We are pleased to be able to offer financial assistance to families who meet certain income requirements.

The Financial Aid deadline was April 18, 2008.  Applications are currently being reviewed.

SUMMER CHAMPS

Camp Ketcha welcomes all students participating in the Summer Champs program through the Portland Public Schools. All students registering through this program must provide their Summer Champs number on the registration form. We also request that parents indicate on the registration form how much of the $1,000 award will be allocated toward their child’s tuition at Camp Ketcha.

Camp Ketcha requires that all Summer Champs participants pay the $20 individual/$50 family membership fee and a $50 deposit for each session of camp at the time of registration. These will be refunded once Camp Ketcha has been paid in full by Summer Champs. If the total amount of tuition for your child’s camp experience is greater than the allocation you have made to Camp Ketcha on your Summer Champs registration form, this difference must be paid in full prior to your child’s attendance at camp.

Please feel free to call us with any questions about the Summer Champs program at Camp Ketcha.

THIRD PARTY AGENCIES

Camp Ketcha is happy to work with community agencies that subsidize camp tuition. Any family receiving financial assistance from an outside organization such as DHS, Aspire, Child Care Connections, or another service provider, must provide written authorization from the agency that states that your child has been approved to attend Camp Ketcha and it must indicate how much of the total tuition will be paid by the agency and how much, if anything, is the parents’ or guardians’ responsibility. This total amount must match the tuition due on your child’s registration form. We will consider any difference between what was authorized by the outside agency and the total amount due to be the parent/guardian’s responsibility, and that portion must be paid in full before the child will be allowed to attend camp.

A NOTE ABOUT FLEXIBLE SPENDING ACCOUNT CARDS

Day camps are considered to be eligible for reimbursement through most Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts provided by participating employers. Many of these programs provide employees with a debit card (usually a MasterCard or Visa) by which to make payments. However, the benefits administration companies that provide these cards put restrictions on the places at which they can be used.

Camp Ketcha, because it is a day camp and charitable organization, and not strictly a day care, has been considered an ineligible location for card acceptance. This is because Camp Ketcha accepts credit cards for other transactions, such as charitable donations or facility rentals, that are not child care services. If someone attempts to use this card either online or at camp, the transaction will be denied. This denial is not because Camp Ketcha will not accept your card (we would be more than happy to do so if the card providers would authorize it). It is also not related to the amount of money in your account. This is strictly because the card provider has placed a restriction on the locations at which you may use your card.

Therefore, please use a debit or credit card other than the flexible spending account debit card. You will be required by your benefits administrator to be reimbursed in another manner. If you have any questions about this issue, please contact your benefits administrator. We apologize for any inconvenience this causes and appreciate your patronage of Camp Ketcha.