FAQs

Where are your camp locations?
What are the camp hours?
What does my child need to bring with them to camp?
Do you separate children by age and grade?
How do I register for a Headfirst Summer Camp?
Should my camper enroll in multiple weeks of camp?
Do you offer discounts?
Do you accept “walk up” registrations?
Do I receive a confirmation when I register?
Do I need to complete any health forms for my child to participate?
Can we request that my camper be placed in a group with another camper (buddy requests)?
What is the swimming test procedure?
What is the counselor to camper ratio at Headfirst Summer Camps?
How do you handle inclement weather?
What precautions do you take to handle the summer heat?
Can Headfirst accommodate children with peanut or life-threatening allergies?
Who is your camp mascot, Gomer?

Where are your camp locations?: Our camps are located at the premier facilities of St. Albans School and National Cathedral School in Northwest DC and Mater Dei School in Bethesda, MD. {back to top}
What are the camp hours?: Camp goes from 9:00 – 3:00, and optional extended care is available before and after camp. {back to top}
What does my child need to bring to camp?: It depends on the camp program. Click here for more information on what to bring to camp. Don’t forget to clearly label all of your child’s belongings with their full name as we have a camp-wide goal of no lost items each day {back to top}
Do you separate children by age and grade?: We do. All Headfirst campers are appropriately separated into groups by age and grade. For sports camps we take into consideration physical strength and ability. Occasionally Headfirst will move a camper up/down an age group in sport related camps. Please understand and respect that this move will be decided upon by the Site Director and Program Director of the camp and not by the parents. {back to top}
How do I register for a Headfirst Summer Camp?: It’s easy to register online. All programs are one-week sessions and must be paid for in full upon enrollment. There are no registration fees; only the camp tuition is due when you enroll. Since the majority of our summer programs have limited enrollment, we encourage you to register early. {back to top}
Should my camper enroll in multiple weeks of camp?: Yes! Headfirst has a wide variety of camps for every interest and our average camper enrolls in 4-5 one-week sessions per summer. Many of our Day Campers enroll for 7-8 one-week sessions giving them the chance to build long-lasting friendships and strengthen new skills including swimming. We offer one-week sessions to allow Headfirst families to cater their summer camp experience to their own schedule and interest. {back to top}
Do you offer discounts?: We offer Early Bird discounts, sibling discounts, and group/team discounts. Check our Discounts Page for more information. {back to top}
Do you accept “walk up” registrations?: We do. Always check the website or call the camp office for availability as camp programs do sell out. Parents are encouraged to register weeks in advance, but we understand that for unforeseen reasons, parents sometimes need to register at the last minute. If you find yourself in this situation, we encourage you to enroll online up until the 8:30 am on the Monday before camp begins. If you enroll at the camp location, a walk-up fee may be charged in addition to the regular camp tuition. {back to top}
Do I receive a confirmation when I register?: Once you register and pay for your camp program(s), you will receive a camp confirmation email for your own records. You will not receive a confirmation telephone call or any USPS correspondence. However, you will receive an informational email the week before your session(s) of camp. This email will provide you with all necessary information including: carpool, what to bring to camp, directions, and more. {back to top}
Do I need to complete any health forms for my child to participate?: All first-time attending campers will have to complete the necessary camp forms in order to participate in Headfirst Camps. These forms are required by both the County and the State in some of our camp locations. {back to top}
Can we request that my camper be placed in a group with another camper (buddy requests)?: Yes. Buddy requests can be made during the registration process until May 1. We always do our very best to accommodate buddy requests as we know how important this can be to our campers.
What is the swimming test procedure?: For new campers we administer two tests on Monday.

Swim vest test: This test determines whether your camper needs to wear a vest during free swim. The test involves swimming from one end of the pool to the other (typically 25 yards) without touching the pool wall or lap lane.

