Your Summer Camp Family Homepage
News and Updates
CLICK HERE for the Parent Portal - to register, change weeks, make payments, or complete summer camp forms.
CLICK HERE for the Medical Form
HAGA CLIC AQUI para el Historia Medica Requerida
CLICK HERE for the 2027 Parent Handbook, including the Camper Rules. ALL the information you need is in this handbook!
HAGA CLIC AQUI para el Manual para Padres en Espanol
CLICK HERE for Videos about Camp and what to expect!
CLICK HERE for the Children’s Camps in New York State brochure from the NYS Department of Health
This page has lots of information about Summer Sleepaway Camp! Scroll down!
We are so looking forward to seeing your campers, summer will be here before we know it. Once you are registered, there are some next steps to complete for every camper in order to get them fully registered and processed for the summer.
Here's your to-do list:
Log in to the Parent Portal HERE
Confirm your information! We need at least 2 working phone numbers in case of emergency. Please also confirm your e-mail address and mailing address.
Click on Forms then select your camper, forms need to be completed for each individual camper.
GET MEDICAL FORMS FROM YOUR CHILD’S DOCTOR! More info right below.
In the Standard Forms section, please complete the Tell Us About Your Camper section and go through the Camper Rules section with your camper.
Download the Summer 2027 handbook! It has all the info about summer camp.
The "Tell us about your camper" section is a great place to give us info about how we can best set your camper up for success this summer!
MEDICAL FORMS - IMPORTANT
In the Medical Forms section, complete the three Health History forms. If you complete these online, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO COMPLETE PAGES 1 and 2 of the Camp health form.
In the Standard Forms section, print the medical form and submit pages 3 and 4 to your doctor's office. They should complete both pages and return them to you or directly to us with a copy of your camper's most recent immunizations.
In order to upload completed medical forms to the parent portal, they must be in one document, individual images or PDFs will not compile but will overwrite whatever was uploaded last. I am so happy to help with this, you are welcome to send them right to me at jvanacoro@campherrlich.org and I can take care of it.
Add your Authorized Pickups to the Authorized Pickup section on the home page of the parent portal. (Below the Forms section).
All forms must be completed online or paper copies submitted by June 1st and the doctor's physical pages, (pages 3 and 4 of our form), plus camper immunizations must be returned to us. If your doctor wants to submit their own physical and immunizations form to us, they must also complete the over the counter medications section on page 4 of our form. That section is necessary because without it we can't even give a camper Neosporin for a cut, itch spray for an itchy bug bite, Benadryl for a sudden allergic reaction, or Tylenol for a sudden high fever. If a day camper is sick, we will send them home, but we often see unexpected things pop up that require the medications on that list. Please make sure to submit a complete medical form.
Illness Procedures
Please do not send ill children to Camp! We will do a health check of each child upon arrival. If a child is ill, we will ask that their family makes arrangements to come and pick them up. They are welcome to join us once they are fever and/or vomit and diarrhea free for 24 hours.
If a child gets sick while they are at Camp, they will see our on-site camp nurse. Parents will be notified of anything serious. If they require more than rest and basic medications, we will ask the parent to either come and take the child to the doctor, or we will arrange to get them to urgent care. INSURANCE INFORMATION is VERY IMPORTANT for instances like these, please ensure that we have a copy, scan, or photo of your insurance card. We will coordinate with the parent further once the child returns from the doctor. The child is free to go home to recover and then to come back when they are feeling better, or they can bunk in the health center if a family is unable to come and get them.
If your child has a fever or is vomiting, we require 24 hour fever or vomit free without the use of medication before they can return to their group and activities.
Medication!
Does your child need medication during camp hours? Please make sure it is correctly listed on their health form and send the medication in with them on their first day of camp. The medication MUST match the health form exactly, be in the original container with original label, and correspond correctly to the child’s name, needs, etc. If your child has multiple medications, feel free to send them in a Ziplock bag, in their original containers, with their name written on the bag in marker.
