Summer Camp at The Discovery Center of the Southern Tier

Discovery Kids Summer Camps

At The Discovery Center, your child will find safe, fun, and educationally-rich camp experiences. Program formats have been re-imagined to support social distancing and extensive safety protocols have been incorporated into your child’s summer camp experience to ensure a safe and healthy summer. As a camp program licensed through the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), Discovery Center camps have always been highly regulated, ensuring the safety of every child in our care.
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Our talented camp instructors are devoted to enhancing learning and adventure through projects, experiments, art, music, dance, creative expression, game play, outside adventures, and numerous hands-on activities. We are striving to ensure each camper has a full and enriching experience while still remaining diligent with our safety and health protocols. Your child’s safety is our top priority.

And after months cooped up inside, your child will be able to spend sunny days learning and playing in our award-winning Story Garden and taking hikes on the trails within Ross Park. If it does rain, they will have plenty of time to explore the region’s one and only children’s museum. Limited museum hours throughout the summer will ensure that campers will have the Museum all to themselves. What better place is there for your kids to spend their summer?

Young boy in Story Garden

Camp Structure and Rates

Our camps are divided into four different age groups: Pre-k, Ages 5-6, Ages 7-8, and Ages 9-12. 

Pre-k

Pre-k Summer Camp

Pre-k Camp (9AM – 12PM)

  • $90 for members per week
  • $100 for non-members per week

For our youngest campers, we are offering Pre-k camps all summer.

These half-day morning camps are open to 3 and 4 year olds and will help your child adjust to a school-like setting and prepare them for Pre-k or kindergarten in the fall.

Your child will learn new skills as they interact with their peers and adjust to classroom routines.

*To participate in this camp, your child must be toilet trained. You will also need to supply proof of immunizations and last medical physical to complete your registration.

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Ages 5-8

Morning session only (9AM – 12PM)

  • $90 for members per week
  • $100 for non-members per week

Afternoon session only (1PM – 4PM)

  • $90 for members per week
  • $100 for non-members per week

Full Day (9AM – 4PM)

  • $1,275 for members
  • $1,400 for non-members

To register for full day, choose both morning and afternoon sessions.

Childcare subsidies through the Department of Social Services (DSS) will only be accepted for currently enrolled full time children. Please contact Kristy Wales at 607-773-8661 ext 209 for details.

We know some parents are looking for half-day options while others are looking for full. That’s why we offer parents the opportunity to choose what is best for your 5-8 year old campers.

Morning and afternoon camps will follow the same theme but include different activities. 

Due to scheduling factors, an afternoon camp may have an opportunity for a special experience that a morning camp does not and vice versa. 

Whether you sign up for the morning, the afternoon, or both, your child will have plenty to do!

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Ages 9-12

Ages 9-12 Camp (9AM – 4PM)
  • $1,275 for members
  • $1,400 for non-members
Childcare subsidies through the Department of Social Services (DSS) will only be accepted for currently enrolled full time children. Please contact Kristy Wales at 607-773-8661 ext 209 for details.

Camps for our “big kids” are full-day because they are jam-packed with so many cool projects – your child won’t want to miss a minute.

Designed with numerous opportunities for child-directed fun, your child will be challenged with engaging projects that will develop over the course of the camp session.

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Registration Fee and Required Deposit

A one-time registration fee ($20) covers the cost of this year’s camp t-shirt. A $50 deposit is required to hold your child’s spot in each camp. Your deposit will be fully refunded if The Discovery Center is unable to run camps during the week(s) your child is enrolled. You must pay for your camp in full two weeks before camp begins.

Extended Camp Options

We offer before-camp care (8AM – 9AM) and after-camp care (4PM – 5:30PM). Each option can be purchased separately for $28 per week. Before-camp care and after-camp care require pre-registration.  There will be no on-site registration at drop-off or pick-up. Breakfast will be available for children registered for before-camp care.

Member Discount

In order to qualify for special member discounts, your family membership must be current at time of registration through August 2021. If your membership will expire before September, you must renew it before completing your camp registration in order to receive the member rate. When you renew your membership now, your new membership year is activated when your current membership expires. To purchase or renew a membership, click here or call 607-773-8661.

No refunds will be given for memberships purchased after camp registration is completed.

Membership benefits are not transferable, and membership discounts for camp cannot be used to register extended family members.

A Typical Day at Camp

Adventure and learning are waiting around every corner at the Discovery Center! Every morning, campers will gather in their classrooms and settle in with their instructors. From there they’ll take part in all kinds of engaging activities.

We’ll conduct hands-on experiments, create art, sing, and dress up! Each day includes playtime in our hands-on children’s museum, award-winning Story Garden, or the woods of Ross Park. Structured games like gaga ball, hide and seek, and tag keep kids moving. Everyone will be back in their classrooms for pickup with plenty of stories to tell!

Pre-k Camp Descriptions

Ages 5-6 Camp Descriptions

Ages 7-8 Camp Descriptions

Ages 9-12 Camp Descriptions

Food

Full-day campers need to bring a lunch and snacks from home that do not need to be heated or refrigerated. Depending on each day’s weather and activities, we may eat in a classroom or in the Story Garden. We ask that all families be considerate of food allergies. We will email parents ahead of time if there is an allergy in the camp that they should be aware of.

Waitlist and Late Registration

Many camps fill up early so we do maintain waitlists for camps if they reach capacity. Camp registration will close the Wednesday before each camp week begins. Parents will be notified on Thursday if their kids are registered off the waitlist. There will be no onsite registrations once a session begins. Occasionally, not all camps fill to capacity. In that case, camps of similar age groups may be combined with the themes of original camps incorporated to ensure that all campers have a great experience.

Cancellation Policy

If The Discovery Center’s camps are open and running, we will be unable to issue refunds for any fees paid.

Questions?

For more information, email directorofed@thediscoverycenter.org or call (607) 773-8661 ext 209.