FAQs

Yes, Tabor Summer Camp is accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA). The ACA’s Standards Program is the only nationally recognized program to monitor all aspects of a camp’s operation. Less than 2500 camps nationwide have earned this prestigious distinction.

What does being ACA accredited mean?

• The ACA-Accredited Camp sign has 50 years of parent trust behind it.
• Accreditation identifies those programs which offer a solid foundation of health, safety, and program quality.
• Assurance that Tabor Summer Camp complies with up to 300 health, safety, and program quality standards.
• Solid proof of Tabor Summer Camps accountability, credibility, and commitment.

Tabor Summer Camp is also a proud member of the Massachusetts Camping Association (MCA). Membership in MCA signifies a camp’s dedication to the camping industry and ensures that the camp is up-to-date on all of the latest legislative and regulatory requirements for operating a safe camp.

Since 1917, Tabor Academy has had a summer camp to take advantage of its unique seaside setting. The program was for boys only until the winter school went coed in 1977. Academics have always played a part in the program, but activities are the major component of the summer program. Campers have attended the program for a variety of reasons, but the main goal has always been for a fun, safe, and productive summer experience away from home for both our day and residential campers. Parents want their children to make friends, learn new skills, gain independence, and have staff who will be wonderful role models.

Tabor Summer Camp provides each camper with a myriad of opportunities to grow and explore the world around them. Our campers establish strong connections while learning the values of collaboration and respect in a unique seaside community.

Tabor Summer Camp goals and objectives for child development:

• To provide opportunities that stimulate the development of each camper’s self-esteem.
• To help all campers appreciate their natural surroundings and take active roles in the stewardship of our environment.
• To provide situations for campers to set goals and challenge themselves while discovering their individual skills and abilities.
• To allow each child to experience and participate in group living.

Tabor Summer Camp values:

• Respect
• Community
• Caring
• Growth
• Connections
• Joy

Our staff is comprised of high school graduates, college students, graduate students and teachers who LOVE working with children. During the off-season, we spend countless hours visiting universities and interviewing the best possible candidates to guide our camper’s summer experience. We have chosen staff from these and other leading institutions: Bates, Colby, Amherst, William, Holy Cross, University of Vermont, Wellesley, and Columbia.

First and foremost, our staff is chosen for their ability to teach certain skills, character and attitude, and their strong desire to work with children. Our staff requirements and training is based on best practices from the American Camping Association (ACA) Standards and Guidelines. All staff undergo thorough and intense training and work very hard to make Tabor Summer Camp a great home away from home for our campers.

We offer transportation services to unaccompanied out-of-state and out-of-country campers arriving and departing from Boston’s Logan Airport, please visit https://taborsummer.org/tasp-transportation for more information. We do not provide daily transportation to/from the program. The fee for this service is $50 each way. If you will require airport transportation for your unaccompanied child, please select the appropriate transportation option on your camper’s application (“Airport Transportation FROM Logan” and/or “Airport Transportation TO Logan”).

Every airline is different with regards to unaccompanied minors, so please contact the airline directly with questions or concerns on how they handle unaccompanied minors. All airlines usually charge an additional fee for this service. You will need to pay this fee to the airline directly, for both the arrival and departure flights. Unaccompanied minors are met at Logan Airport by a Tabor Summer Camp staff member and parents will find out the name person and their contact information prior to your child’s departure.

PLEASE NOTE:

• This service is ONLY available for children traveling unaccompanied and arriving/departing from flights at Logan Airport.
• We can NOT provide transportation or accommodations before and/or after a campers designated start/end date.
• We can NOT provide transportation to any other locations.
• This service is not available for the Tabor Academy Marine Science Camp.

Each year we distribute numerous camp session scholarships directly to charitable and educational organizations in order to provide support to children in financial need and educational programs. We do not award scholarships to individuals directly.

If your organization would like to request a donation for next summer, please email the office at summer@taboracademy.org by December 31. We will need detailed information about the services you provide and how the scholarship will be used and distributed (auction, financial eligibility, etc.). All requests are reviewed in January and awardees will be notified by the end of the month. Awarded organizations must coordinate and oversee their selection process directly. Awardee information will be due to the office by April 1, and parents will need to register their child by May 1. Unfortunately we cannot accommodate all requests.

All expenses, such as food, boarding, laundry services, and field trips (as applicable) are included as part of the registration fee. For our residential campers, we do provide a Camper Bank which can be used for spending money on our weekend trips, the school store, and/or off campus trips.

The Camper Bank is a convenient and safe place to manage personal expense money for your residential camper and can be accessed through your Camp in Touch account. It is required for all residential campers, and we suggest that parents make a deposit of $50-$100 per week (maximum deposit amount is $300, you may add additional funds if needed) for the child’s incidental expenses or emergency purchases. Deposits into the Camper Bank MUST be made directly via credit card through your Camp in Touch account. Any additional amount of money left over will be refunded to your credit card after the child’s session is over.

You can send a package to your child at the following address:

[Your Child’s Name]
Tabor Summer Camp
[Your Child’s Dormitory]
66 Spring Street
Marion, MA 02738

DAY GROUPS

Requests for specific day groups can only be accepted if the campers are enrolled in the same program/session during the same week. Requests must be submitted on the online application in the field provided. Please note that both sets of parents must make the same request on their applications, we cannot coordinate this on parents behalf. VERY IMPORTANT: Half days and full day campers can NOT be grouped together.We make every effort to honor requests, but they are not guaranteed.

DORMS MATES

Requests for specific dorm mates can only be accepted if the children are the same age and gender. Requests must be submitted on the online application in the field provided. Please note that both sets of parents must make the same request on their applications, we cannot coordinate this on parents behalf.

Campers reside in either a single or double room and the dormitory will have a furnished common room where they will meet for check-ins or just socialize. At least 2 residential counselors, from our energetic and talented staff, will reside in each dorm. The number of students who live in a dorm will range from 10-20. Living with one’s peers allows participants the ability to develop relationships and share ideas with people from around the United States and the world. The contact between dorm mates might be one of those wonderful connections you make for the summer and beyond. We determine and place campers in dormitories based on age and gender. We also try to place campers together with similar interests. We make every effort to honor requests, but they are not guaranteed.

Tabor Summer Camp provides a health center team of five registered nurses. Campers may visit the health center if they have any medical concerns at any time of the day. The health center is staffed 24 hours a day. A local pediatrician is available for emergencies. Tobey Hospital in Wareham is approximately 5 minutes from camp.

We ask families to refrain from calling their child for at least the first 3-4 days after their child arrives at Tabor. This time allows your child to get into a routine, meet new children, and start their summertime fun! After the children have been here 3-4 days you are free to contact them during rest period in the afternoon and in the evenings. These times are posted in our Parent Handbook which can be found on our website. If your child arrives by plane, unaccompanied by a parent, we will call you to let you know that your child has arrived safely.

It is not unusual for a camper to be a little homesick for a few days after their arrival at camp. Even experienced returning campers can experience homesickness as they adjust to new and different friends, new or different activities, and maybe some new counselors. Most often a camper who is homesick the first day of camp is totally absorbed in camp by the second day and they can’t recall having been homesick. Unless the homesickness is severe, our staff try to work with the child for at least 24-36 hours after arriving at camp, helping the camper get settled into a new routine, making friends, and participating fully in camp activities before taking any further action.