Inclusion Statement
At Camp Herrlich we are committed to diversity and inclusion for all. We encourage, support and celebrate diverse voices because it helps foster leadership, learning and growth. We embrace everyone. MTOM does not discriminate against employees and campers on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity and expression, actual or perceived age, citizenship, alienage, disability, marital status, or sexual orientation. We follow all New York State laws regarding the above, you can find all the information at the Division of Human Rights page on the state website. There is a very good chance your child will encounter people - campers and staff - who are different from them in the ways listed above while they are at Camp Herrlich. For resources on talking to your children about differences, THIS ARTICLE has some good steps!
2027 Calendar and Menus - Coming soon!
We are VERY allergy friendly here at Camp Herrlich! If your child has food allergies or dietary needs, please just let us know and we can give you more information on how we can accommodate for them. You can e-mail info@campherrlich.org and we can even get you in touch with our kitchen manager to talk about your child.
Exploring the pond!
Parent-Camper Communication Policies:
At Camp Herrlich we want your children to have the best time they can with us. We know that it can be difficult for parents and children to be separated for the 12 days the campers are here and that is why we have the following policies in place for communication. Please review these policies with your child before camp starts.
Phone Calls: Camp Herrlich’s policy is that your child will not be able to call home unless there is an emergency outside of designated phone call days. It is especially important during the first week of camp for campers to transition, form bonds with their cabin and counselors, and to get acclimated to their environment. Phone calls home disrupt that process. We highly encourage letter writing as well as care packages. Please see below for more information on that.
On the middle Saturday of each session we allow all campers to call home starting at 11am. This can be a lengthy process with 80+ campers and we ask parents to please be patient. We will work to make sure all campers are able to speak with their families. If you miss the call or the day does not work for you we will make alternative arrangements.
During the day, you as a parent or guardian can call the camp office with questions or concerns about your child. Most phone calls will be returned by a staff member within 24 hours. In addition, if you have an emergency, you will be able to speak to your child on the phone as soon as we can get them to the office.
In the evenings, please call 845-629-2519. This is our evening camp line. We ask that this line be used for urgent matters so our directors and staff can focus on running evening activities, showers and bedtime. If you have a question or concern that can wait until the following day, please either send an email or call the appropriate person instead.
Cell Phones: Cell phones are not permitted on camp. If a child brings a cell phone to camp it will be held in the camp office and given back to the child as they leave to go home. Please respect the camp’s policy and do not send cell phones with your children. For more information, see the Cell Phone Policy page.
E-Mail: We do not allow campers to exchange emails with their families due to limited computers at camp. We encourage letter writing instead. Please see below for more details. If you have questions or concerns during the summer please direct them to lgreggo@campherrlich.org
Letter Writing: Children have “Quiet Time” time each day to rest, take a shower or a nap, bond with their cabin and counselors, play games and cards, and write letters home. We highly encourage you to send your child with self addressed stamped envelopes so they can write to you while they are here. We also encourage parents and families to write letters to their child! It’s a good idea to send the first letter while your child is still at home, that way it is waiting for them when they arrive. Care packages are also welcome.
The camp address is:
Camp Herrlich
101 Deacon Smith Hill Road
Patterson, NY 12563
Please label letters and packages clearly with the camper’s name.
Your Contact Information: Please make sure that we have the most up-to-date and thorough contact information for you! New or different cell phone numbers are a priority and it is important that we have at least one emergency contact number in addition to the parent’s numbers.
Canteen Prices 2027*
Short Sleeve Tees - $25
Hooded Sweatshirt - $35
Crew Neck Sweatshirt - $30
String Backpack - $6
Sunglasses -$6
Bandanna - $5
Carabiner - $5
Jibbitz - $5
Snail or S’mores Key Chain - $8
Dog Tags - $5
Plastic Water Bottle - $6
Coffee Mug - $10
Travel Mug - $10
Stuffed Animal - $9
Baseball Hat - $12
Past Summer Tees - $5
Snacks - $1 or $2
Candy - $1 or $2
Ice Cream - $1 or $2
*Prices subject to change as we get closer to summer
Canteen how-to!
