Boys and Girls Club Registration
2008 Season

Welcome to the Chautauqua Boys and Girls Club, a day camp for children age 7-15. This page will provide you with the information needed to register your child for attendance this summer. In 2007 our camp was attended by almost 1700 children. Most of these campers return each year for a summer of fun and memories. If you are attending Club for the first time, we welcome you to a camp rich in tradition, fun, and friendships to last a lifetime. If you are returning this summer, welcome back. Preparations are being made for our best summer ever !

    Please see below for the steps to follow to register for this summer, information about forms, and frequently asked questions.

HOW CAN I SIGN UP MY CHILD FOR CAMP?

You may register your child beginning in early January when Chautauqua's box office opens, or any time thereafter. Boys and Girls Club routinely operates at or near capacity each week of the summer. Once an age group's capacity is reached, we will not accept any further registrations for that group. Many groups reach capacity before the season begins in June. We strongly recommend that you register as early as possible to avoid disappointment. Registration is only taken during the summer as space permits.

TO REGISTER BEFORE MID-JUNE FOR THE UPCOMING SUMMER:
Prior to the summer season, Boys and Girls Club registration is handled by Chautauqua Institution's box office. They will be happy to assist you with Boys and Girls Club registration when you purchase your gate tickets, parking, etc.
   By mail: Fill in the appropriate section of the Chautauqua Institution Ticket Order Form in the Ticket Order Booklet
                Ticketing brochures are available for download on Chautauqua Institution's website
   Online: www.ciweb.org  (only until mid-June)
   Phone: (716) 357-6250

Once your order is processed, the Youth and Recreation Office will mail you a packet of information about the Boys and Girls Club. Included in the packet is a Camper Information Form which must be filled out in it's entirety. This form must be brought with you to the Boys and Girls Club on your child's first day or to the lobby of the Colonnade Building during Sunday registration hours (12 - 2:30 pm).
PLEASE DO NOT MAIL THIS FORM BACK IN.
We cannot be responsible for lost forms that are mailed back in, and you will need to complete a new form upon arrival.

TO REGISTER DURING THE SUMMER SEASON:
   Sorry, no online registration after mid-June
   Phone: Call the Boys and Girls Club directly at (716) 357-6295 during office hours
   In person: At the Beeson Youth Center
   OFFICE HOURS: Monday - Friday 9:00 - 12:00 and 2:00 - 4:00   EDT
                              Monday mornings beginning at 8:30 am
   Sunday hours: 12:00 - 2:30 pm in the Colonnade Lobby
(no weekend hours at the Beeson Youth Center)

WHAT INFORMATION DO YOU NEED?
When you register by phone, mail, or online, you will need to provide the following for each child:

• Child's first and last name
• Full date of birth
• Grade the child will be going into this coming fall *
• Gender
• Which week(s) the child will be attending
• Additional information will be need to be provided on forms that we will then mail to you.

*Our groups are based on the fall grade level. Please be accurate. A difference of one grade level means a different group. If the wrong grade level is provided, a change will be made only if space allows in the other group.

*In 2008 a service fee will be charged for each of the following:
- changing your child's dates of attendance after initially registering
- providing the wrong grade level for your child, thus requiring a change
- canceling all or part of the child's attendance
- registering with Club by phone during the summer (this includes calling to add on additional weeks of attendance)

CAN YOU FAX ME THE FORM INSTEAD OF MAILING IT TO ME?
No. The form has 3 carbon copies in 3 different colors. We use the color coding in our system of operation. If registering before the season or by phone, our policy is to mail a form after payment is received, if time allows before your arrival.

I FILLED OUT THE FORM. CAN I FAX IT OR MAIL IT BACK YOU?
No. We must process the completed form with you in person and therefore it cannot be mailed in.

CAN I FAX IMMUNIZATIONS TO BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB?
No.
Please obtain the necessary information from your physician before leaving for Chautauqua.

WHAT DO WE DO ON MY CHILD'S FIRST DAY ?

• I ALREADY REGISTERED MY CHILD (paid by phone, mail, or online already) AND HAD MY FORMS PROCESSED ON SUNDAY AT THE COLONNADE BUILDING....
  On Sunday you were given the yellow copy of the form and asked to bring it on Monday. Bring your child directly to his/her group and give the yellow copy to the counselor. You're all set !

• I ALREADY REGISTERED MY CHILD (paid by phone, mail, or online already) BUT DID NOT GO TO THE COLONNADE BUILDING ON SUNDAY....
  On Monday morning there will be a table set up outside the Beeson Youth Center for those who are pre-paid. The staff at this table will process your forms and tell you where your child's group is located. The form has 3 carbon copies. The staff will fill out some information on the form and will check that the form is completed in full. Then you will be given the yellow copy, which the child brings to his/her counselors. The white and pink copies are for use by the office and nurse. Please do not separate the copies or send the child to his/her group until after our staff process the form.

