2026 Day Camp Dates | Hazleton Area Campus
257 Middle Road, Drums, PA
- For campers who have completed Kindergarten through 9th grade
- Campers with special needs remain eligible for Best Week Ever as long as they are eligible for school services with 1:1 behavioral support or self-contained classroom that provides behavioral support (generally until age 21)
- 10 Weeks of summer day camp from June 8-August 14, 2026
- Monday-Friday, 9am – 4pm
- Extended hours, transportation and trips are available!
- Special Needs Grant will provide two weeks of camp for the first 50 eligible campers! Please complete our Special Needs Grant Request Form.
- Scholarships available to assist campers with financial need! Please complete our Scholarship Request Form.
Day Camp Weeks 5 (July 6-10) and Week 6 (July 13-17) will be hosted at Drums Elementary School (85 S Old Turnpike Rd, Drums, PA 18222)
We know you want the best for your child’s summer and we are thrilled to open a new Best Week Ever Day Camp in Drums, PA! We make it our goal to serve both campers and parents with an amazing program and convenient structure.
We offer flexible scheduling, excellent pricing and convenience options that will fit the needs of your family. And our staff will provide your kids with an exciting and engaging program, so they WANT to come back every day. Come spend your summer with us and experience your Best Week Ever!
For more information please contact office@
Weekly Pricing
Extended Care Available
- $30/week before care or $30/week after care. Package both for $45/week. Also available for $6/day.Before care starts at 7:30am and After care runs until 5:30pm.
Transportation
- Transportation is only $45/week.
Day Camp Details – Hazleton Campus
Best Week Ever Day Camp provides the perfect balance of freedom and structure! Campers are grouped by grade level into cohorts to achieve smaller group sizes and to ensure that campers are with their school friends. Campers will have the opportunity to customize their experience with daily elective choices! And they will also have the opportunity to see friends outside of their cohort group.
Eagles: Completed Kindergarten – 3rd Grade
Tigers: 4th Grade and Up
Schedule: Schedule and activities vary weekly and by grade!
7:30 – Before Care
8:30 – Carline/Arrival
9:00 – Challenge Games
9:15 – 1st Activity Block
10:00 – SNACK
10:30 – 2nd Activity Block
11:15 – WORD Rally and small groups
12:00 – LUNCH
12:30 – Group Game
1:00 – 3rd Activity Block
2:00 – Afternoon snack
3:15 – Pack Up
4:00 – After Care
Our focus at Best Week Ever Day Camp is outdoor adventures! We know that kids benefit tremendously from time spent outside and off screens, so we work hard to fill each day with engaging activities that will grow your child’s friendships, their personal skills and their confidence. We also prioritize opportunities for your camper to make selections to fit their interests!
Weekly Features Include:
- Morning snack, lunch and afternoon snack included!
- Each Tuesday trip to Whispering Willows Pool
- Water Tower and Slip N Slide
- Weekly onsite presenters, events and offsite trips included in registration! Examples include: Bloomsburg Children’s Museum, Chacko’s Bowling, The Reptile Guy, Valley Scoops Ice Cream and Golf, Critter Connection Petting Zoo, Jeremy the Illusionist, Science in Motion Planetarium and Jurassic Raptor. (2026 trips and events will be finalized in the spring!)
Other Activities Include: Archery, Gaga, Crafts, 4 Square, 9 Square, Bingo, Board Games, Bracelet Making, Camp Songs, Capture the Flag, Dodgeball, Drama, Football, Frisbee, Golden Nugget, Hair Braiding, Kickball, Nature Hike, Paper Airplanes, Relay Races, RPS Games, Soccer, Tag Games, Wiffleball, Slime, Oobleck, Puzzles, Imagination Station plus many more!
Frequently Asked Questions
We invite you to take advantage of registration incentives available for all Camp Orchard Hill families! If you need additional assistance, please submit an online Scholarship Request Form with supporting income verification documents. Our scholarship cycle opens in January and will close in April or when we reach our maximum funding in each location.
- Click here to access our >> Scholarship Request Form
- Log in to your Ultra Camp account (New families can create an account and add all family members to the account).
- Select the name of the person for whom you are completing the form (You only need to complete one Scholarship Form for your whole family).
- Complete the Scholarship Request Form on the screen.
- Submit appropriate income verification to [email protected].
- The first two summary pages of your 2025 Federal Taxes (Schedule 1040).
