Camp should be fun 🙂
Children encounter acres upon acres of fields, lakes, trails, woods, and state-of-the-art facilities. Children are hosted in safe environments and closely monitored by trained and capable staff. A variety of activities are offered, including nature study, swimming, boating, arts and crafts, music instruction, archery, hiking, organized games, ropes challenge courses, and more. For many children, Salvation Army camps are truly a life-changing experience.
2024 Registration
- 2024 Season -
Sessions and Dates
Staff Dates
June 9-22: Staff Orientation
Camper Sessions
June 24 – 28: Session 1 (Service Unit – Ages 7-12)
July 1 – 5: Session 2 (Community Camp A – Ages 7-12)
July 8 – 13: Session 3 (Music & Arts Camp – Ages 7-13)
July 15 – 19: Session 4 (Community Camp B – Ages 7-12)
July 22 – 26: Session 5 (Program Camp – Ages 7-13)
July 29 -August 2: Session 6 (Teen Camp – Ages 13-16)
For information on sending your child to Camp Ladore please use the search feature to find your SENDER LOCATION and point of CONTACT, based on your home zip code.
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General Information
Camp Should Be FUN!
Imagine what a week at an overnight summer camp could do for a child who’s never experienced the great outdoors! Each summer hundreds of children experience just that at The Salvation Army’s Camp Ladore, located in the Pocono Mountains. Here they come together and experience friendship, cooperation and trust.
Activities at Camp
At Camp Ladore children encounter acres upon acres of fields, lakes, trails, woods, and state-of-the-art facilities. Children are hosted in safe environments and closely monitored by trained and capable staff. A variety of activities are offered, including nature study, swimming, boating, arts and crafts, music instruction, archery, hiking, organized games, ropes challenge courses, and more. For many children, Salvation Army camps are truly a life-changing experience.
Phone Calls At Camp
Because we want your child to experience camp to the fullest without distractions, we do not encourage phone calls or visits during the camp session (excluding emergencies, or other approved circumstances) because it could spark homesickness. However, we do encourage you to send your child mail while they are at camp.
Mail At Camp
To send a letter or postcard please use the following mailing address:
Childs Name
C/O Camp Ladore
35 Camp Ladore Way
Waymart, PA 18472
We advise if you are sending mail to send it a day or two before your child arrives at camp so it will make it before your child leaves.
Camper Email
Your kids want to receive notes and encouragement from their loved ones while they are at camp. A member of the office team will hand deliver your message to your kids each time you send a note. For logistical reasons the campers will not be able to respond through email. We will deliver all emails the same day if received before 3:00pm.
Camp Visits
We do not recommend that you plan a visit while your child is attending camp. If you would like to visit our camp prior to your child attending, you may arrange for a tour here.
Preparing Your Child For Camp
Whether this is your child’s first visit to Camp or they are a veteran camper, the experience can be an adventure and a memory of a lifetime. We have developed this brochure for you, the parent, in order to give you more information about our camp and to help you prepare your child. Any trip away from home can be a little scary for a child. Below are a few suggestions from Christian Camping International that may help get your child ready for Camp.
- Talk about the activities they will be doing at Camp: swimming, hiking, arts & crafts, fishing, boating, and sleeping out. Let them know that there are adults who will be watching over them and directing them through the activities.
- Decide what to pack. Go through the list of clothing suggestions and get them ready together. Make sure they have sneakers and socks. For the younger child it is a good idea to pack each day’s clothing together in a group so that they know what to wear.
- Prepare the postage. Send stamped and addressed postcards with them so they can write home right away.
- Sidestep the separation. Focus on the stories they will be able to tell when they arrive home. Do not suggest to your child that he/she can call home if they get homesick. Telephones are not available for campers. In the event of homesickness, our staff will handle the situation. Usually, the child is over any homesickness after the first day.
- Send a letter. Everyone likes to get mail. It makes them feel important. Mail it even before your child leaves home.
- Celebrate the homecoming. Plan a special dinner for the evening he/she returns and make a welcome home sign.
Money At Camp
During the week, your child will not have a need for any money. Daily snacks, in addition to regular meals, are already part of your child’s camp experience. Your child will also be sent home with a Camp Ladore t-shirt. Anything you would like to purchase aside from this needs to be filled out on the Camp Store order form and turned in on the opening day of your child’s session, as he/she is going through registration.
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Standards & Care
Accreditation Standards and Safety at Camp
Camp Ladore is an accredited member of the American Camp Association. The ACA’s mission is to enrich the lives of children, youth and adults through the camp experience. They do this by establishing a set of safety standards to improve and value the safety of children in all camp programming. Camp Ladore proudly upholds these high standards to ensure your children will have the best possible time while they are at Camp.
Click here for more information.
Emergency Contact Person
In the case of illness or injury it may become necessary for the child to leave camp early. Please be sure that the names and phone numbers for your emergency contacts are correct and in operation. In the event that we cannot reach the parent, this information becomes extremely important. If you will be out of town during your child’s visit, please provide the camp with a phone number where you can be reached.
Completing the Medical Form
Be sure to complete all areas of the health history. Your child will need to be examined by a Physician, Physician’s Assistant, or Licensed Nurse Practitioner within the past twelve months. It is important that the parental release is signed so your child may be treated by a physician or hospital in the case of emergency. No child will be allowed to stay on the campgrounds without the release being signed. Any special diet or activity restrictions should be identified on the form. Please complete the medical form in its entirety.
