Do you have questions about YMCA Summer Camp? Search below to find the answers to some Frequently Asked Questions.
Summer Camp - General FAQs
December 15, 2025: Summer Camp scholarship application opens
January 21, 2026: For YMCA staff; members; current and registered Out of School Time and Full Day Out participants; 2025 Summer Camp participants; scholarship recipients.
(Memberships not eligible for early registration include Virtual, Y-Starter and Y-Premium Individual memberships. Y-Premium Couple memberships are allowable if the child is the second individual on the account.)
January 28, 2026: General public – all others
Day Camp
Specialty – Adventure Camp
Specialty – Basketball Camp
Specialty – Culinary Camp
NEW! Kinder Camp (select locations)
Day Camp:
- Arvada-Duncan YMCA (6/1-8/21; Before & After; no care 6/19 & 7/3)
- Ages: 5-6, 7-8, 9-12
- Aurora YMCA (6/1-7/31; After Care; no care 6/19 & 7/3)
- Elkhart Elementary (6/1-7/31; Before & After; CCCAP; no care 6/19 & 7/3)*
- Excel Academy (6/1-7/31; After care; CCCAP; no care 6/19 & 7/3)*
- Glendale Sports Center (6/1-8/7; Before & After; no care 6/19 & 7/3)
- Morey Middle School (6/1-7/24; Before & After; CCCAP; no care 6/19 & 7/3)*
- Reunion (6/1-8/7; After care; no care 6/19 & 7/3)
- Peak Elementary (6/1-8/7; After Care; CCCAP; no care 6/19 & 7/3)*
- Shelton Elementary (6/1-8/7; After Care; CCCAP; no care 6/19 & 7/3)*
- Southwest YMCA (6/1-8/21; Before & After; CCCAP; no care 6/19 & 7/3)*
- Ages: 5-6, 7-8, 9-12
- Teller Elementary (6/1-7/24; After Care; no care 6/19 & 7/3)
- Trailside Academy (6/8-7/31; Before & After; CCCAP; no care 6/19 & 7/3)*
- Yale Elementary (6/1-7/31; After care; CCCAP; no care 6/19 & 7/3)*
- University Hills-Schlessman YMCA (6/1-8/21; Before & After; CCCAP; no care 6/19 & 7/3)*
- Ages: 5-6, 7-8, 9-12
Modified Day Camp
- Montclair Elementary
Specialty Camps:
- Arvada-Duncan YMCA
- University Hills-Schlessman YMCA
Kinder Camps:
- Arvada-Duncan YMCA*
- Southwest YMCA*
- University Hills-Schlessman YMCA*
*accepting CCCAP
Day Camp: 8 AM – 4 PM | Monday – Friday
Before Camp care: 6:30 AM – 8 AM | Monday – Friday | offered at an additional cost and only at select locations
After Camp care: 4 PM – 5:30 PM | offered at an additional cost and only at select locations.
Day Camp: Modified Series: 8 AM – 4 PM | Monday – Friday
June 15 - July 24, 2026
Kinder Camp: 7 AM – 5:30 PM | Monday – Friday | offered only at select locations
Specialty Camps:
Adventure Camp: Monday – Thursday | 8 AM – 4 PM
Basketball & Culinary Camp: Monday – Friday | 8 AM – 4 PM
Day Camp: $270 for members/$320 non-members
Specialty Camp-Adventure: $490 for members/$545 for non-members
Specialty Camp-Basketball: $345 for members/$395 for non-members
Specialty Camp-Culinary: $455 for members/$505 for non-members
Kinder Camp: $437.50 for members/$487.50 for non-members
Before Care: $32 for members/$35 non-members
After Care: $32 for members/$35 non-members
The price will be different for 4-day camp weeks due to fewer camp day care offered.
If you register before May 15, 2026: You may pay in full at registration or through automatic monthly payments.
If you register on or after May 15, 2026: You must pay in full for all weeks of Summer Camp.
If you miss a monthly payment, your registration may be withdrawn with a 10% withdrawal fee, based on the payment schedule below:
*Withdrawal fee percentage applied to your total camp cost.
No for both!
