Hale YMCA Youth & Family Center: Camp Cutler
YMCA Camp Cutler is all about reaching outside of children’s comfort zones to explore new adventures.
Traditional & Tween Camp (grades K-8 ages 5 - 13): Campers will enjoy a variety of camp activities from arts and crafts, STEM, literacy, healthy living, sports, camp games, and guest speakers.
Children at Camp Cutler get to enjoy FREE swim lessons every day, weekly special guests, FREE breakfast and lunch provided by the Putnam School Food Services, archery lessons, gaga ball and much more!
Vacation Club:
Providing a safe and fun environment for children when school is out for vacations and holidays is of high importance to the YMCA. These fun-filled days include art projects, STEM, literacy, healthy living, sports, camp games, and swimming. Available for grades K-8 and ages 5-13.
This state-licensed program requires registration and current medical forms on file.
- Member Pricing: $45.00/Day
- Program Participant Pricing: $75.00/day
Day Camp
2025 Camp Details Coming Soon!
Schedule: 9am-4pm
Kids age 5 - 13 have the opportunity to make new friends, find hidden talents, try new sports like archery or gaga, take swimming lessons, make crafts and explore teamwork activities.
5-day Full Day
- 2025 Member Pricing: Coming Soon!
- 2025 Program Participant: Coming Soon!
3-day Full Day (M, W, F)
- 2025 Member Pricing: Coming Soon!
- 2025 Program Participant: Coming Soon!
2-day Full-Day (T, TH)
- 2025 Member Pricing: Coming Soon!
- 2025 Program Participant: Coming Soon!
Schedule
Before Camp: 7:00am - 9:00am
Camp Day: 9:00am - 4:00pm
After Camp: 4:00pm - 5:30pm
Times | What We're Doing |
---|---|
7:00am - 9:00am | Camper Drop-Off Parents will drop-off children following the drop-off procedures. |
9:00am - 9:15am | Opening Ceremony! Campers will be led by staff in traditional camp songs. This is also a great time to speak with the group as a whole and talk about the process of the day. Remind them to drink water. |
9:15am-10:00am | Group Time This is an opportunity to play group games, team build and set the general tone for the day. |
10:05am - Core Activity 1 11:10am -Core Activity 2 | Core Activities Art, STEM, Physical Activity, Swimming and Performing Arts. |
12:10pm Lunch | Campers will remain with their groups to each lunch in their space. Lunch will be provided by the Putnam School Department Food Services. |
12:45pm - Core Activity 3 1:35pm - Core Activity 4 2:25pm - Core Activity 5 | Core Activities Art, STEM, Physical Activity, Swimming and Performing Arts. |
3:25pm | Counselor/Camper Choice Activity Provide options for your campers to have a chance to participate in a variety of activities. |
3:45pm | Closing Ceremony Campers will be led by staff in traditional camp songs, along with selection activity presentations. This is also a great time to speak with the group as a whole and talk about the day. |
4:00pm - 6:00pm | Camper Pick Up Parents will pick-up their children following the procedures. |
*We accept Care 4 Kids and offer financial assistance.
Core Activities at the Camp
Arts & Crafts
Choice Activities (Electives or Skill Slots)
Nature Activities
S.T.E.M.
Songs, Skits, & Plays
Sports
Swim Lessons
Team Building
DAY CAMP AMENITIES
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 pertinent 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
A deposit of $50 per week per child is due at the time of registration to reserve your spot. The remaining balance for each registered week will be drafted 4 weeks prior to the camp session starting. If you register less than 4 weeks prior to the session beginning, full payment will be due at the time of registration. If you would like to set up a payment plan different from above, please reach out to your local branch.
- Yes, the YMCA provides financial assistance and will assist you in applying for Care4kids.
- Deposits are nonrefundable, and only transferable for the current camp year. Refunds will not be given for cancellations within 4 weeks of a session starting. Upon written request, paid fees may be transferred to another camp week if space is available.
- 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.
WE ARE HERE FOR YOU
Affordable Care and Financial Assistance
While we try to make our programs affordable for everyone, we understand that cost may be a barrier for some families. We encourage you to apply for financial assistance through our Y if you find that you may have difficulties in paying your program fees.
Financial Assistance CARE4KIDS
Please return your completed application along with the supporting documents to your local YMCA.
Raising Funds
You are also invited to become a part of the YMCA Annual Campaign, where parents and other volunteers help raise money to provide scholarships for families who would not otherwise be able to participate in our programs.