Every camper receives an afternoon snack from our canteen! If you would like your child to be able to purchase additional snacks like candy and ice cream, or fun Camp souvenirs, please send them in with cash or a check. You can also call the office to load their canteen account with a credit card, just make sure you tell your camper you did that! Item Prices are above!
Making a splash!
DJ Party!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What’s your camper to counselor ratio?
A. We follow the American Camping Association and the New York State Department of Health regulations for our summer camp. Our ratio for Sleepaway Camp is generally 8-10 campers per counselor.
Q. What’s a typical day like?
A. Each day is packed with fun activities at Camp Herrlich! Each group follows a schedule filled with one-hour time blocks. Because we are a traditional summer camp, those activities will include things like nature, hiking, high ropes, free swim, boating, fishing, sports, arts and crafts, and of course lunch and snack time. There are also special theme days each week. A camp day runs from 8:45am – 4:30pm. If you need extended day care, Before Care begins at 7:00am, After Care ends at 6:00pm.
We have about 40 activities that we cycle through each week and about 15-20 activity blocks per group per week. All groups will not get all of the activities over just one week, however we try to get the “missed” ones in future weeks for those groups.
Q. Where do you get your staff from? Who are they and how are they trained?
A. Our staff comes from all over the place! Many Sleepaway Camp staff members have come up through the ranks, first being campers, then Leaders in Training (at 16 years old), then Junior Counselors (at 17 years old), then Senior Counselors (at 18 years old and up). We also get staff members from college job fairs and word of mouth. Every summer, in addition to the American staff, we hire about 40-50 staff members from all around the world. They come to us through registered, reputable, staffing agencies from the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Russia, Hungary, Holland, Mexico, Turkey, and many other places. The diverse mix of staff is fantastic for children!
We provide a full orientation for our staff. Topics covered include things like communication, conflict resolution, discipline and behavior issues, getting to know the 156 acres of Camp Herrlich, sports, games, and creative activities, Herrlich History, basic first aid, and much more.
All summer staff have the required background checks performed as dictated by our licensing agencies. This includes the state sex offender registry, the state local criminal courts, and all international staff members have a mandatory criminal background check before arrival.
Q. How does the swimming work? Is your lake water tested?
A. Each group has free swim on their schedule for 1 hour per day, except when they are being swim tested on the first day of the session, and we swim in our 15 acre pond. Our lake and drinking water is tested weekly by the Putnam County Health Department. Campers are swim tested on the first day of each session of Camp to see what depth of water they can go to. There also may be Swim Fun or Swim Lessons depending on the availability of the beach and the lifeguards. All our lifeguards and our Water Safety Instructor have been certified by the American Red Cross. Many of them have worked our beach before. We strongly encourage children to swim, especially during the hot days!
Q. What happens if my child gets hurt?
A. We have an RN, LPN, or EMT on duty at all times during the Summer Camp hours. We also have at least 10 staff members trained in American Red Cross First Aid and CPR for the Professional Rescuer and at least 3 staff members trained in Responding to Emergencies. We are very communicative with parents so if your child is hurt or sick, you will be contacted by the medical staff member on duty.
Q. How are the groups arranged?
A. Children are grouped by age, grade, and gender. You can request that your child be grouped with a friend or sibling, that is called a group requests. Group requests are not guaranteed, but we do try our best. ALL of the campers who are being requested must submit group requests for all of the other children.
Q. How old do you have to be to come to Camp?
A. Sleepaway Camp - 8 is our minimum age for 2 week sessions, 6 is our minimum age for mini-sessions. Once again, please make sure your child is ready to come to camp with skills like how to shower themselves, change their clothes, stay with their group, and follow all the camp rules to keep them safe.
Q. Can I come for a tour of camp?
A. Yes! You can call or e-mail info@campherrlich.org any time to schedule a tour at your own convenience. The camp number is 845-878-6662. Every Day is an Open House!