Everything You Need To Know Before Your First Day At Stutelage Summer Camp

At Stutelage Innovations, we want you and your child to step through our doors on day one feeling completely confident, informed, and excited. Whether you have registered for a single morning camp or weeks of full-day sessions, consider this your comprehensive welcome guide, packing blueprint, and safety checklist.

Camp Schedule

Our morning camp session runs from 9am – 12pm. If you need a little extra care, you can register for 8am early drop off ($12/child/day) or 8:30am early drop off ($6/child/day). 

Our afternoon session runs from 12:30pm – 3:30pm. If you need to pick up your child later, we have late pick up options at 4pm ($6/child/day) or 4:30pm ($12/child/day).

Campers who are registered for an AM and PM camp do NOT pay for the lunch club time from 12-12:30pm. Please pack a lunch and we will eat in between camps. There is no need to pick your child up in between camp sessions.

Campers who are attending only a half day session may add on 30 extra minutes of care for lunch club from 12:00 – 12:30pm for $6/child/day. Please pack a lunch.

To add on early drop off, late pick up, or paid lunch club, you can register for it at the time of registration, add it on through your Active account, or send us an email at [email protected].

Drop Off And Pick Up Procedures 

Parents are not allowed in the building when children are in the building. Please wait outside the door for the teacher to open the door. We do not open the doors early for drop-off.

East Amherst ONLY:

• AM Drop Off is between 8:50am – 9:10am.
• AM Pick Up is between 11:55am – 12:05pm. Campers picked up after 12:05pm will be charged a $6 late pick up fee per child.
• PM Drop Off is between 12:25pm – 12:40pm.
• PM pick up is between 3:25pm – 3:40pm. Campers picked up after 3:40pm (without a paid late pick up registration) will be charged a $6/half hour late pick up fee per child.

All Other Locations:

• AM Drop Off is between 8:55am – 9:00am.
• AM Pick Up is between 11:55am – 12:00pm. Campers picked up after 12:00pm will be charged a $6 late pick up fee per child.
• PM Drop Off is between 12:25pm – 12:30pm.
• PM pick up is between 3:25pm – 3:30pm. Campers picked up after 3:30pm (without a paid late pick up registration) will be charged a $6 late pick up fee per child.

What if I need to pick my child up early?

Please do not ring the doorbell before dismissal for pick up as we are busy packing up our campers and finishing instruction. If you need to pick up your child early, please contact us at [email protected] to let us know the date and time that you will pick up your child. We will alert the teachers so they have the child ready. 

What if I will be arriving late?

Please reach out to us at [email protected] to let us know if you will be more than 10 minutes late. 

What if my child can no longer attend camp (less than 72 hours notice)?

Please report absences to this online form.

What To Pack And What To Leave At Home

To ensure your camper has a comfortable, successful, and organized day, please send each child in with a labeled backpack with the items listed below. Please do not send a shared backpack for siblings or just a lunch box.

• A Labeled Water Bottle: Our camps are highly interactive, hands-on, and filled with movement. We take many water breaks to ensure our campers stay hydrated. Please send a spill-proof bottle clearly labeled with your child’s name that your child can open and close independently. We refill water bottles throughout the day, so no need to pack more than one!
• A Nut-Free Snack: Campers have snacks during both the morning and afternoon camp sessions. Please pack a nut-free snack for each session your child will be attending that day. We recommend keeping snacks separate from lunch and labeling them so your child knows which food items are snacks and which are lunch.
• A Nut-Free Lunch (Full-Day Campers Only): Campers staying for the full day or using our paid lunch club extended care time should bring a nut-free lunch. Please pack food in packaging that campers are able to open independently. If you pack a nut-free alternative that looks like nuts, such as sunbutter, please label the packaging so the teachers supervising lunch club are aware that it is allergy-friendly.
• A Change of Clothes: Please include a change of clothes, including undergarments, in the backpack in case of an accident or a spill.

What to Leave at Home: Please do not bring the following items to camp: personal toys, stuffed animals, trading cards, handheld electronic gaming devices, cell phones, tablets, and expensive valuables. Exceptions are made for camp-specific items for very few themes such as bringing dolls to our American Girl Doll camp. 

Our Strict Nut-Free Policy

We are proud to offer an environment that is safe for campers who navigate severe, life-threatening food allergies. Stutelage Innovations facilities and camps are strictly nut-free environments.

We ask that you carefully inspect all ingredient labels on snacks and lunches before packing them for the day. Please do not send peanut butter, treenuts, trail mixes, granola bars with nuts, etc. into camp.