However, a future billing method is required to complete the registration. We encourage you to set up an ACH/bank account in your YMCA Account for your billing method. Here’s how to set up a payment method in your YMCA Account.
A YMCA Account. Don't have an account?
Set up your YMCA account
Spanish - How to set up account.pdf
Preferred location, desired Camp weeks, whether you need Before- and/or After-Camp Care or other add-ons (available at select locations).
A preferred payment method on file in your account. We encourage you to set up an ACH/bank account for your billing method.
Full registration payment or initial payment to begin monthly payment schedule*:
*Monthly payment option available for registration before May 15, 2026.
After registering for Summer Camp, you will receive a follow-up communication from the Y with a link to complete additional required registration forms within your YMCA Account — including authorized pick-ups, emergency contacts, sunscreen authorization, medical authorization and more.
Your camp registration is not complete until you complete these required forms, and the deadline to complete them is May 15, 2026. Those with incomplete forms will not be able to attend camp until completed.
We encourage you to complete these forms in your YMCA account right after you register!
YMCA Premium Couple including two individuals, one must be 18+, same household.
YMCA Premium Household including two adults and up to six dependents ages 23 and under, same household.
Do you need to change your YMCA membership to receive the member rate? Contact us. Please allow 48 hours to process and confirm your account change.
Note! It is YMCA policy that you must be a Denver YMCA member – with participating children on your account - at the time of program registration and at the time of the program operation to take advantage of member pricing.
No.
For Day Camp, the YMCA accepts youth ages 5 to 12. Age restrictions apply at registration for select locations.
For Kinder Camp, the YMCA accepts youth ages 4 and 5. Age restrictions apply at registration.
For Specialty Camps:
Adventure, Basketball, and Culinary Camp: the age range is 10 to 14
Yes. Ages are 4 and 5- catered towards rising Kindergarteners. Campers age 5 and up can attend Day Camp if they have completed Kindergarten.
The deadline to register for any week of camp is the Wednesday before the Monday of the camp week. For example, the deadline for camp week June 21, 2026 is Wednesday, June 16, 2026.
All required camp forms are due the Thursday before the Monday of the camp week at 12 PM
Due to high demand for our Summer Camp programs, we maintain a waitlist for locations that have reached capacity. Families on the waitlist will be considered for enrollment as spots become available.
Waitlist questions: please email Lennon Wolfe
Waitlist Management & Notification Process
There is no payment required to be on the waitlist.
The waitlist will be reviewed once per week to identify available openings.
If a spot becomes available, you will receive a notification via email and text message with an offer to be registered.
You have 72 hours to respond and confirm your acceptance of the available spot. Once you accept the spot, your on-file payment method will be charged for registration.
Registration Requirements
To accept the offered spot, you must respond to either the email or text within 72 hours.
A current credit card must be on file to finalize enrollment. Failure to provide valid payment information (including expired credit/debit cards) may result in the spot being offered to the next family on the waitlist.
Additional Information
Being on the waitlist does not guarantee a spot in the program.
Families who do not respond within the 72-hour timeframe will be removed from the current waitlist but may reapply to rejoin the waitlist.
If you decline a spot, you must rejoin the waitlist if you wish to be considered in the future.
If you have multiple children on the waitlist, we cannot guarantee that all children will be enrolled in camp.
Waitlist spots cannot be transferred to other weeks or other types of camp.
If, while on the waitlist, you find another option for your child and want to be removed from the waitlist, you can remove yourself from the waitlist. Here’s how:
Go into your YMCA Account.
Go to My Classes.
Drop down for waitlisted enrollments
Select child you want to unenroll
If you wish to cancel your Summer Camp registration, contact us online with your request. We must receive your cancellation request in writing. You may receive a refund or credit depending on when you submit your cancellation request:
Cancel 21 days or more before your child’s first day of camp: Full refund or full account credit, minus 10% cancellation fee*
Cancel 7-20 days before your child’s first day of camp: 50% refund or full account credit, minus 10% cancellation fee*
Cancel 1-6 days before your child’s first day of camp: No refund or account credit
NOTE:
In special, extenuating circumstances, a full refund may be approved for cancellations less than 21 days before the first day of camp. These refunds are approved on a case-by-case basis, and a 10% cancellation fee applies.
