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FAQs

WHAT IS YOUR REFUND AND CANCELLATION POLICY FOR SUMMER 2025 PROGRAMMING?

Please refer to our 2025 Enrollment Policies for information on refunds and cancellations.

If you have any further questions regarding on-site camp, please contact our Customer Experience team at (202) 625-1921 or email us at customercare@headfirstcamps.com.

WHERE ARE YOUR CAMP LOCATIONS?

Our camps are located at the premier facilities of:  

  • St. Albans School and National Cathedral School in Cathedral Heights, NW D.C. 
  • St. Patrick’s Episcopal Day School in Palisades, NW D.C.  
  • Catholic University in Brookland, NE D.C. 
  • Mater Dei School in Bethesda, MD  
  • The Woods Academy in Bethesda, MD 
  • Flint Hill School in Oakton, VA

WHAT ARE THE CAMP HOURS?

9:00am–3:00pm, with optional Extended Day available before and after camp from 7:30am–9:00am and from 3:00pm–6:00pm. 

ARE YOUR CAMPS OPEN ON HOLIDAYS?

Our holiday closure schedule is as follows: 

Juneteenth 

  • Open: Flint Hill, The Woods Academy, Mater Dei, St. Albans/National Cathedral, Catholic University 
  • Closed: St. Patrick’s 

July 4th 

  • Open: Flint Hill, The Woods Academy, Mater Dei 
  • Closed: St. Albans/National Cathedral, St. Patrick’s 
  • NOTE: Catholic University is not running camp the entire week of June 30 – July 4 

WHAT DOES MY CHILD NEED TO BRING TO CAMP?

What your camper should bring:

  • Lunch
  • Water Bottle
    • Campers will be outdoors for a large portion of the day. Please be sure to send your camper with a water bottle to refill throughout the day.
    • Water coolers are available throughout the day for refills.
    • Campers will not be allowed to share water bottles.
  • Swim Suit
  • Change of Clothes
  • Towel
  • Sunscreen
    • If you would like your camper to use a specific type of sunscreen or if they have any allergies to common sunscreen, please send your camper with their own sunscreen in a labeled Ziploc bag for multiple reapplications throughout the day.
    • In case of forgotten sunscreen, Headfirst will provide sunscreen for campers
    • Sunscreen will stay in camper backpacks and taken out for use.

Please clearly label all of your child’s belongings with their full name to ensure that all belongings can find their way home at the end of the day.

WILL MY CHILD SWIM AT CAMP?

Mater Dei School, Bethesda, MD: 

  • Campers in Junior Day Camp, Day Camp, and Multi-Sport I will participate in daily instructional swim. 
  • Campers in Innovators, Inc. and Multi-Sport II+III+IV will participate in daily recreational swim. 

The Woods Academy, Bethesda, MD: 

  • Campers in Junior Day Camp and Day Camp will participate in daily instructional swim brought to you by FINS swimming. 
  • Campers in Sprouting Scientists and D.C. United Splash Experience will participate in daily recreational swim brought to you by FINS swimming 

St. Albans School and National Cathedral School, Cathedral Heights, DC: 

  • Campers in Junior Day Camp, Day Camp, and Multi-Sport I will participate in daily instructional swim. The pool will be closed for maintenance the weeks of August 4th and August 11th, so all campers will participate in daily water play these weeks. 
  • Campers in Innovators, Inc. and Sprouting Scientists will participate in daily water play. 
  • Campers in Multi-Sport II+III+IV  will participate in recreational swim 3 times a week and water play 2 times a week. The pool will be closed for maintenance the weeks of August 4th and August 11th, so all campers will participate in daily water play these weeks. 

St. Patrick’s School, Palisades, DC: 

  • Campers in Junior Day Camp, Day Camp, and Multi-Sport I  will participate in daily instructional swim. 
  • Campers in Innovators, Inc. and Multi-Sport II+III+IV  will participate in daily recreational swim. 

Flint Hill School, Oakton, VA: 

  • Campers in all programs will participate in daily water play. 

Catholic University, Brookland, NE DC: 

  • Campers in Multi-Sport I  will participate in daily instructional swim. 
  • Campers in Multi-Sport II+III+IV will participate in daily recreational swim. 

Instructional swim has goals that are camper-specific, from jumping into the deep end to side breathing. Campers will be carefully supervised at all times, with a 3:1 child-to-staff ratio in the pool. Swim progress reports will be sent home weekly for campers who participate in instructional swim at all locations except at The Woods Academy. 

Recreational swim is an opportunity to engage in safe, supervised free swim and pool-based games. Campers will be assessed for use of permitted areas of the pool. 

Water play is a fun way for campers to cool off in the middle of the day. The water play activity will vary throughout the week, but will always be an active way for campers to cool down from the summer heat. 

IS HEADFIRST SUMMER CAMPS A GOOD FIT FOR A CHILD WHO HAS ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS?

