SUMMER 2025
COMMUNICATION HUB
Preparing for Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp
We recognize that preparing for sleep away camp can be a lot! With so many details and communications, we want to make YOUR life easier by having a helpful hub where all our parent communication is logged and regularly updated. This information has been or will be emailed to you in the weeks leading up to your child’s session. However, you can also bookmark this page and when you have questions that come up, you can refer to this webpage instead of scouring your inbox for that previous email.
Please give our office a call/email if the communications here does not answer any of your questions!
Office line: 949-361-2267
Office email: info@yssc.com
Helpful Links:
Family Handbook (packing list enclosed)
Parent Account
Payment & Forms Information
All forms and final payments must be completed by the one-month prior date. All forms can be accessed through your online Parent Account.
If your billing preference is set as a credit/debit card, I will be charging your account next week. If your preference is CASH, and you do not have a special arrangement with camp regarding your payment, please make sure you update your billing preference or mail a check out to YSSC P.O. Box 449, Bass Lake, CA 93604. All payments are due ONE MONTH prior to the start of your camper’s session.
Program Protector: Standard Plan
As YSSC’s long-standing cancellation policy will remain in effect this summer, we urge camper families to purchase trip insurance to better manage the financial risk of their camper missing camp due to illness. For those who did not purchase the Program Protector at the time of your camper’s application, YSSC is pleased to continue to make the Program Protector: Standard Plan available. This program will provide a refund, with proper confirmation, if your child tests positive for COVID before or during camp. Again, we strongly recommend that you secure the Program Protector so that you can recover some or all of your financial investment should your child become ill before or during their session.
Packing Tips
In order to best ensure that campers return home with all of the clothes and items that they brought with them to camp, we encourage each camper to come with clothes labeled and aware of what they are bringing with them. Reminder, we do not have laundry services. Please back for two weeks.
Medication
Please ensure medications are listed on your camper’s Health History Form submitted through your parent account. Medications, including vitamins, must be brought to camp in the original container with their name and dosage clearly marked. We recommend putting all medications in a large re-sealable bag, labeled with the camper’s name, and to be handed to the nurse or upon arrival at camp.
Physician’s Exam Form
Haven’t sent it yet? You can scan and email the document to ysscclubmed@gmail.com or fax it (Fax: 949-369-9819).
Homesickness
If you or your child is concerned that they may experience homesickness while at YSSC, now is a good time to talk about it together. Most campers (and even some staff) experience moments of homesickness during the first few days of camp. It’s important that campers know that the feeling is normal and that they are not alone. It is also essential that campers know that feelings of homesickness usually pass in a few days. YSSC staff are trained to anticipate and use effective strategies to support campers who miss home. In the week leading up to camp, parents can also help prepare their child to tackle this common challenge in these ways:
- Talk about homesickness with your child and assure them it’s very common. Home is a great place and it makes sense that they miss it. Assure your camper that their feelings will lift in a few days.
- Ask your child to role play telling their counselor when they feel homesick so the counselor can attend to them well.
- Write a letter in advance that your child will receive on the first day of camp encouraging them that their parents are fine and can’t wait to hear all about the fun, new friends, and experiences they will have.
- Please refrain from comments such as, “I’m going to miss you so much and I don’t know what I’ll do without you.” Do not promise to come get your child if they are homesick or sad. These kinds of statements can prolong homesickness for a camper.
- Pray with your child that God will comfort them and help them dive fully into life at camp.
For more information and ideas to reduce homesickness, check out the YSSC Family Handbook and listen to our Mornings on the Porch episode on A Day in the Life at YSSC. A child who gets to tackle their homesickness feels stronger and more confident because of it!
Staying in Touch
Campers LOVE to get mail at camp. Please use the Camp Stamps through your parent portal for one-way emails or send a letter to: Camper’s Name, PO Box 449, Bass Lake, CA 93604. Remember, there are NO care packages allowed at camp. If packages are sent, they will be returned at your expense.