Early Departure
It is camp policy to only release campers from the camp session for medical and behavioral situations. In the event that it is necessary for you to pick up your child early from the camping session, we will only release campers to the parent or guardian listed on the application form. You will need to show photo identification.
IF A CAMPER IS TAKING PRESCRIBED MEDICATION…
- Each medication must be brought to camp in the original prescription bottle/container. This includes all asthma inhaler package/boxes.
- The physician’s instructions (dosages/times of administration) must be clearly marked on the prescription bottle/container. Dispensing pharmacy phone numbers must be legible on the prescription bottle. This must agree with the dosage written on the Physician Examination Form.
- Medication administration times are breakfast/lunch/dinner/and bedtime. Campers must bring sufficient amounts of medication to last the entire camp period.
- Detailed medication information must be written legibly on the Physicians Examination Form. This includes medication name, dosage, and times when medication is to be administered. This must match the medication brought to camp.
Goals of Salvation army camping
- Campers and staff will experience an awareness of God and His love through sharing the person of Jesus Christ and to aim toward spiritual growth and knowledge of basic human values.
- Campers and staff will experience the wonders and miracles of everyday living through personal interaction with each other.
- Campers and staff will develop a more comprehensive understanding of themselves and each other through diverse opportunities in the realm of interpersonal relations, and for children to experience relationships with staff as caring adults and to offer opportunity for people of varied cultures to develop compassion and love for each other.
- Campers and staff will develop an understanding of, appreciation of, and sense of stewardship for God’s natural environment and for all living creatures.
- Campers and staff will participate in citizenship training in keeping with democratic principles and traditions through group living where children can learn to work at solving their problems.
- Campers and staff will be afforded the opportunity, in a safe and healthy environment, to develop their individual skills and to utilize these talents through creative self-expression (including thought, worship, song, work, play and physical activity).
- Campers and staff will participate in planning and implementing fun filled, healthy, safe, educational & adventuresome programs in the out-of-doors that establish limits and responsibility for the safety and welfare of all.
- Campers identified as having a typical problem or in need of spiritual guidance shall be referred to the corps or social agency for appropriate follow-up.
Objectives for Camper Development
- to experience growth in him/herself as a whole person.
- to experience growth in his/her relationship to other people and the natural environment.
- to experience growth in his/her awareness and appreciation of the spiritual dimension of life.
The objective will be achieved if each camper experiences at least the following:
- participates in a physical activity at a level which he/she was unable to achieve upon arrival at camp.
- participates in the Arts & Crafts program to utilize his/her creative potential.
- participates in an activity that will teach him/her at least two significant new facts about nature.
- participates in an activity which will provide for action in environmental protection.
- participates in devotions to learn at least one new truth about God or his/her relationship to God.
- participates in a ropes adventure/challenge program where he/she can exercise leadership, group, and individual problem solving skills.
PROGRAM PRINCIPLES
The camp program includes the entire process of group living. The program includes planned activities, as well as unplanned; the subtle conditions that surround the camper, as well as the more obvious conditions; the relationships that he has with other campers and with counselors; the counselor’s attitudes toward the camper, as well as the methods that the counselor uses.
The camp program includes both centralized and decentralized camping activities in an effort to afford each individual camper the most comprehensive camping experience possible. Many of the activities are directed by program specialists hired for their skills and experience in particular program areas such as nature, outdoor camping, swimming, boating, etc. Other activities are directed in each cabin setting by the counselors such as cabin devotions, etc.
In seeking to achieve the highest objectives for the camper, it is kept in mind that, along with all other program aims, staff members should endeavor to make camping an experience that is saturated with fun.
Our campers are provided with a wide range of activities that will challenge and inspire them: arts and crafts, basketball, soccer, volleyball, fishing, music instruction, hay rides and bible study…just to name a few!
Camp Ladore is broken up into four villages, each one with an activity building and staff housing.
- Seneca Village has 10 cabins and houses the younger female campers (*ages 7-9)
- Ai-Yuk-Pa Village has 10 cabins and houses the older female campers (*ages 10-12)
- Cayuga Village has 8 cabins and houses the younger male campers (*ages 7-9)
- Mohawk Village has 8 cabins and houses the older male campers (*ages 10-12)
*All ages are approximates
Camper to staff ratios are:
Age of Campers
7-8 years old
9-14 years old
15-17 years old
Most of the time
1:6
1:6
1:6
Exceptions
After lights out
After lights out
After lights out
* Cabin groups always travel with two staff members present
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food at camp
Nutrition and Balance
Keeping campers satisfied at camp is critical to their wellbeing. Our cooks have designed menus that keep kids’ tastes in mind while emphasizing nutrition and balance.
We serve three meals per day, as well as two snack periods in the late afternoon the Ice Cream Truck at the pool 😉 and another before bedtime. Our staff help campers to make healthy choices so that they are getting enough food at each meal and ensure they are eating a balanced diet.
Summer Food Service Program
Camp Ladore participates in the USDA government food system through the Summer Food Service Program offered by the state of Pennsylvania. Mealtimes, meal content, supervision at meals, and proper recording is crucial to the continuance of this important contract. All families must complete relevant portions of the form, including name, food stamps, TANF or FDPIR case number.