at a computer, campers write out their replies which are then faxed to a company which transposes them into email for your viewing. Campers also speak with their parents on the phone. Here we ask parents to call our camp office to set up an appointment to have a child call home after dinner on a once per seven to ten day basis at the parents option. We ask that parents do not send cell phones with their children to camp. Packages to camp are accepted on behalf of our campers. Please note that by way of policy, we ask that no food or snack items be sent to camp. back to top How often will my child shower? All campers shower at least one time per day. We schedule shower time each day for each age group. Older campers may find time on an optional basis, to shower, a second time in the course of a day. back to top How will my child's laundry be done? All camper laundry is done once a week by a professional laundry service. Each camper is asked to bring with them a camp logoed laundry bag that can be purchased through our clothing outfitter. Our clothing list will outline the type and quantity of apparel that should be sent to camp. back to top Will my child need extra money and will they have the opportunity to spend money in camp? Our campers do have money with them at camp that they store in our camp bank for safekeeping. The money is used only on days from camp or nights out from camp to pay for incidental purchases like snacks or souvenirs. We pay for all admissions and all activities that take place off the grounds of camp. On the grounds of camp, there is no need for campers to have money. back to top How are children grouped together? Children are grouped together based upon the grade they have just completed. We try very hard to place new campers with other new campers. Camper information forms are available for parents to give us some input into their children's grouping so it is possible for children to live together with friends from previous summers or from home. Wherever possible, we attempt to build groups that have campers that share common interests. Counselors are selected for each group based upon their personal qualities and abilities to work well with individual groups. back to top Who do I call to speak with if we have a question, problem, or to notify that we are going out of town? At anytime if you have any questions or concerns you may call our camp office. Our office staff is available between 7:30am and 8:30pm to answer any questions, set up phone appointments, take information about any trips that you may be taking, and see that someone will get back to you in the event you are interested in speaking with a particular staff member. We have a good number of adults available to talk with you who work directly with your child. A Group leader, Boys or Girls Head Counselor, or our Camp Director will know your child and be glad to help you with any question or problem that should arise. back to top What if my child gets sick or injured? We have a state of the art Infirmary building that is staffed by medical professionals 24 hours a day. Where a child becomes ill or injured, a camp counselor will escort the child to our camp Infirmary where most problems that arise can be easily managed. Where an illness or injury exists that is best cared for by a physician, we have a standing daily appointment with a local medical practice where a child can be seen. Should a prescribed medicine be called for, we can pick it up for your child locally and the medication can be dispensed from our Infirmary. There are a number of specialty medical practices in the area surrounding camp where a child can be seen in the event of a particular need. There are two hospitals within 10 miles of camp, each of which houses large emergency facilities. back to top What if my child takes medication? Medication, both prescription and non-prescription, are always stored at our camp Infirmary. Medication is always dispensed by one of our medical professionals. Where medication is taken on a regular basis throughout the camp day, it can be dispensed at meal times or at other prearranged times of the day. Where medications are to be taken on an "as needed" basis, they will be made available at any time of the day or evening at our camp Infirmary. back to top What communication will the camp have with parents regarding their child's health? Where a camper makes a routine visit to our camp Infirmary, we do not call parents. Occasionally, there is a need to have a camper stay overnight in the camp Infirmary. Where this takes place two nights in a row, we like to call a camper's parents to inform them of the condition of their child. We also call parents immediately after a camper has been seen by the local medical practice off the grounds of camp. Should a camper be taken to one of the two local hospitals for an emergency, a phone call to a child's family is made immediately. Provisions for more extensive medical communications can be arranged on a more individualized basis. back to top