You may transfer your Camp registration (to a different Denver Y camp or a different week of the same summer) up to 7 days before your first day of camp for an additional 10% processing fee.
*All refunds and credits are subject to a 10% cancellation fee. Cancellation and transfer fee percentage applied to your total camp cost.
The YMCA of Metro Denver's EIN#84-0402696. If you have ay issues related to tax information, please contact us.
Summer Camp - Financial Assistance FAQs
Yes, through the generosity of our donors, the YMCA offers financial assistance to eligible families. The scholarship application process for Summer Camp 2026 is open. There are a limited number of scholarships for Summer Day Camp, and applications are considered in the order they are received.
Our application is fully online. Visit https://www.denverymca.org/programs/uplifting-community/financial-assistance.
Please, read carefully, as the CCCAP Summer Camp registration process has changed from past years.
Summer Camp registration opens for CCCAP families on April 1, 2026. (Do not register with the general public. If you do, you may be responsible for the cost of any Summer Camp weeks you register for.)
Summer Camp for CCCAP families will be offered on a monthly basis. For example: all of June and/or all of July.
An Authorization Letter is required when registering — see details in registration steps below.
Families will be responsible for a monthly parent fee based on agreement from the county. When you receive your Authorization Letter, the parent fee will be noted as determined by the respective program and based on family circumstance. This fee will be due to the YMCA of Metro Denver.
TO REGISTER, complete our Contact Us form on or after April 1,2026 as follows:
Under Category drop-down menu, select “YMCA of Metro Denver – Summer Camp.”
Under Request Type, select CCCAP.
Enter your child or children’s name/s and date/s of birth.
Under Location, select your preferred location of camp.
In Subject Line, enter “CCCAP – Summer Camp” and your first and last name.
In Message, indicate whether you want your child/children to be enrolled in Summer Camp for June, July, and/or August.
In Browse for a File box, upload a copy of your Authorization Letter.
Enter your contact details.
Select Submit Request.
If you are new to CCCAP and do not have a YMCA account, please contact us.
Questions about CCCAP? Contact us.
If you are awarded a scholarship, the scholarship award must be utilized within 30 days of award. After January 7, 2026, go to denverymca.org/summer-camp. Find the Summer Camp option and location that works best for you. Register on the appropriate registration date.
Before you check out, click on the shopping cart at the top right of your screen. A cart screen will appear. Be sure to enter the scholarship code from your award email in the coupon code section. Apply Code and your grand total will be adjusted. Then, check out as usual.
No. Summer Camp 2025 scholarships were authorized for June – August 2025. You must re-apply to be considered for a scholarship for 2026.
Summer Camp - After Registration & Registration Issues
The YMCA will send updates via email to the address on file in your YMCA Account. Please be sure you are opted in to receive all updates. You will receive communication from your child's Camp no later than May 15, 2026.
Did you opt out of our emails? Re-subscribe here.
Summer Camp Kick-off events will be Saturday, May 2 at four Denver Y camp locations:
Arvada-Duncan YMCA | Times TBD
For campers registered at: Arvada Y and Arvada Kinder Camp, Excel, Reunion, Shelton, Trailside
Aurora YMCA | Times TBD
For campers registered at: Aurora Y, Elkhart, Yale
Southwest YMCA | Times TBD
For campers registered at: Southwest Y and Southwest Kinder Camp
University Hills-Schlessman YMCA | Times TBD
For campers registered at: University Hills Y and University Hills Kinder Camp, Glendale, Montclair, Stedman
These events are a chance to meet camp counselors, ask questions about camp, complete required paperwork, get your medication plan checked and take a swim test (Arvada location only).
You may be experiencing this because users have added a Camp spot to their cart but have not checked out. Their order will remain in their cart for about 12 hours and then be made available again. Or you may be experiencing this because enrollment is full and there is a waitlist for the Camp.
No matter the reason, the best thing to do is to follow the steps to be added to the waitlist for the Camp. Our staff reviews the waitlist regularly and will reach out to you via email and text message when there is a spot open for you — you have 72 hours to respond and claim your spot.
Please contact us.