Family Corner

Lake in the Woods YMCA Sleepaway Camp is the perfect place for kids to unplug, explore, and grow in a supportive and fun-filled environment. Located on the beautiful Blair Academy campus, our overnight camp offers the perfect blend of adventure, creativity, and friendship. Campers gain independence as they try new activities, build confidence through exciting challenges, and create lifelong memories with new friends. Guided by caring staff, every child is encouraged to discover their strengths, develop resilience, and embrace the joy of being part of a welcoming camp community. At Lake in the Woods, kids don’t just spend the summer—they experience it to the fullest!

If your camper becomes sick during their stay, you will be contacted.

A licensed medical professional with advanced medical training is on-site 24 hours a day.

If your camper requires emergency treatment, we will contact you immediately. If we cannot reach you, we will contact your camper's emergency contact.

Yes. All campers are required to submit a record of their immunizations prior to attending camp. Please upload a copy to their registration account.

Please contact our office if you are unable to provide a current immunization record.

>> Log into your acocunt to upload

Yes! All campers have swim lessons and free swim as part of their daily schedule. 

Campers enjoy swimming in the beautiful indoor pool at Blair Academy. The pool is staffed by American Red Cross certified lifeguards, and supervised by a Water Safety Instructor.

Every child will be swim tested on their first day of camp to determine their swimming level, and be given a swim band to wear for the session. Please encourage your camper to keep the swim band on when they are at home. 

Yes!  Financial assistance is available for families who are unable to pay the entire camp tuition and qualify for assistance.  

>> Learn More

Meals and snacks are served out of the Blair Academy Dining Hall. Campers will sit with their bunk or age group with their counselors. A variety of menu items, including salads, are available. 

Sleepaway Campers will have Lunch & Dinner on Monday, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner Tuesday-Thursday, and Breakfast and Lunch on Friday, as well as daily snacks. 

If your child has food allergies or a specialized diet, please indicate it on their dietary form when they are registered.

To improve efficiency and ensure our nurses spend more time caring for campers, Fairview Lake YMCA Camps and Lake in the Woods YMCA Camps will require all medications to be pre-packaged by a licensed pharmacy for the Summer 2025 season. This change allows us to streamline medication administration and reduce time spent organizing medications, ensuring campers return to their activities more quickly.

What You Need to Do

• Complete your child’s health history form (online) and include all medications they will be taking at camp. 
• Complete and have a physician sign their medication form and email it to fairviewlake@metroymcas.org at least four weeks before your child’s arrival.

>> Download Medication Form

• Arrange for your camper’s medications to be pre-packaged by a pharmacy of your choice. Make sure that your child’s physician has written a prescription for all medication they will be taking, including vitamins. This will allow the filling pharmacy to include it in the packaging.
• The packaging must meet the following requirements:

  • Camper’s full name

  • Medication names

  • Dosages

  • Dispense times

  • Clearly sorted by day and time

• On check-in day, families must bring their child’s pre-packaged medications to the nurses' station. Please bring enough medication for your child’s entire stay at camp. 

Finding a Pharmacy

Many local or mail-order pharmacies provide pre-packaged medication services. We recommend contacting your pharmacy to inquire about this option. Please ensure you allow enough time for the pharmacy to prepare the medications before check-in day. Most pharmacies will package both prescribed and “over-the-counter” medications together, provided you have a prescription for all of the requested medications.

What Medications Need to be Packaged?

Any medications in pill form that your child will take at camp must be packaged. Packaging should be arranged so that each package contains the exact dosage and medications needed to be taken: ie all breakfast/morning medication should be packaged together. 

Vitamins and supplements in pill form must also be included in the package. Please speak with your pharmacist to include these.

Medications that are not in pill form (ie liquids, inhalers, injectables, epi-pens) do not need to be packaged and should arrive at camp in their original packaging.

Our health center keeps common medications in stock for our nurses to distribute as needed. Please indicate that your child can take these medications on their health history form. Do not package these medications with your child’s prescriptions. 

We appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we implement this process, which allows our nurses to focus more on camper care. If you have any questions or need assistance in finding a pharmacy, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

International Campers: Please contact our office to discuss medication packaging options. 

Families registered for camp will receive emails prior to their child's stay at camp. Please make sure you allow emails from the domain: @metroymcas.org

Campers Arriving by Bus:

Campers taking the bus will meet at one of our three designated bus stops. Please be on time (or early!) so that we can have an on-time departure. Campers should arrive having eaten breakfast. At check in, your child will have a brief health screening, including a lice check and a temperature screening.  

We are planning 3 bus pick up locations this summer: Livingston, Wayne, and Lower Manhattan. 

Campers Arriving by Car:

Families dropping their child off at camp should plan to arrive between 8:30-9 AM. Campers should arrive having eaten breakfast and ready for camp! At check-in, your child will have a brief health screening, including a lice check and a temperature screening. 

Campers Departing By Bus:

PLEASE NOTE: Time and location of bus stops may change. We are assuming that I-80 will be open by the summer (fingers crossed!) 

Wayne, NJ

The bus for Wayne will depart camp at 5 pm. Families should plan to arrive at the Y at 6:15 PM to pick up their child. If the bus is delayed, we will contact you. Detailed instructions for the bus will be emailed to families a week prior to their camp start date.

Livingston, NJ

The bus for Livingston will depart camp at 5 pm. Families should plan to arrive at the Y at 6:45 PM to pick up their child. If the bus is delayed, we will contact you. Detailed instructions for the bus will be emailed to families a week prior to their camp start date.

NYC Pick Up

NYC families will be contacted to arrange a drop-off time and location. 

Campers Departing by Car:

Families should plan to pick up their children at 5 pm at the Anne Hall Parking Lot.