Of course! Camp Tall Timbers is always concerned about the safety of its campers and staff. We keep a nurse on staff 24/7 and train a majority of our counselors in life-saving techniques such as CPR. Each year we review our policies and procedures to ensure a healthy summer. Every activity has a supervisor, and we maintain our ACA accreditation.

No. We take pride in being ACA accredited. It is the best evidence parents have of a camp’s commitment to a safe and nurturing environment for their children. This voluntary accreditation assures parents that camp practices have been measured against national standards and go a step beyond a state’s basic licensing requirements.

Accreditation is based on a commitment by the camp to best practices. It requires the camp to pour substantial time, energy, and financial resources into achieving and maintaining the accredited status. Accreditation is a sign that the camp is willing to go the extra mile to ensure the camp is safe, the staff is well-trained, and the programming is excellent. For more information, click here.

Our campers come from all over the world and all are welcome at Camp Tall Timbers. A portion comes to us from the Washington/Maryland/Virginia areas. Additionally, we’ve had campers from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Florida, Spain, France, and China.

Camp Tall Timbers operates a program for 150–175 campers. We cap our enrollment to ensure that each camper gets the attention they deserve and that our facilities are readily accessible and abundant. Division is made by both gender and the school grade they have just completed. We have found that dividing by grade works as a better barometer

of maturity than going strictly by age. A cabin group is made of approximately 8 campers and 2 staff members.

We operate camp with a few different levels of staff. First, our counselors. These young men and women come to us from colleges and universities from across the country and from around the world. We spend a lot of time in the off-season traveling to college campuses, interviewing, and hiring qualified staff. In addition to these talented people, we employ administrators, or unit leaders, who oversee cabin and activity areas in camp. These staff members are a mix of teachers and coaches who provide added supervision in the camp setting. We have a 4:1 ratio of campers to staff.

Based on our years of experience, we know that the staff we have working directly with our campers makes all the difference in creating a memorable summer. The entire team at Camp Tall Timbers is a wonderful mix of teachers, coaches, and college students. Each staff member is carefully selected for their teaching expertise in a given activity area, their personality, as well as their interest in working with children.

The staff reports to camp several days ahead of our campers so that they may go through our Counselor Institute. Some of the situations we thoroughly review during Counselor Institute are daily responsibilities, staff conduct, and emergency procedures. Additionally, by the time our campers arrive, our staff has reviewed all the information about their individually assigned campers as provided by their parents. This is one more way we strive to ensure a safe, fun, and personalized camp experience.

Our counselors eat, sleep, and interact with their campers. Background and reference checks are just two of the procedures we go through to ensure a staff member is right for our camp setting. Many are graduates of our “counselor–in–training” program and/or are former campers. We’re proud of our 4:1 camper-to-counselor ratio.

Our families drive their children to camp, with more specific drop-off details sent nearer to the start of camp. We do provide shuttle service from Dulles International Airport for those arriving by plane.

Camp dress is casual, and no uniforms are required. We do recommend that all campers have two Camp Tall Timbers t-shirts so that we, as a group, are easy to identify when on

an off-site camp trip. A camp baseball hat is also recommended. We have a recommended clothing list available for your use.

Each evening, we plan an activity for our campers. It may be Campfire, Lip Sync Battle Night, Cheesy Skits, Pool Party, or Game Show Night, to name just a few. After an evening snack, campers’ bedtime varies depending on their age and the pace of our day. Lights out range from 9-10:30pm.

While we may stagger the times that campers enter the dining hall, the entire camp population eats together.

We serve well-balanced meals, professionally prepared in our kitchen. Breakfast consists of a hot entree in addition to bagels, toast, and a fruit and cereal bar. Milk and juice are also available. Lunch always contains a salad bar and a rotating, kid-friendly main course and side items.

There is Grilled Cheese, Pizza, Turkey, and Pasta, just to name a few. Dinner is another well-rounded meal with a hot entree with vegetables, and a full salad bar. All lunches and dinners include dessert. Low-fat and vegetarian options are always available.

While Camp Tall Timbers is not a camp that specializes in specific food allergies or other disorders, through our many years of camp experience, we are able to handle a variety of dietary requirements, including allergies to nuts, gluten, and dairy. With regards to nuts, other than peanut butter (which we do provide but in a separate area of the dining hall) we are a nut-free environment and do not stock any foods containing nuts. However, some foods may have been processed in an environment where nuts are present. To discuss or verify a plan concerning allergies please email us at [email protected]

All of our cabins have been renovated over the last 5 years and have full electricity, showers, and toilet facilities. The cabins are constructed to be used in spring, summer, and fall. They are insulated and have screened windows for better temperature control and have closed ceilings. Shelving is provided in the cabins so that campers may store their clothing and not have to live out of a trunk or suitcase. You can read more on this page.

For safety reasons and in conjunction with the American Camp Association guidelines, all medications are kept locked in the infirmary. Our nurse brings all medications to the dining hall at mealtimes. Campers can simply come to the medical table, take their medication, and continue with their meal. All medications are properly labeled, and strict records are kept to record the medicine dispensed. We can even give routine shots at camp. Please contact us at [email protected] or 301-874-0111 to ask any questions.