Transportation Details
Charter Buses
Charter Buses transport campers to camp from three locations, Orange County, Pasadena/LA, and Valencia. Taking a Charter Bus is the most popular mode of transportation to and from camp. Charter Buses are very comfortable, have air-conditioning, bathrooms, and are staffed with YSSC’s wonderful staff members. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Charter Buses typically arrive at YSSC around 3:30-4pm on opening day. Parents will need to pack a healthy sack lunch with a beverage and a snack for the bus ride to camp. On the bus ride home, camp will provide campers with a sack lunch and beverage.
Orange County – Irvine Valley Community College
Check-in is at 8:15 AM, and buses will depart promptly at 9:00 AM.
Pasadena/LA – L.A. County Arboretum & Botanic Garden
Check-In is at 9:30 AM, and buses will depart promptly at 10:00 AM.
Valencia – Hilton Garden Inn, 27110 The Old Road
Check-In is at 10:00 AM, and buses will depart promptly at 10:30 AM.
Parent Drop Off at Camp
Parents are welcome to drive their camper to camp. On opening day, please arrive between 1:30 – 3:00 PM. Our physical address: 39515 Rd 274 Bass Lake, CA 93604
Fresno Airport
Campers fly into Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FAT), where a uniformed staff member will meet them when they arrive and collect their luggage for transportation to camp. The airport shuttle to camp is approximately one hour. Please plan for your camper to arrive and depart Fresno Yosemite International Airport between 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM.
Please check your airline’s policy regarding unaccompanied minors. Most airlines require minors to arrive at the airport 2 hours before departure with a chaperone that has been approved by the parents.
No Tech Policy
We ask campers to leave electronics at home, including phones, smart watches, iPads, laptops, electronic games, or other tech items. Our policy also extends to the Charter Buses to and from camp. The opportunity to unplug helps campers plug in their new camp environment and concentrate on face-to-face interactions with peers and staff. Campers adjust quickly to tech-free days and often remark that they enjoy feeling free from the constant draw of texting, gaming, and social media.
A note about phones: Allowing a camper to sneak their phone into camp has a number of negative consequences. It can lead to prolonged homesickness as a camper may continue to seek support from home rather than from their counselor and cabinmates. It creates conflict for a camper who must hide, deny or lie about their phone. Phones also allow for unkind or inappropriate text/photos to be sent. We thank you in advance for honoring our policy.
VIDEO LIBRARY
Check out a few of these videos recordings of our monthly parent zoom, Mornings On The Porch, designed to support parents in raising awesome kids and preparing for camp.
May 2025: Connecting with Campers
Join YSSC Program Director, Hutch “Boosh” Hershberger and Associate Director Jessica “Sprinkles” Peterson for a fun, interactive Zoom geared toward your camper! We’ll be going over a day in the life at YSSC, some of the fun and adventure your camper can expect, and meet a couple new friends that will become familiar faces over the summer.
April 2025: Fun with forms and other preparation for camp
Join YSSC Directors Sara “Salsa” Kuljis and Savannah “Popcorn” Lawrence as they share ways that you as a family can be preparing for your child’s summer camp experience! They will walk through some of the forms YSSC asks our families to fill out, along with thoughtful ways your family can begin preparing now.
February 2024: My camper is ready for camp, but am I?
What if my child gets homesick or doesn’t like the food at camp? How will I know they are okay if I can’t speak with them daily? Letting our kids head off to camp for 2 whole weeks can make parents feel anxious, even if we really do want them to have a wonderful time of fun, adventure, new friends, and growth. So, let’s talk about those nervous feelings, address common concerns, and answer your candid questions!
February 2023: How do I know if my child is ready for sleep away camp?
Perhaps you’ve been looking into sending your child to camp, but you’re not sure if they are ready to spend several nights away from home. Tune into this month’s conversation to learn how to evaluate if your child is ready for sleep-away camp!