Yes. Many of our campers come on their own, and we are mindful of this when making cabin assignments. Our counselors are very intentional about helping campers build friendships and community within their cabin.

When registering, you are welcome to request one or two cabinmates for your camper. Cabinmate requests need to be WITHIN TWO GRADES of each other to be placed in the same cabin.

We cannot honor requests by large groups of campers to be together.

Campers are grouped in cabins by gender and grade. Cabinmate requests may be made if the campers are within two grades of each other (for example, 1st&3rd or 4th&6th). Please be aware that an older camper may be placed with younger campers with cabinmate requests. We cannot necessarily honor requests of large groups of campers that would like to be together. For campers who do not request cabinmates, we take care to assign them to cabins in which there are other campers who have not requested cabinmates.

Below is a general overview. More specifics will be published in our summer camp parent guide available on our site in May. Registered campers will receive a copy by mail.

Check-in times are from 9:30-10:45 am on the day your child’s session begins. Please make sure your camper is feeling well before you arrive at camp. We will likely be staggering arrival times to improve the check-in process. More information will be provided to you before you arrive.

Plan on entering camp using the front drive entrance on Belding Road. Upon arrival, wait for a staff member to greet you at your car. Your child will have a health screening prior to moving into his/her cabin. This screening includes questions about the child’s recent health, a temperature check, and a lice check. The camp nurse will be available to receive your child’s medications and answer any questions you may have.

Beginning in May, an online health history form will be available for a parent or guardian to complete for each camper. A doctor’s visit and signature is not necessary.

During registration on opening day, the parent or guardian accompanying the camper will be required to complete another short health assessment which lists any more recent illness or injury. The camper will also go through a brief health screening, including a temperature and lice check, before moving into their cabin. Please note that we need full access to your child’s hair which includes removing ponytails, hats, and possibly braids.

We have a strict lice and nit-free policy. Our recommendation is to check and treat your child through a licensed lice clinic, if necessary, prior to arrival. If lice is found, treatment options will be discussed.

Camp Roger’s staff is trained extensively to prioritize camper safety. Our standards and practices go above and beyond the requirements of the State of Michigan and the American Camp Association.  For the entire summer, a registered nurse lives on site, and a family medical practitioner is on-call for medical advice. Camp Roger is also only two miles from an EMS station.

During registration, parents or guardians will turn in your camper’s medication to our camp nurse, in the original bottles. The nurse will dispense and document the medication properly and on time throughout the session.

Campers going offsite on a campout will be accompanied by a staff member trained in CPR/First Aid by the American Red Cross. Campers going on backpacking or canoe trips will also be accompanied by a certified Lifeguard. Campers going on Pioneer and Voyager wilderness trips are accompanied by a staff member trained as a certified Lifeguard and in CPR/First Aid by the American Red Cross, as well as in Wilderness First Aid by SOLO Wilderness and Emergency Medicine. If you have additional questions, please contact our office.

We have a strict lice and nit-free policy. Our recommendation is to check and treat your child, if necessary, before arrival. If it is 3-4 days prior to your child’s arrival and you feel your child may have lice, treatment should be received from an approved lice clinic, and the certificate should be brought on opening day. Over-the-counter treatments are not enough. In addition, in order to bypass Camp Roger’s health check, you may choose to receive clearance from an approved lice clinic 3-4 days prior to opening day. We will need to see the certificate from the clinic.

If lice or nits are found during opening day health check, treatment options will be discussed.

Campers will be allowed to stay once hair is clear of all lice and nits and are approved by our program staff.

Rest is good for our bodies, and our staff helps to make the bedtime process easier with specific rituals every night. Each cabin has a checklist to do before bedtime including brushing teeth, using the restroom, washing hands and face, and putting on pajamas.

Once everyone has completed these tasks, campers gather for a time of devotions, prayer, and conversations about the day with their counselor. This is a great time in which campers learn more about who they are as a child of God and how to build a deeper relationship with him. Once devotions end, campers go to their bunk and their counselors checks in with each of them. Our staff members will be available inside or right outside of the cabin, all night for campers.

This is a fairly common occurrence, and our counselors are trained on handling these incidents in a discrete manner. If a camper needs Pull-Ups for bedtime, they can use put them on in the cabin bathroom. In the morning, they can change out of them in the bathroom, throwing them away in the restroom.

If an nighttime accident occurs, campers can take their counselor aside and let them know. Wet clothes can be put inside their sleeping bag. After the other campers are out of the cabin and doing morning activities, our nurse will wash, dry, and return the child’s items to the cabin.

We want every camper to have a positive experience at camp. To help ensure that, our counselors are trained in comforting a child who is missing his or her home and family. We work with campers to get them involved in activities, helping them find things that they enjoy doing.

Our head counselors and other support staff encourage them and develop strategies specific to the camper’s personality that will help them have a fun and successful time at camp. If a camper is having a particularly hard time, we will not hesitate to call a parent so that we can work together to help the camper.

Yes. Our counselors remind campers when they leave the cabin to put these important things on. There are always extra bottles on site. If your child needs an extra hand applying sunscreen or bug spray, our counselors will be happy to help.

It is important for us to know each camper’s swimming ability. On the first day of each session, campers will participate in a swim challenge in Little Bostwick Lake. During this challenge, campers are supervised by counselors in the water as the child swims from one side of the swim area to the other. If this is difficult for them, a certified lifeguard is in the water, ready to help them across. Our swim zone is clearly divided into a shallow end and a deep end.

If a child finishes the swim challenge successfully, they will be allowed to swim in either section during the session. Campers will not be forced to take the swim challenge. If they are not successful at the challenge or choose not to take it, the camper will simply only be allowed to swim within the shallow area during swim time.

Campers are required to swim with a buddy and there is a check in/out system in place. Buddy calls take place every nine minutes. Our waterfront is fully staffed according to the guidelines required by the State of Michigan and the American Camp Association.

Camp Roger can provide menu substitutions for various food allergies (ie, gluten, dairy, egg), as well as, vegetarian menu options for campers. Our Special Foods Coordinator will handle food preparation for these campers and will provide safe menu alternatives that are similar to what is being served on the menu. This staff member will receive allergy training and certification through ServSafe. It is important to note that campers with allergies will be eating next to others who may be eating something they are allergic to. If your child has a life threatening allergy, please give us a call to discuss if Camp is a safe place for them.

This service is offered to those attending our Overnight Camp sessions and our Wilderness Trips.

Due to the higher cost of offering these foods, an additional fee will be charged: $25 for a 4-Day Session, $40 for 6-Day and Pioneer Sessions, and $60 for Voyager Sessions.

This system replaces the need for parents to provide supplemental food for their child; therefore, additional food items for your child are not accepted. We feel that this system is safer and easier for families. We will do our best to coordinate these meals along with our existing menu while caring for your child’s dietary restrictions. If you have further questions, please contact our office.

Lost and found items are gathered on a daily basis and displayed at meal times on the fireplace mantel. At the end of each session, lost and found items are gathered and displayed near the Lodge and on cabin porches on closing day.

Any items left are stored through the end of our summer camp season. Please call our office as soon as you realize you have a missing item, and we would make arrangements with you for returning or picking up the item. If you cannot pick up the item, we will arrange for shipping if paid for by the owner. Any items left at the end of summer are donated to a charitable organization.