Aquatics level test: This test determines the aquatics level of your camper. This test involves measuring some level-specific skills.
What is the counselor to camper ratio at Headfirst Summer Camps?: In each Headfirst Camp we aim to “over-staff” our programs to provide a unique environment where campers are able to benefit from individual and small group learning and instruction. Each individual program is supervised and run by a leadership team member (Program Director) to ensure consistency and proper supervision. For our younger campers, we aim to maintain a counselor to camper ratio of approximately 6:1. For older campers, the approximate ratio is 7:1. {back to top}
How do you handle inclement weather?: Safety is our number one priority at all times, and we are extremely mindful of the weather. If we see lightning or hear even the slightest sound of thunder, outdoor camp programs are immediately brought inside as we take extreme precaution to ensure that all outdoor camp programs are safe. {back to top}
What precautions do you take to handle the summer heat?: Headfirst is well aware that the summer heat can drain a camper throughout the day and week. Water is always available for each camp program and campers are encouraged to take water breaks approximately every 15-20 minutes. We take the heat, the humidity index, and the air quality index seriously. Daily, the Executive Director of Headfirst Camps communicates with the Site Directors at each camp location to discuss the heat and air index. On extremely hot days (Code Red) and for those campers spending the majority of their time playing outdoors, participants will take mandatory and extended breaks throughout the day, an extended lunch break (indoors in air conditioning), plenty of water and misting fan breaks, and lower impact activities during the day.

In addition, we ensure that sunscreen is re-applied on your camper multiple times throughout the day. We typically plan to re-apply sunscreen at 9:30 am, 11 am and 1 pm. We always have sunscreen on-site if your camper forgets or loses their sunscreen. All sunscreen applications are logged in our Sunscreen Log Book so that we can easily monitor all campers. Please see our sunscreen policy for more information. {back to top}
Can Headfirst accommodate children with peanut or life-threatening allergies?: Families with children who have peanut or nut allergies can feel safe and comfortable at Headfirst Camps. We are well aware of the dangers and concerns with severe allergies and take our allergy procedures and systems very seriously.

Our Process:
If your child requires an EpiPen at camp, we ask you to place the EpiPen in a clear plastic bag along with a head shot photo of your child, noting the name of your child on the outside of the bag. This bag (and any necessary instructions) should be presented to the Headfirst Safety Specialist on location, upon check-in on Monday morning. Upon registration (and in the morning of each camp day), Headfirst Safety Specialists take special note of our campers with allergies by placing a mandatory, but inconspicuous, colored bracelet around each child’s wrist, as well as placing their EpiPen or other medication in a bag that stays on their counselor at all times throughout the camp day. We highly recommend that all EpiPens and any additional medication stay on location throughout the week. Our counselors in charge of campers with life-threatening allergies wear a first-aid fanny pack at all times containing their campers EpiPen. Any additional medication and necessary instructions for that medication stays with your child at all times.

Our Nut-Free Policy:
During both lunch and snack breaks, to prevent contact with any nut products, we have a designated nut-free area. We require our campers who have nut allergies, peanut or tree nut, to eat meals in our nut-free area during lunch and snack. We take special care not to make the campers with allergies feel alienated during our eating breaks, and we encourage these campers to invite a friend to sit with them at lunch, provided their friend’s lunch is also nut-free. At least one Headfirst counselor is seated at each nut-free area for the duration of the lunch period, and these counselors take care to not bring an item to the table that could cause an allergic reaction. If you would prefer your child to sit at a non nut-free area please complete our Allergy-Free Table Waiver* prior to attending camp. To ensure that our campers with allergies at our nut-free area have a safe lunch experience at camp, we ask that absolutely no nuts, nut related products or alternative nut products, such as soy, cashew, pistachio, walnut, almond or sun butters be permitted. At the end of each eating period, we require all campers to wash their hands with soap and warm water to ensure they thoroughly clean their hands prior to their next activity.

If you have any questions about our policies, please feel free to contact the Headfirst Customer Service Team at (202) 625.1921.

*Allergy-Free Table: Release Waiver > Submit Via Online Form:
Mater Dei – Bethesda, MD
St. Albans/National Cathedral School – Washington DC
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Who is your camp mascot, Gomer?: A favorite of our younger campers, Gomer is the beloved Headfirst professional mascot! When Gomer is not eating his many required meals per day, he may be found at our summer camps with scheduled and surprise visits throughout the camp week. Gomer has also attended the National Zoo's Guppy Gala, local camp fairs, and other premier events. Young or old – Gomer is a big hit at Headfirst Camps. {back to top}

I want to commend your counselors, staff and entire organization for their unfailingly positive attitude and professionalism. This is our second year doing your camp, and I really think that you are doing an outstanding job. Most importantly, counselors are very kind and considerate with both the children and their parents. It is rare to find this nowadays.

Elie Bosco

2013 registration is open! Join the fun this summer! »