Managing Emergency Medications & Epi-Pens

If your child carries an Epi-Pen, inhaler, or other life-saving emergency medication, we’re here to help. Our staff is trained to respond quickly and appropriately in the event of an emergency.

Before your child’s first day of camp, please prepare the medication as follows:

• Place the medication in a gallon-size ziplock bag or protective case labeled with your child’s full name.
• Ensure the medication is in its original prescription packaging with the pharmacy label showing your child’s first and last name and the prescribing physician. If you no longer have the box, you can reach out to the pharmacy to print you a new label.
• Include a provider’s note confirming the medication is prescribed for your child along with instructions for use. This is a New York State Department of Health requirement and helps us safely support your camper.

At Check In

Please have the medication out of your child’s backpack and ready to hand directly to the teacher during check in. We will check the medication in each morning and return it to your child’s backpack before dismissal each day. For safety, medications are not stored overnight at camp.

Please Note

This procedure applies only to emergency rescue medications, such as Epi-Pens and rescue inhalers. Our staff is unable to administer daily or routine medications during camp.

Total Transparency: Knowing What Your Child Is Learning

We don’t believe parents should ever have to guess what their children are doing all day. We operate with a policy of total transparency. For every single camp theme we offer, we publicly publish the four specific core activities scheduled for each and every day.

When you browse our online registration portal, you can click on “View More” under any camp listing to see the exact lesson plans, scientific experiments, literacy links, and creative crafts your child will be exploring.

Want a live look at the action while you’re at work or running errands? We update our Instagram stories (@Stutelage) constantly throughout camp days, giving you a real-time window into the laughter, discoveries, and masterpieces happening inside our classrooms!

Cancellation and Transfer Policies

REFUND POLICY

• Refunds will be honored through May 15, 2026. You may self-cancel in your Active account. The self-cancellation feature is removed after May 15th.
• A $6 cancellation fee per camp, per day applies.
• The registration fee is non-refundable.
• Refunds will only be issued if a government mandate requires the camp to shut down.

TRANSFER POLICY

• Transfers may be requested with at least 72 hours’ notice and are subject to availability. Availability is not guaranteed, and refunds will not be given if no openings are available.
• Transfers to a different location require payment of the ~5% registration fee again.
• All transfer requests must be submitted via this online form with 72 hours’ notice.
• No exceptions will be made to the 72-hour policy for any reason, including illness, positive COVID tests, or unexpected conflicts.
• Please confirm your child’s availability before registering.
• Another child may attend in place of your child with advance approval. Email [email protected] to arrange.

What if I registered the wrong child or double-registered my child?

Mistakes are subject to the same policies above. We HIGHLY recommend registering each child in a separate transaction to prevent errors. If you register the wrong child, the ~5% registration fee will be charged again because we have to cancel the order and start a new registration to register the correct child.

If you registered your child for a duplicate registration, you may transfer the registration to another camp. Duplicate registrations follow the same cancellation and transfer policies above.

What if my child wants to switch themes for camps running at the same time at East Amherst?

With 72 hours notice, we are happy to transfer camps pending availability via this online form.

I don’t have anything I want to transfer to. Can you credit my account?

Sorry, but camp transfers are only valid for the same season that they are purchased for.

Viewing Your Camp Schedule

To see what camps you have registered for, please login to your Active portal to view your schedule.

Waitlists

Because of our super flexible transfer policies and numerous locations, many campers are able to get off the waitlist. Be sure to keep a lookout in your email as our email invitations only last for a short period of time before they are sent to the next camper in line. If you miss a waitlist invitation, you can add your child back to the waitlist (at the end of the line).

If you do not get off the waitlist, please consider looking at the next closest location for availability! Campers are welcome to attend more than one location.

Can I See The Camp Location Ahead Of Time?

We do not allow parents inside of the building for the safety of our campers. We are happy to give parents a private tour of our camp locations by appointment. Please note that we typically schedule 15-minute tours for 7:45am and 4:30pm when campers are not in the building. We apologize, but we do not have access to our satellite locations outside of the summer camp season, so we cannot schedule tours before the first day of camp. You can, however, schedule a tour of the East Amherst location outside of the camp season. Please email [email protected] to schedule a tour.

Tips For Preparing Your Child For The First Day

Looking for more tips on how to help set your child up for success on day one? Check out our blog post: How To Prepare Your Child For Their First Day Of Summer Camp

If you have any remaining questions, never hesitate to reach out to our main office team at 716.362.7848 or email us at [email protected]. We’ll see you soon!