Camp Enrollment Policies

Important Note About Eligibility: Campers are accepted for enrollment based on a staff review of the completed application and the Camper Profile, an interview if necessary, and the availability of space within the child’s age group. Campers will only be considered enrolled once their completed application and Camper Profile has been reviewed by our Camper Care team. Occasionally, prior to Camp it is determined that Ramah Darom is not the right fit for a child. If this should happen, the family will receive a full refund of any fees paid.

Campers must arrive in good health and all campers must agree to Camp Ramah Darom’s rules of behavior including those outlined in the Camp Brit (Covenant) found in the Parent-Camper Handbook.

Jewish Education: Ramah Darom campers are immersed in Jewish living in a way that impacts their life outside of Camp. Connecting campers’ experiences at Camp with their life outside of Camp will help to deepen and strengthen their Jewish identity. Participation in a program of supervised, formal Jewish learning to complement the summer is a critical component (day school, synagogue school, Hebrew High, online courses, etc). Therefore, we strongly recommend that our campers commit to Jewish learning beyond the summer.

Kayitz 2023 Rates

Discounts

• Returning Campers: Register for Kayitz 2023 within one week of the end of your 2022 session to receive $300 off per camper for any 4 or 8-week session and $50 off for shorter sessions.
• All Campers: Register by October 1 to receive $150 off per camper for any 4 or 8-week session ($50 off for 1-3 week sessions). Returning campers already receiving $300 off do not qualify for this discount (only one early discount option per camper!).
• Sibling Discount: $180 off each additional sibling attending a 3, 4 or 8-week session (discount does not apply to the first sibling).
• Full Summer Discount: Sign up for both Session Aleph and Bet and receive $2,550 off.  Note: This discount is already included in the “Full Summer” and Gesher rates listed in the grid above. Campers receiving the full summer discount will still receive other applicable discounts.
• Military Discount: $2,000 off per 3, 4 or 8-week session. $1,000 off for Garinim. $400 for Ta’am.

Other Charges

GOOD NEWS: This year, we are no longer charging bus fees to/from Atlanta.

Security Fee: To help offset rising security costs, a $118 Security Fee per camper ($72 for programs 2 weeks or shorter) will be added to each camper’s account.

Credit Card Payments: For those choosing to pay via credit card, a $150 credit card processing fee per session ($300 for Gesher, $75 for Garinim, waived for Ta’am) will be added to your account. This fee will be credited back to your account if you pay tuition in full by December 1, 2022.

Other Charges: You will receive advance notice of any additional charges added to your account at a later date – for example, bus transportation from communities outside Atlanta, airplane baggage charges or medical expenses. Note that Campers from South Florida are required to ship their luggage to Camp using Camp Trucking; the cost for this service will be charged directly by the shipping company.

The $1,000 registration deposit per camper ($500 for Garinim, $250 for Ta’am) will be processed when you register your camper. If you are registering after December 1st, you will also be charged any installments that were due prior to your registration date.

By submitting your camper’s application, you are accepting responsibility for payment of the full tuition for your camper’s enrollment. Payment of all fees is due by May 1, 2023. Accounts not paid in full by May 1, 2023, will be assessed a $125 late payment fee. In order to attend Camp, all fees must be paid in full before the session begins. There will be no exceptions to this policy without prior arrangements with our Finance Associate, Deanne Brown.

Ramah Darom is committed to ensuring that every parent has the opportunity to give their child the enriching benefits of a Jewish summer camp experience.

The majority of financial aid comes from local sources including local Jewish Federations, synagogues, Sisterhoods/Brotherhoods and Jewish Family Services. After applying to all available local sources, families in need of additional assistance may also apply for a Ramah Darom scholarship. Please see our Financial Aid 1, 2, 3 page for more information and for links to applications.

First-time campers may also be eligible for a One Happy Camper or PJ Goes to Camp grant of up to $1,000! See links on the Financial Aid 1, 2, 3 page.

Ramah Darom staff work year-round to plan for a successful, fun and safe summer. Our refund policy reflects the reality that a significant portion of our expenses are incurred well before summer Camp begins. As a non-profit, Ramah Darom relies on tuition fees to fund our year-round operations.

