Where are you located? +
Hawthorne Valley Farm is located in Columbia County, NY, in a small hamlet called Harlemville. However, being so small, we actually use the zip code of our neighboring town Ghent. Other towns and cities nearby include Chatham and Hudson, and we are about a 45 minute drive south of Albany. To reach us from New York City, it’s about a 2.5 hour drive on the scenic Taconic State Parkway!
How are you staffed? +
Our summer camps all maintain a 3:1 ration of campers to staff. Our management team work at Hawthorne Valley year-round, many of whom have been calling the farm their home for years. Our summer staff are interviewed and hired by our summer camp managers. We ensure that we check all references of counselors and that they go through both a universal and New York State background check. In house trainings are done as well that cover topics such as mandating reporting, inclusivity, youth development and conflict resolution.
Where do overnight-campers sleep? +
We offer two overnight camps: Farm Camp and Field Camp. The sleeping arrangements for these camps are in the name!
Farm Campers stay in dormitory-style rooms in our original Main House. There are four rooms total, sleeping between 6-10 campers each in bunk beds. There is bathroom access either in the room itself or very near-by for all the rooms, as well as shelf-space for each camper and a space to keep their luggage. Bedding is not provided, however we do have a supply of sheets, blankets and pillows for campers who forget theirs or need any extra warmth.
Earth Stewards Campers have a more rustic experience, sleeping in cabins or platform tents in our Earth Stewards Camp site, about a half-mile walk from the main farm campus. We can accommodate between 4 and 8 campers per cabin in bunk beds, and just 2 in a platform tent. Earth Stewards Campers need to be prepared for this experience by bringing their own sleeping bag, bed sheets if that’s needed, and a pillow- we recommend also coming with a vinyl cover for the pillow to help keep humidity and damp out of pillows! There is no running water or electricity at the Earth Stewards Camp site- campers will have access to all facilities during the day, and we have a lovely, handmade double out-house at the camp site!
For both overnight camps, counselors do not sleep in the rooms/cabins/tents/ with the campers. In the Farm Explorers Camp, counselors and staff are dispersed in other rooms throughout the house, and in Earth Stewards Camp, counselors sleep in their own or shared tents throughout the camp site.
What will campers be doing? +
While our camps take place of a full-production organic farm, campers can still expect to find themselves in the peaceful nature that imbues the valley, just being children. Swimming, crafts and play are all summer staples here, as they should be everywhere! Additionally, campers will have opportunities to work with and care for the land, whether it be through the farm animals or working in our vegetable gardens. We strive to maintain a tangible connection to all living things we encounter, so that the thread between what they plant in the garden can be seen and tasted by what they are cooking for themselves and theirfriends. Hawthorne Valley maintains a vibrant community in the summer, as farmers take a break from their hard work to come into a space with the campers to teach and learn, and campers from the different camps have moments of play together.
What will campers be eating? +
We are so fortunate to have a direct source of summer bounty in our dining hall. All of our meals are scratch made and prepared with produce from Hawthorne Valley or other ethical, sustainable and organic sources, often from within Columbia County. We eat our meals family-style, around tables setwith table cloths and flower vases. We are a mostly vegetarian kitchen, providing essential proteins through eggs, legumes, grains, vegetables, tofu, and other sources. Often, campers will have some kind of direct connection to the food- either harvesting it and delivering to our kitchen staff, or working in the kitchen itself to help prepare the meals for the whole camp.
outside foods
We cannot permit any outside food brought to camp or snacks such as sweets or sent with the camper or via care package. Hawthorne Valley camps are completely peanut-free. If you have a concern about your camper’s dietary needs, please be sure to get in touch with one of our managers prior to the start of camp!
What are your swimming facilities? +
Swimming takes place in a spring-fed pond located on our expansive property, about a 5 minute walk through some woods from our main farm campus. Our dock indicates the deepest part of the pond, about 9 feet, and a lifeguard is always on duty for all swim-times. Our pond is inspected by the NY Dept of Health every year to ensure optimal safety for all our swimmers, and our Waterfront Director has 30 years of life-guarding experience.