- If your taxes are not prepared for 2025, you may submit the first two pages of your 2024 Federal Taxes, PLUS your most recent pay stubs.
- If you don’t file taxes, please submit a statement for each type of income received in your household (SNAP, SSI, SSD, child support etc)
- We will not be able to process your Scholarship Request until we receive your income verification at [email protected].
- Please allow at least two weeks for us to process your request. You will receive an email to the primary address listed on your account. The email will include your scholarship offer and registration instructions.
- Upon approval, each family will complete their own registration for programs. Please plan to pay the applicable deposit for requested camp weeks.
Eligible campers with special needs may submit an online Grant Request Form to receive 10 days of respite care through our Best Week Ever Day Camp Program in three locations (Dallas, Hazleton and Scranton). Guardians will be responsible for optional fees including transportation, extended care and trips. If campers are eligible for 1:1 support in their school setting, they should attend with that same support for the full time they are at camp. Our grant cycle opens in January and will close in April or when we reach our maximum funding in each location.
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Click here to access our >> Grant Request Form
- Log in to your account (New families can create an account and add all family members to the account).
- Select the name of the person for whom you are completing the form (Please complete a separate form for each camper that is applying).
- Complete the Grant Request form on the screen and submit.
- Please allow at least two weeks for us to process your request. You will receive an email to the primary address listed on your account. The email will include your grant offer and registration instructions.
- Upon approval, each family will complete their own registration for camp program, pay for optional fees including transportation, extended care and trips.
Please email [email protected] when you have made your reservations. Camp Orchard Hill will manually apply your grant payment to cover the base registration fee for 10 days of Respite Care.
Camp Orchard Hill has carefully cultivated an atmosphere of relational, emotional, physical and spiritual safety. Our staff team will model healthy, caring relationships and then expect the same from campers in the group setting. Our programs are specifically designed to develop and promote teamwork and inclusion. Bullying behavior is contrary to our vision and mission and will not be tolerated.
If a camper bullies another camper, they will meet with leadership for an explanation of the offending behavior and the harmful effects that result. If the behavior continues, the camper will be sent home.
Bullying will be defined as physical, verbal or emotional abuse, hazing or threats. A pattern of continued behavior will result in dismissal.
- Verbal abuse including taunting, gossiping, mocking, name calling
- Physical abuse including hitting, pushing, shoving, kicking
- Organized social rejection including exclusion from activities or groups
- Public humiliation
- Threatening racist, religious or sexist remarks
- Frightening acts
Please reach out to the office at (570) 333-4098 x100 or [email protected] at any time throughout the summer. Our leadership team is available and would like to address any questions or concerns that arise.
We use the primary email address on your account to communicate important details before camp and during the summer season. When you register, you will receive a confirmation to your primary email to indicate that you were successful. Please make sure you receive this email and contact us if you don’t! Then expect to receive a weekly email on the Sunday before each session that you reserved. Entrance into camp facilities is limited during our summer weeks to approved staff and registered campers only. Please use phone or email to reach us with questions or concerns throughout the summer! [email protected] or (570) 333-4098 x100. Our office team will be happy to help – or to distribute your question to the correct person.
Your reservation and accompanying $50 deposit will hold your camper’s spot for the specific weeks or days of camp that you have selected. We expect that all weeks of Day Camp will sell out, so we need to uphold policies that make the registration process fair for each family. Please read these policies carefully so that you know what to expect!
- Your $50 deposit for each week of camp is non-refundable and will be forfeited if the week is canceled. This applies to each week canceled. (e.g. 2 weeks canceled $100 fee) This also applies to cancellation of per-day options. $10 will be forfeited for each day canceled.
- Session balances will be due monthly. The full session fee becomes non-refundable on these dates and will be forfeited in the case of cancellation.
Full payment for June Weeks 1-4 will be due June 1.
Full payment for July Weeks 5-8 will be due July 1.
Full payment for August Weeks 9-10 will be due August 1.
- Each reservation is specific to the week or days that you selected and cannot be transferred to a different week or day.
- Missed days of camp cannot be refunded or transferred (e.g. missed Friday and want to come back next week for a day)
Please plan to log in to your account before June 1, before July 1 and before August 1 to pay your session balances and to update your trip selections, transportation, extended care and to add snack shop money.
