Camp Wheeler - Wheeler YMCA

149 Farmington Avenue Plainville, CT 06062

Come explore all that Camp Wheeler has to offer utilizing both outdoor and indoor spaces of the Wheeler Y facility.

In our beautiful outdoor play space campers enjoy the GAGA pit, basketball court, nature trail, archery and more! Inside our full facility there's the popular multi-purpose pool, gymnasium, climbing wall, and our new virtual Exer-Game room. Campers will stay busy, be safe and have fun each and every day! Our Camp staff are committed to helping each camper develop to their fullest potential by teaching our YMCA core values of Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility. Welcome to Camp Wheeler!
 

    Camp Indian Valley

    Day Camp

    Registration Will Open January 1, 2024

    Schedule: 9 am-  4 pm
    Campers will enjoy a variety of fun, age-appropriate activities based around a different theme each week. We are excited to add more value to our day camp this summer by offering weekly swim skill instruction to all campers. In addition we also provide several off-site field trips to local attractions or another GHYMCA camp facility. During non-field trip weeks we provide either an all-camp activity or a featured camp show for families to enjoy! Lastly our before & after camp care is now provided for those families that need extended care options beyond the normal camp day hours. One price - many benefits … register your child for one week or multiple weeks for more added FUN!

    2024 Member Pricing: TBD
    2024 Program Participant: TBD

    Teen Sports

    Teen Camp

    Registration Will Open January 1, 2024

    In addition to what’s included in our Day Camp program, our Teen Camp participants will enjoy traditional camp activities, team building activities, and learn about leadership. A great opportunity for Teens to be active, make new friends and have FUN!

    2024 Member Pricing: TBD
    2024 Program Participant: TBD

    Schedule:

    Before Camp: 7 am - 9 am 
    Camp Day: 9 am-  4 pm
    After Camp: 4 pm - 6 pm 

    Additional Information:
    • Co-Ed Camp for ages 4-14 years old
    • Care4kids accepted.
    • Financial Assistance available to those that qualify.
    • Transportation is NOT provided. Our camp program is parent drop-off & pick-up.

    Core Activities at the Camp

    Arts & Crafts

    Large Group Games

    Nature Activities

    S.T.E.M.

    Songs, Skits, & Plays

    Sports

    Team Building

    DAY CAMP AMENITIES

    Archery
    Basketball
    Climbing Wall
    Field Spaces
    Gaga Pit
    Hiking Trails
    Swimming

    Camp FAQs

    • Backpack to carry all their items (Label all camper items) 
    • Bathing Suit and Towel
    • Healthy Lunch
    • Reusable water bottle
    • Sunscreen and Bug Spray
    • Complete change of clothes in a Ziplock bag for children under eight in case of accidents
    • Any medications you have paperwork for 
    • Closed toe shoes must be worn except while swimming
    • Electronics - campers will have all electronics confiscated and returned to the parents upon pick up. 
    • Anything that can be considered a weapon
    • Any valuables
    • Juuls or other E-cigarettes - all YMCA camps are smoke and vape free areas. 
    • Camps run an intensive 40 hours or more of Staff orientation before the campers arrive. We cover the basics of our: camp philosophy, behavior management, lesson plans, water safety, climbing safety, and day camp life. However, most importantly we spend time doing the activities that campers will spend their summer taking part in. Counselors learn different adaptations to games like Capture the Flag, Four–Square, and Gods Eyes. In addition, counselors have guest speakers discuss child abuse prevention, emergency action plans, and other integral parts of the camp day.
    • Camp staff older than 18 years old are trained in medication administration by a licensed RN, PA, or MD. 
    • Inhalers, epi-pen, and additional emergency medications are necessary to ensuring your camper is safe. On the first day of each session parents are responsible for dropping of their medication with the following items:
      • Original prescription box with current label
      • Medication that has not expired
      • Medical Authorization form signed by the campers physician and parent
      • Care Plan signed by the campers physician and parent. 
    • If you have any further questions regarding camper medication and forms; please reach out to your camp leadership. 
    • Yes, the State of Connecticut requires a physical examination complete with parent signatures. That form can be found on our website. Physical exams are valid for 3 years from the date of the last exam. However, if there are any pretendant medical conditions that happened during the year, please reach out to the camp staff. A copy of the health form can be found on our website. 
    • LOTS OF THINGS! First of all, a misty or lightly rainy day will not stop us from following our normal schedule (so send your child with a light rain jacket). If it is a steady downpour, we resort to our vast arsenal of indoor activities, including portable teamwork activities, character values lessons, skits, songs, group games, portable sports activities and much more. 
    • Our camp days are filled with a variety of hands-on activities based around each camp’s theme. These activities are designed to be fun and exciting while helping campers to develop skills and positive habits in scientific and critical thinking. Actual schedules may vary, based on weather, preferences of camp groups, and other factors. We design our curricula to include structured activities, and unstructured free-play, taking advantage of both indoor and outdoor spaces to accommodate different learning styles and energy levels.

    The YMCA follows the State of Connecticut guidelines for camper to counselor ratio. 

    • 1 counselor to 9 campers: Campers 6 years old and under
    • 1 counselor to 12 campers: Campers 7 years old and over
    • Yes, the YMCA provides financial assistance and will assist you in applying for Care4kids. 
    • Our refund policy states that all deposits and one- time registration fees are non- refundable and non-transferable. Cancelation prior to June 1st will be refunded less the 20% deposit. Cancellations between June 1st and June 15th are eligible for a 50% refund less the 20% deposit. All refund requests must be made in writing. If withdrawing due to a medical reason, a signed doctor’s note must be presented and full refund less the 20% deposit may be issued. All schedule changes must be made in writing at least one week prior to the session’s start date. 
    • Registration is completed on the ghymca.org website. The system will walk you through filling out and submitting the registration. The registration and deposits must be submitted at the time of registration. 
    • Yes, you and the other authorized pick ups would need to show an ID during pick up. As the summer goes on, the camp team will begin to remember you and may you sign you out without one. However, always make sure you bring an ID! 
    • Yes, as long as they are within the same age or grade levels the campers can be grouped together. Please reach out to your camp for more information.