  • Headfirst Summer Camps programs are designed as group experiences. Headfirst aims to be able to provide care for children with mild support needs, provided they can make safe choices, and follow basic directions (with reminders appropriate for their age and developmental stage) in a group setting. Headfirst is not able to provide continuous and regular 1:1 support of any camper. For more information, please see our Participant Inclusion & Reasonable Accommodation Policy.
  • Additional support needs may include but are not limited to an identified or suspected learning difference (e.g., ADHD, ASD, Auditory or Visual Processing Disorder, Speech and Language Disorder)
  • It sets everyone up for the best chance of success when we have the key information in advance, so we ask that if your camper receives 1:1 support at school and/or you believe they would need extra support in the camp setting, please be sure to provide details during the registration process.  
  • If you would like to request that your child attends camp with a family-provided aide/paraprofessional, we ask that you reach out to the Headfirst Summer Camps Customer Experience team as soon as possible to receive access to our Aide Request Form and directions prior to the start of camp. Headfirst must have on file all required information and documentation on/from each family-provided aide accompanying a camper (including successful completion of a Headfirst-approved background check and signed waiver/code of conduct forms) before an aide will be permitted at camp.

DOES MY CHILD NEED TO BE POTTY TRAINED?

Campers must be at least 3 years old by their first day of camp. In addition, all campers are expected to be fully potty-trained, meaning they are consistently able to recognize when they need to go to the bathroom and can complete toileting activities independently. We know that even potty-trained campers may occasionally have accidents, so families with younger campers and campers with a recent history of accidents are asked to pack an extra set of clothes just in case. If a camper has an accident during the camp day, Headfirst staff will help the camper change their clothes, encouraging independence as much as possible, and a member of our Leadership Team will notify the camper’s primary caregiver. 

CAN WE REQUEST THAT MY CAMPER BE PLACED IN A GROUP WITH ANOTHER CAMPER (BUDDY REQUESTS)?

Absolutely! Buddy requests can be made during the registration process until June 1. We always do our very best to accommodate buddy requests as we know how important this can be to our campers. The number of buddies that we guarantee varies by both camper age and the program for which you’re enrolling: 

  • Jr. Day Camp and Day Camp: 2 buddy requests guaranteed 
  • Innovators, Inc., Multi-Sport, Sprouting Scientists, D.C. United Splash Experience: 1 buddy request guaranteed 

WHAT IS THE COUNSELOR TO CAMPER RATIO AT HEADFIRST SUMMER CAMPS?

For our younger campers, we aim to maintain an in-group ratio of approximately 6:1. For rising Kindergartners and 1st graders, that ratio is 8:1, and for older campers it is 10:1. 

In addition to the group counselors, each location has a Leadership Team as well as additional team members dedicated to each program. 

While campers are at the pool for instructional swim, the additional pool staff, lifeguards, and Aquatics Lead combine for a ratio of approximately 3:1. 

HOW DO YOU HANDLE INCLEMENT WEATHER?

If we see or hear a thunderstorm approaching, outdoor camp programs are immediately brought inside as we take extreme precaution to ensure that all outdoor camp programs are safe. 

WHAT PRECAUTIONS DO YOU TAKE TO HANDLE THE SUMMER HEAT?

Water is always available for each camp program and campers are encouraged to take water breaks approximately every 15-20 minutes. On extremely hot days and for those campers spending the majority of their time playing outdoors, participants will take mandatory and extended breaks throughout the day, an extended lunch break, plenty of water, and lower impact activities during the day. 

In addition, we ensure that sunscreen is re-applied on your camper multiple times throughout the day. We always have sunscreen on-site if your camper forgets or loses their sunscreen. All sunscreen applications are recorded in Sunscreen Logs so that we can easily monitor all campers.  

CAN HEADFIRST ACCOMMODATE CHILDREN WITH PEANUT OR LIFE-THREATENING ALLERGIES?

Headfirst Summer Camps is a Peanut and Tree Nut Free Camp. Families with children who have life-threatening allergies can feel safe and comfortable at Headfirst Camps. We are aware of the dangers and concerns with severe allergies and have crafted our allergy procedures, policies, and training with the utmost care and attention. 

Our Process 

Every morning the Leadership Team identifies campers with allergies by placing a red bracelet around their wrist, as well as placing their EpiPen or other medication in a marked First Aid pack kept in our monitored on-site Safety Office or in their counselor’s staff bag.  

We highly recommend that all EpiPens and any additional medication stay on location throughout the week, to be returned to families at the end of the camp session on Friday afternoon. Camper medication will be stored and locked in the Headfirst camp office each night. 

  • EpiPen: If your child requires an EpiPen at camp, we ask you to place the EpiPen in a clear plastic bag, noting the name of your child on the outside of the bag.  
  • This bag (and any necessary instructions) should be presented to the Headfirst Safety Coordinator on location, upon check-in on Monday morning.  

Our Peanut & Tree Nut Free Camp

Headfirst is a peanut and tree-nut-free camp. Headfirst staff will be checking lunches prior to the start of the lunch period – any camper that brings a lunch including peanuts or tree nuts will be removed from the lunch space to consume their food and their parent’s will be reminded of the nut-free policy.  

Headfirst has a no food sharing policy. At the end of each eating period, all tables are wiped down and all campers are required to wash their hands with soap to ensure they are thoroughly clean prior to their next activity.  

What is the illness & lice policy?

Headfirst Camps should be notified by phone (202) 625-1921 or email if a child is ill, especially if the illness is communicable (e.g. fever, pink eye).  

Communicable Diseases
Campers who have communicable diseases will be sent home and may not return to camp until the illness has been treated successfully and the camper is symptom free for 24 hours. 

Lice
Campers who have signs of head lice (itching, head irritation, etc.) will be removed from their group and escorted to the camp office by the Safety Coordinator. If we believe there is a possibility of head lice, we will ask the family to pick their camper up from camp. In order to return to camp, a camper must have had all active lice removed from their hair and no longer show any signs of infestation, itching or irritation.