Camp Enrollment Policies

Summer Tuition Discounts: 

• Returning Campers: Re-register within one week of the end of your 2021 session to receive $300 off per camper. 
• All Campers: Register by October 1 to receive $150 off per 4 or 8-week session ($50 off per 1-3 week session)
• Full Summer Discount: Sign up for both Session Aleph and Bet and receive $2,500 off.  Note: This discount does not apply to Gesher.
• Sibling Discount: $180 off each additional sibling attending a 3+ week session (discount does not apply to the first sibling).
• Military Discount: $2,000 off each 3, 4 or 8-week session. $1,000 off for Garinim. $400 for Ta’am.

Financial Aid & First Time Camper Incentives

Eligibility

• Children who have completed 1^st grade are eligible for our NEW 5-night Ta’am: Taste of Ramah program.
• Children who have completed 2^nd grade are eligible for our REIMAGINED Garinim, an 11-night program.
• Children who have completed 3^rd grade are eligible to attend a 4-week summer session OR may attend our NEW Nitzanim K’tzara (short), a new 18-night program during Session Bet.
• Children who have completed 4^th-9^th grades may attend a 4-week session or Full Summer (8-week session).
• Returning campers who have completed 10^th grade may apply for the Gesher Leadership Development Institute, an 8-week summer program.
• Former Ramah Darom campers who require extra support may apply for the Tikvah Vocational Program.

Through the Henry and Annette Gibson Tikvah Support Program, Ramah Darom supports campers with physical disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, intellectual disabilities, communication disorders, ADHD, and anxiety disorders. Support is offered at no additional fee and is available to campers of all ages during all Camp sessions. Learn more about Tikvah Support.

Application for Enrollment

By submitting your camper’s application, you are accepting responsibility for payment of the full tuition for your camper’s enrollment. Campers will be considered enrolled once their completed application and Camper Profile has been received and 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.

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 require that our campers commit to Jewish learning outside of the home beyond the summer.

A $900 deposit per camper per session will be charged upon submission of your application ($250 for Ta’am, $500 for Garinim). This fee will be applied towards your tuition and will be refundable until January 1, 2022 (minus a $100 administration fee per camper).

Additional payments are due based on the schedule below, with the final payment due by May 1, 2022.

Families paying tuition via credit card will incur a 2.5% processing fee to help offset charges to Ramah Darom from the credit card companies. If you pay your tuition in full by December 1^st, we will waive this credit card fee.

Payment of all fees is due by May 1, 2022. Accounts not paid in full by May 1, 2022, 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.

2022 Tuition Rates

Campers registering for both Session Aleph and Bet (Full Summer) will receive a $2,500 discount, which is reflected in the Full Summer rate listed above.

There may be charges for additional services added to your account at a later date including bus transportation to and from Camp, airplane baggage charges and medical expenses. You will receive advance notice of any additional charges.

2022 Payment Schedule

The deposit will be processed when you register your camper.

Changes & Cancellations

Ramah Darom staff work year-round to plan for a successful, fun and safe summer. Our refund policy reflects the fact 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.

The $900 deposit per camper ($250 for Ta’am, $500 for Garinim) is fully refundable until January 1, 2022 (minus a $100 administration fee per camper). See the schedule below for cancellation policies after January 1st. Note that there is no tuition refund for voluntary withdrawals after May 1, 2022.

Campers who withdraw prior to a session for documented health emergencies will be eligible for a full refund, less a $500 administrative fee.

All cancellations or changes to enrollment status must be submitted on the family dashboard. Requests for changes made by phone or email will not be honored. 

Requests for changes from one 4-week Session to another may be made without penalty pending available space. Changes from Full Summer to a single 4-week Session, a 4-week Session to a 3-week program or full cancellation, will be subject to the following non-refundable, non-transferable fees.

Trip Protection Insurance

Refund Policy if a camper arrives late or leaves Camp early

Each camper 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.

If a camper is dismissed for a behavioral infraction there will be no refund. In the event any 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. There is no pro-rating of tuition for campers who need to arrive late or who depart Camp before the end of the session.

Campers withdrawn during a session for documented medical reasons will have a pro-rated portion of tuition refunded, after a $900 withdrawal fee.

Click here to download a Immunization Policy PDF

Ramah Darom Vaccine Policy Statement for Campers, Retreat Attendees, Family Camp Attendees, Staff, Visitors and Guests

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. Appropriate vaccination of all individuals will help us protect all members of our community and specifically, the most vulnerable: those who are too young to be vaccinated, the elderly, and/or those who have compromised immune systems. While we respect that individual families may choose to defer vaccinations, we cannot and will not defer the safety of our community as a whole.

Vaccination Requirements

We require that all individuals, families and staff planning to attend a program at Ramah Darom adhere to the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunizations Practices (ACIP) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) or the Canadian Pediatric Society (CPS) as outlined in US Centers for Disease Control & Prevention’s (CDC) Recommended Immunization Schedules.

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 provider.
Note: Not all states have the same requirements, but ALL CDC recommended immunizations are required at Ramah Darom.

Covid-19 Vaccination

Beginning in 2022, all Ramah Darom campers, attendees, staff and visitors eligible to be vaccinated against COVID-19 are required to complete full vaccination at least two weeks prior to the start of the program they are attending. This includes the Covid booster where indicated. This new policy applies to all Camp and Retreat programs at Ramah Darom, and is consistent with the approach endorsed by the National Ramah Commission Medical Committee.

Vaccination Exceptions

There are exceptions to the Ramah Darom vaccination policy, but they are extremely rare. We recognize that individuals who have had a documented 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, 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 must be furnished to Ramah Darom. We are happy to discuss case by case management of these extremely rare circumstances of medical contraindication to partial or complete vaccination. All requests for exemption will be reviewed by our Medical Chair, in consultation with the National Ramah medical committee.

In 2021, half of Camp Ramah Darom families received financial aid to enable them to send their children to Camp. As part of our effort to promote a supportive, caring community, we ask each family to make a minimum voluntary donation of $360 to our Annual Fund to ensure the availability of financial aid and to support outstanding programs for our campers. Our community goal is to achieve 100% participation. This contribution may qualify for your employer’s matching gift program. Please forward the appropriate form if this option is available to you.