Home to a fun and popular Summer Camp program
If you live or work near Scotia, and are looking for the right Summer camp for your children, it's time to learn about TSL Kids Crew. Our programs are run by experienced counselors who prefer to acknowledge the way children develop, their physical and emotional needs and preferences. Our staff to children ratios are low to ensure you children get the attention they deserve. Want to learn more? Continue reading or contact us.
MeKeel Christain Academy
36 Sacandaga Road
Scotia, NY 12302
Summer Camp
Summer Camp: 7:30-5:30 p.m.
(We will post 2023 Summer Camp Themes when they are ready)
Week 1, June 27-July 1 Meet & Greet Hollywood Style
Old friends and new friends will get together in this introductory week and community building week where the crew administers lots of friendship and cooperative-based games and activities to assimilate everyone to the new environment and train them on the TSL way. We will accomplish these goals Hollywood style this year and by the end of the week all the campers will be stars!
Week 2, July 5-8 (closed July 4) ALL BALL
Campers will engage in a host of games, projects, and activities involving...you guessed it....balls. We'll play games like Ball Madness, Lightning Ball, Alaskan Baseball, Hungry Hippos...campers will have a ball, pun intended. Just be sure to duck when dropping off and picking up.
Week 3, July 11-15 CARNIVAL
Kids will explore a variety of carnival style games, projects and activities. Perfect week for the human carousel. We'll also throw in some popcorn and cotton candy and maybe even a bearded lady. Kids won't want to miss out!
Week 4, July 18-22 WILD WEST
Hold on to your hats cowboys and cowgirls, TSL is going back in time as we prospect for gold, play click, click, bang, the classic SPLAT game, rope some cattle, and enjoy a mug of sarsaparilla.
Week 5, July 25-29 WATER WORLD
This is TSL's classic water week. Kids should dress for wet as we play classic games like splish, splish, splash, poke the water pinata, slip and slide kickball and more.
Week 6, August 1-5 Dr. Seuss
For this week, TSL will draw on the many books of Doctor Seuss and bring them to life with lots of themed games, projects and activities connected to his classic literature. Have YOU ever tried green eggs and ham?
Week 7, August 8-12 SUPER HERO
The sky is the limit, literally and figuratively as we make super hero gear, play games like Batman and Robin, solve some riddles, and highlight our cheers like the Incredible Hulk.
Week 8, August 15-19 THE AMAZING RACE
We had to it again. It's fast, it's wild, and most of all it's amazing. Kids will break into teams for this week and race around the "world" to find clues, face challenges, to try and be the first one to the mats in each of the five daily legs.
Week 9, August 2-26 HEY, HEY, GOODBYE
Campers celebrate their last week together with lots of classic and retro camp activities that capture all the great memories had from the 2022 camp season.
Are you an academic camp that offers reading, writing, tutoring etc.
No. We are a recreational program. We play multiple small and whole group games, arts and crafts, special projects, activities, cooperative, indoor/outdoor, sprinkler. Think of it as your child attending a birthday party every day of summer. That's us! Your child will not be a NASA scientist, doctor, or lawyer at the end of their camp experience. Your child will perhaps learn social skills and how to get along with others better. Oh, and did we say they would have lots of fun?
What are the facilities like in which you operate?
Our campuses vary in their aesthetic. We operate out of schools, church halls etc. some are older and some newer. Though most of our pictures are taken on location, some of our photos are stock photos. "Like" TSL Kids Crew on Facebook and see lots of actual pictures from all our programs and facilities.
Do you have to be a current member to enroll in summer camp?
Summer camp is open to all members of the community. You do not have to be enrolled in any clubs, obtain any memberships, or live in an particular place. Our doors are open for everyone at your most convenient location.
Are you a traveling camp?
We have added a travel component that is optional for families who would like to have their children take part in swimming options 1 of the 5 days in each weekly session. This will be each Wednesday. In these cases, we will have bussing to and from various swimming locales like Saratoga Spa State Park, Grafton State Park, Central Park or Collins Park. Cohoes families will use the Abram Lansing Pool.
What is the age range for children?
Children going into Kindergarten (in this case 4 year olds can enroll in the school-age program) through age 12 are invited to enroll at any site. In our Troy and Cohoes locations, we offer the pre-school summer program for ages 3 to 5. Children ages 12-15 can apply to be a CIT at any site location.
What are your camp hours?
We are open 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Our core program is 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and we like children to be present for the full core program. Drop off and pick up can be at any time. The price of camp is all inclusive, but we do add late fees if a child is picked up late after camp hours close (5:30). Daycare locations are open from 7 a.m. - 6 p.m.
What are your prices?
See our summer price chart.
Can you tell me what the program template is?
Though we do not publish our template, we can say our summer day is broken down into a series of routine program components that flow nicely from one activity to the next and include time for the children to play, exercise, craft, unwind, engage in water games and play during the sprinkler time, or engage in small group play, whole group play and age-integrated play. They bond as a community all day long with multiple program subtleties and nuances that have community development in mind. This is the hallmark of the TSL program. We have established a unique culture that permeates every site and that is realized by the most invested of families who understand and appreciate our goals.
Each week has a theme. Please note that our themes serve mainly to help us focus our planning and are underlying and secondary to our community-driven program template, the true heart of the program. Our program template does not change from week to week, but the activities, games and projects do, based on the planned theme. Regardless of our theme, your children will enjoy the routine-based program.
Are the kids separated by ages?
Sometimes we break the campers down into two distinct groups: ages 4-7 or ages 8-12. Other times they work together in a cooperative and age-integrated fashion to accomplish tasks, challenges and projects. We employ a high level of diversity in how we mesh and mold the group throughout the day.
How much time is spent outdoors?
Typically there is a 50/50 split between outdoor and indoor play.
What are the kids' outside activities?
Daily water play with sprinklers every day. Water relays, circle games, whole group games, scavenger hunts, nature hunts and much more!
Are the staff members all screened for the safety of the children?
Yes. All staff members have multiple clearances as required by the Department of Health. Many of our staff members are year-round employees of TSL in our after-school programs.
How many instructors or staff members do you have at a site? What’s the ratio?
Our ratio is 1:12, per DOH requirement. Depending on the number of enrollees at each site, our staffing numbers vary.
How do you handle any injuries or emergencies if a child gets hurt?
For cuts, bumps and scrapes. we use soap and water, ice packs, Band-Aids and TLC. Parents or 911 are called in the event of serious injury or sickness.
Do you serve lunch?
We offer a lunch two days per week. Pizza on Tuesday and Friday. Friday is pizza and ice cream truck day. The other three days, the children bring a lunch and two snacks.
How are you different from other programs?
We are different in our planning, how we present programs, how we engage children, and how we integrate children. TSL is founded by elementary-school teachers who prefer to acknowledge the way children develop, their physical and emotional needs and preferences. We know children. Our staff members are trained to know children. Because our program is not dependent on unpredictable variables, the structure and integrity of each day is ensured. We ARE childcare, and if you want safety, love, engagement, professionalism, high-level communication, trust and affordability, you would come to us.
How does payment and invoicing work?
As you enroll, you will note an opportunity to read the Terms of Service. We encourage everyone to read and understand these terms prior to enrolling, as do vigorously uphold them.