• I HAVEN'T SIGNED UP MY CHILD YET. I NEED TO PAY AND FILL OUT THE CAMPER FORM....
  Please go inside the Beeson Youth Center and register. At this time you will pay and fill out the Camper Information Form. Bring with you birth dates, full set of immunization dates, and some form of payment. (Major credit cards, checks, and cash are accepted.) After registering your child, you will be told where his/her group meets. *On-site registration is only available if space is still available.

CAN I DROP MY CHILD OFF AT HIS/HER GROUP FIRST AND THEN COME TO THE BEESON YOUTH CENTER TO TAKE CARE OF PAPERWORK?
IT'S GETTING CLOSE TO 9:00. I DON'T WANT MY CHILD TO MISS ANYTHING WHILE I FILL OUT FORMS.
No. Our counselors have been instructed to ask that you proceed first to the Beeson Youth Center first. You may go directly to your child's group only if you took care of paperwork on Sunday and were given a STAMPED yellow copy. Please arrive early enough to allow time to take care of payment and/or paperwork to avoid delay in getting your child's day started.

WHY ARE IMMUNIZATION DATES REQUIRED?
DO DATES NEED TO BE RESUPPLIED EACH YEAR?
It's the law. It is important that we have immunization (vaccination) dates or your child cannot be admitted to camp. New York State and Chautauqua County laws require that all of the immunization dates requested on the form be provided. Please also note that we must have the requested number of dates, not just the most recent. This information must be provided every year. Writing "up to date" or "on file" cannot be accepted. By law a child cannot attend a day camp until after immunization dates have been provided. We are sorry that we cannot accomodate requests to bring in immunization dates after the child begins attendance.
Again, we are required to follow these procedures because it is the law.

WHY DO I NEED TO FILL OUT A NEW FORM EVERY YEAR?
DON'T YOU HAVE ALL OF MY CHILD'S INFORMATION IN YOUR COMPUTER?
We ask for a new form to be filled out each year in order to ensure that all of the information we have is current for that year, and also for the safety of your child. For example, many Chautauquans stay at different addresses each summer and/or have different phone numbers. If we need to contact you, we need to have address and phone information for the current year. Other information on the form may change from year to year such as cell phone numbers, who to contact in an emergency, more recent vaccinations, or changes in a child's health alerts.
Our computer is connected into Chautauqua's ticketing system and is only for payment purposes. It would be a daunting task (and extremely time consuming) to try to update electronic records of the 1700 children we serve each summer. Filling out a paper form each year and filing it in the file cabinet is quick and easy. In an emergency, we can easily pull out the child's record from the file cabinet in a matter of seconds and know that everything on it is current. It could take much longer to find information in a computer, which compromises safety in an emergency. All other camps also require full paperwork to be filled out every year.

HOW CAN I SIGN UP A CHILD FOR GROUP 1?
Group 1 is for children entering first grade in the fall. It is a transitional program in which they spend the mornings at Children's School and the afternoons at Boys and Girls Club. Prior to the summer you can register the child through the Chautauqua Institution Box Office by phone, mail, or online. Once the summer begins, Children's School handles all registrations and questions for Group 1.

WHY DO YOU RECOMMEND THAT I REGISTER EARLY?

We do have to put limits on the sizes of our groups. This is to ensure that we meet health department regulations on counselor to camper ratios and to enable each child to have a quality camp experience in a safe environment. Registering during the winter or weeks ahead of your arrival is the best way to ensure that your child's group is not full.

HOW IS MY CHILD'S GROUP PLACEMENT DETERMINED ?

Groups are by gender and age. For example, a girl entering 4th grade in the fall would be placed in Group 4 Girls. For this reason, you will need to provide the child's fall grade when registering so that he/she is placed in the correct group.

HOW DOES MY CHILD FIND HIS/HER GROUP AFTER THE FIRST MORNING?

When your child meets his/her counselor on the first morning his/her name will be put on a roster. Your child's group will meet in the same place every morning and afternoon when he/she goes to Club. Groups 2 - 4 meet in the Girls Club building, groups 5 - 8 meet on the waterfront benches, and SAC assembles at the bridge/wall on the road. Your child will tell his/her counselor that he/she is checking into Club and the counselor will check them in on the clipboard. When it is time to leave, the counselor will call out each child's name and tell them they may go home. Many parents meet their child at Club when they are checked out in the morning and afternoon, especially on the first day. Older children at Club usually ride their bikes home or walk. Chautauqua operates a courtesy shuttle around the Chautauqua grounds throughout the day on a continuous 20 minute loop. The South Bus passes within a block of the Boys and Girls Club, near Heinz Beach.
Boys and Girls Club does not operate its own buses like Children's School.

WHAT ACTIVITIES WILL MY CHILD BE INVOLVED IN DURING A TYPICAL DAY ?

Please see A Day at Camp for information about our daily program and the Facilities page for a map of our campus and photos and descriptions of our facilities.

I HAVE ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS

Prior to the season, you can call the Youth and Recreation office at (716) 357-6290. To register prior to the season, please call Ticketing Services at (716) 357-6250. Once the summer begins, the Boys and Girls Club will be happy to assist you at (716) 357-6295 during office hours.