We recommend that your camper arrive to camp each day in play clothes, closed toed shoes and a first layer of sunscreen. They should pack a book bag with:
- Reusable Water bottle
- Bathing Suit and Towel
- Flip Flops or Water Shoes
- Sunscreen or Bug Spray according to parent preference
We recommend that you label all items with your campers first and last name.
Please ask your camper not to bring personal toys, trading cards or other important treasures to camp as they are easily lost and can cause controversy among campers.
Morning Snack and Lunch are included in the price of your Day Camp experience, so you’re off the hook for summer lunches! You may pack a lunch if you prefer, and we recommend items that will be stable in your camper’s bag until lunch time.
Part of the power of camp is the freedom to unplug from the constant noise and distraction of technology, in order to build skills, build meaningful relationships and enjoy the beauty of creation. For this reason, campers are not permitted to bring their cell phones to camp. If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact us in the office at (570) 333-4098. We will also post photos of camp activities regularly to help you share in the camp experience. Check out opportunities to communicate with your camper while they are at camp!
Campers will be grouped by the grade level they are entering in the fall for attendance, headcounts and counselor ratios. Individual grade groupings will create smaller group sizes and ensure that campers are with their school friends! Campers will have opportunity to make activity choices during the day and will have opportunity to interact with campers in similar grade levels.
Ratio requirements vary based on the age of campers and the camp setting.
- For Day Camp ages 4-5, the ratio is 1 counselor to every 6 campers.
- For Day Camp ages 6-9, the ratio is 1 counselor to every 8 campers.
- For Day Camp ages 10-15, the ratio is 1 counselor to every 10 campers.
We hire every seasonal staff member as if they were caring for our own children and provide intense training to prepare them for service. All Camp Orchard Hill Staff undergo a rigorous screening process including an application with references, an interview, plus state and national criminal background checks. Each team member completes a week-long training and orientation program that covers all aspects of camp life and ACA requirements for staff readiness. Staff will be trained in new health and safety protocols based on CDC and PA Department of Health guidelines regarding COVID-19.
At Camp Orchard Hill, we plan every activity with your child’s safety in mind. In the unlikely event that he or she requires medical attention while at camp, COH is prepared with a registered nurse on duty 24/7, certified lifeguards, and staff certified in CPR and First Aid.
If your child has an accident or illness, we will use the primary contact information that you have provided on their health form, as well as alternate contacts if you cannot be reached. This process is initiated by the Director and/or the lead health-care provider, but can be delegated to an appropriate staff member. Since we have no way of determining what each person considers an emergency, the general camp practice is to contact parents when there is concern about a camper’s health and/or when a situation is not progressing as expected. Because many people remotely access their voice mail, it is expected that camp personnel will leave a voice message that appropriately communicates the need for a given parent to call the camp.
If it is necessary to seek medical attention, every attempt will be made to contact parents prior to treatment and again at the conclusion of treatment to provide an update on the camper’s health.
As an accredited member of the American Camping Association, you can be assured that we comply with up to 300 health, safety and program quality standards. Being accredited by the ACA is solid proof of our accountability, credibility and commitment to you, the parents, and your campers.
Inclusive Day Camp for Campers with Specialized Support Needs
Camp Orchard Hill provides Respite Care for children with special needs through our summer Day Camp program! Day Camp is a fully inclusive setting, and our program focuses on building skills and gaining self-esteem as part of the outdoor experience, with opportunities to participate in all activities alongside their peers.
Campers must be able to navigate uneven terrain and be potty independent or provide a caregiver to assist with the task. In addition, if a camper is eligible for 1:1 behavioral support at school or if they are in a life skills classroom with built in support, they must also have support for the full amount of time they are at camp.
Campers that have 1:1 support at school or are in a self-contained classroom that provides behavioral support, remain eligible for Best Week Ever Day Camp as long as they are eligible for school services (generally age 21).
Testimonials
“Thank you and your staff so much for providing [our daughter] with such a wonderful experience this summer. I cannot even tell you how much she loved Camp Orchard Hill, and how excited she was literally every day when she got home…Your camp kept her active and engaged all summer…please pass my thanks along to your counselors and professional staff at the camp. We were so thrilled with our experience and will tell everyone we know!”
“Thank you!!! [My son] got in the car and shouted ‘BEST DAY EVER!’ Lots of mom prayers and the extra mile from you and your staff helped SOOO much this week! He told me his counselor spent time talking with him and made him feel included! I’m big on relationships so please pass on how much of an impact that made! You guys are top notch!”