Apply Now for Camperships (Updated)

Above: SYFS is offering scholarships for three camps based in Southborough to residents whose families qualify as needing financial support.

Southborough Youth and Family Services announced the details for this year’s program to partially/fully fund camp fees for qualifying families. (The percent they can cover depends on family size and income.)

The scholarships are offered for three camps in town. To take advantage of one of them, (Southborough Recreation’s) their announcement warns that families should to act quickly.

[Note: Before I get into more details. . . for readers that don’t need camperships, you can make a donation to support the program for those that do through the Friends of the Southborough Youth Commision’s Facebook “Donate” button here.]

Last year, the Town’s full day Rec camps filled up for the summer in about a day of opening registration. This year, to ensure that residents get priority, Rec has announced that registration for residents will get a head start over the general public. It will open the morning of March 6th for Southborough families. (Residents in other towns can begin registering on March 8th.)

But families who need camperships must go through SYFS to register for camps. That means, you’ll want to submit your application in time to have it approved before March 6th.  If that deadline is too tight (or it’s not the camp you’re interested in), there are other options.

For SYFS’s full details on applying, click here.

Below are some additional highlights about the three camps the Town’s scholarship can be used for:

Southborough Recreation

Mondays – Fridays at Woodward School campus with a weekly field trip for ages 7-12. (The tentative field trip schedule is in their brochure.)

• Half Day for ages 4-6 (8:30 – 12:30 pm) – must be potty trained
• Full Day for ages 4-12 (8:30 am – 4:00 pm)
• Counselor in Training program for ages 13-14 (8:15 am – 4:00 pm)

SEDP Summer Fun Club

This program is run by the public school’s Southborough Extended Day Program.

The website is still showing last year’s camp with this summer’s details not yet available. But they confirmed for SYFS that they will continue to offer registration for individual days up to four days per week and options for extended morning and evening hours.

Mondays – Wednesdays will be at Neary School campus, with field trips on Thursdays.

Last year’s hours were 8:30 am – 4:30 pm with the extended hours available as early as 7:30 am and as late as 6:00 pm.

Based on past years, the program will be open to kids who completed Pre-K through those entering 7th grade, and a CIT program for teens entering 8-9th grade. (Potty training isn’t required.)

FaySummer Day Camp

According to SYFS, Fay School’s Day Camp is offering them a limited number of free two-week sessions for full day camp scholarships for children entering 3rd – 9th grade.

To make the distribution of these weeks fair and equitable, there will be a lottery-style selection should interest exceed available slots.

The camp runs Mondays – Fridays from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm. (Fay’s website also has an option to pay for extended hours starting at 7:30 am and after camp through 6:00 pm.)

Updated (3/1/23 11:42 am) Southborough Rec clarified that field trips are only for the older campers (not ages 4-6) and I replaced the link for Southborough Extended Day Summer Camp as their old website has been taken down. Their information is now hosted on the NSBORO schools’ platform.