How to Change or Cancel Your Enrollment: All changes to enrollment status or cancellations must be submitted in writing via email to camp@ramahdarom.org. Requests for changes made by phone will not be honored. 

You will receive a response within seven days confirming your request has been processed. If we have not acknowledged your email within seven days, please call our registrar Andrea Cohen at 404-477-1038 to confirm that your request was received since emails can sometimes go to spam. Note that your change or cancellation request is only considered processed if you have received an email acknowledgment from Ramah Darom.

Session Changes: Requests for changes from one 4-week Session to another may be made without penalty pending available space.

Campers arriving late/leaving early: There is no pro-rating of tuition for campers who need to arrive late or who depart Camp before the end of the session.

Health Emergencies: Campers who withdraw prior to a session for a documented health emergency will be eligible for a full refund, less a $500 administrative fee. Campers withdrawn during a session for documented medical reasons will have a pro-rated portion of tuition refunded, after a $900 withdrawal fee.

Dismissal: If a camper is dismissed for a behavioral infraction, there will be no refund. If a camper is dismissed involuntarily from Camp as a result of a parent/guardian’s failure to provide accurate or complete behavioral and or medical information, there will be no refund.

Refunds for Declined Vaccination Exemptions requests: See below for the process to request a Vaccination exemption. If an exemption request received by the April 1^st deadline is declined by our Medical Committee, a full refund will be provided less a $500 administrative fee. If the request was made after the deadline and declined by our Medical Committee, the standard cancellation policy will apply.

We encourage families to consider purchasing Trip Protection Insurance.

Among our most cherished Jewish values is the importance of preserving life and maintaining health. Reducing the risk of vaccine-preventable illnesses from entering any of our programs is the single most effective strategy we can take to protect the health and wellbeing of our community. This goal can only be accomplished through the appropriate vaccination of all those in residence at Ramah Darom. Despite the best precautions taken to reduce the spread of infectious diseases, a shared living and eating environment increases the risk of transmission. While we respect that individual families may choose to forgo vaccinations, we cannot compromise the safety of our community as a whole.

All campers and staff must adhere to the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) as outlined in Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s Recommended Immunization Schedules. This includes being vaccinated against Covid-19, including booster shots where recommended by the CDC. Note: Not all states have the same requirements, but ALL CDC recommended immunizations are required at Ramah

CDC Recommended Immunization Schedule for Age 18 Years and Younger
CDC Recommended Adult Immunization Schedule for Age 19 Years and Older

If you are not sure which vaccines you or your child(ren) have received, please ask your health care provide.

Vaccination Exemptions

There are exceptions to the Ramah Darom vaccination policy, but they are extremely rare. We recognize that individuals who have had a documented severe allergy or severe adverse reaction to a particular vaccine may not be able to complete the immunization schedule outlined by the AAP and the CDC. Additionally, individuals with medical conditions such as congenital immunodeficiency or HIV, cancer and who are receiving chemotherapy, transplant patients, and persons receiving immunosuppressive drugs and chronic steroids also may not be able to receive certain vaccines. In these extremely rare circumstances, we are happy to discuss case by case management of these extremely rare circumstances of medical contraindication to partial or complete vaccination.

Process for Vaccinations Exemption Requests

Any exemption requests, including requests for exemptions from the Covid vaccine or booster, must be submitted by April 1, 2023.

Exemption requests should be addressed to the Ramah Darom Medical Committee and emailed to Ramah Darom’s CEO wlevitt@ramahdarom.org. Requests must include current documentation from a Physician (MD or DO), or a Pediatric/Family Practice Advanced Practice Nurse (ARNP or PNP), describing the reason for exemption from immunization. Requests will be kept confidential and reviewed by our Medical Committee Chair, in consultation with members of the Ramah Darom Medical Committee. Ramah Darom is committed to ensuring a safe and healthy community and only grants vaccination exemptions in very rare circumstances.

Download a PDF of Ramah Darom’s updated Vaccination Policy.