‘Camp Red Clover’ Plans
Second Active Summer

Anyone looking for affordable summer childcare for their children may find an answer in Barnard’s new summer camp, which is planning its second summer session for 2008.

Camp Red Clover’s mission is to provide an affordable option for working parents, as well as a fun, varied, and enticing program for young children.

Held at the Barnard Central School in the morning, and at the Silver Lake State park in the afternoon, "CRC" will allow children in grades K-6 to focus on a different theme every session.

Founders Chelsea Furlong and Chloe Powell are longtime childhood friends and actually met at Chelsea’s mothers’ summer camp. They thought of the idea for Camp Red Clover when Chloe was home for Easter the spring of 2007.

"I didn’t really know what I was going to do when I graduated from Tufts," Powell explained. "We were talking about how Barnard really needed a good summer camp and how much fun it would be to be counselors … we didn’t see any reason not to do it—it seemed too perfect."

From there the two got permission to use the space at the school, put together a curriculum and began advertising. They view their first summer as a success. Although they got a late start on advertising, word of mouth in a small town gets out. As the weeks went on, the line of campers walking to the state park from the school gradually grew, as did their repertoire of marching songs.

Response from both campers and parents was positive, and Camp Red Clover looks forward to many returning campers as well as new faces and friends.

With the experience of the first summer under their belts, Furlong and Powell plan on expanding and improving the camp and have begun raising money for their financial aid program.

Themes this year will include some that are familiar to first year campers, and some that are new and revised: Gardening and Wild Plant Identification; Printmaking and tie dye; Drama; Nature Adventure/Camping Skills; Around the World; Street Dance; Barnard History Week and Cooking.

Anyone interested in receiving information about this fresh new camp, can email Campredclover@gmail.com, or call 802 999 3391.