Campers can expect to have a swim-assessment on the first day of camp; this allows our Waterfront Director to determine if a camper will swim in our deep section, which is indicated as its own area with ropes and buoys, or if a camper will swim in the shallow section. Campers are welcome to re-do their swim-assessment if they are not deemed a deep-water swimmer on the first try. Life-guards and additional swim-staff will monitor campers in the water using a buddy-system.
How can I contact my camper during camp? +
Here at Hawthorne Valley, we like to emphasize an unplugged experience for the campers. Cell-phones, tablets, laptops, and all other such devices are turned over to parents/guardians before the start of camp, if not left at home. The opportunity to be media-free for any extended period of time is such a rare occurrence in this day and age, but we are proud to keep this as a pillar of our values. If this is concern, we recommend contacting our camp staff ahead of time to learn more about this policy.
For our overnight camps, we strongly encourage letter-writing. This can often be a really fun way for them to still feel connected to their friends and families, while still feeling wholly present here on the farm. Campers must come with their own stamps and envelopes.
E-mails have been a popular means of corresponding, however our intention is to keep this strictly for campers/families that are experiencing a difficulty, or for special occasions like birthdays. For daily updates from home, please send letters. Please note: e-mails come through our business office, and as such, the e-mail address to contact campers should not be shared with anyone besides close family. We reserve the right to block any recipients deemed to be abusing the e-mail system, or share concerning e-mails with management.
In the rare occurrence that a camper and their family need to be put in contact, we are able to facilitate that on a needs-only basis. We do our best to help campers through homesickness and other struggles they may face at camp, but sometimes this process is best helped with parental/familial guidance. Our managers are prepared and experienced in working with both campers and their families to create the most harmonious experience.
What if my camper has an emergency during camp? +
Our on-site Nurse and camp managers are equipped to respond to all kinds of emergencies that may happen at camp. For medical emergencies, we are 20 minutes from Columbia-Memorial Hospital Emergency Room as well as multiple urgent care facilities in the vicinity. Parents will be contacted by a camp manager, director or nurse in the event of any kind of medical emergency. Overnight Campers are treated under their parents’ insurance/ expenses incurred go under parental insurance.
What about if my camper gets injured during camp and it is not deemed an emergency? +
Sprained fingers, cuts from chopping in the kitchen, minor allergic reactions, ear aches, and things like this are still always reported to parents by the nurse or a manager. The nurse documents all ailments or incidents and the subsequent treatment(s). We are usually able to tailor a camper’s activity-level and overall experience at camp to accommodate the ailment until it passes or has been treated. If anything is noticed to be persistent, we again notify the parent/family to consult on further treatment or additional steps.
How are deer-tick bites addressed and prevented? +
Prevention starts at home- it is advised to send your camper with a suitable bug spray that will repel ticks. There are many natural and safe options for children to use, and these are the ones we are always happy to see brought to camp. Tall socks for when your camper will be venturing out into grassy or wooded areas are also a good idea to pack.
Overnight campers are checked for ticks on a nightly basis by our staff and shown how to check themselves as well. Should a tick be found attached to a camper’s skin, our nurse will remove it immediately and get in touch with the camper’s family.
My camper has a sibling or close friend coming to the same session of camp. Will they get to experience camp together? +
It is truly exciting to come to camp with someone you know from home- be it a classmate, sibling or bestfriend! With all of our camp sessions staying relatively small, there is opportunity for campers who know each other to spend time together AND get to grow in their own ways and meet new friends!
For our overnight camps, we try our best to accommodate bunk-mate OR activity group requests, however we are unable to do both.
My child is 7 but is very mature, can they still attend Farm & Arts Day Camp or an overnight camp? +
All of our camps stick to our age-policy with no exception- 8 is the minimum age at the time of the camp session. Please consider us next year!
Can my child do more than one session of Farm & Arts Day Camp OR Overnight Camp in one summer? +
Due to the size and overall rhythm of our camps, we do not allow a camper to attend more than one session of the same camp. HOWEVER, it is possible to attend Farm & Arts Day Camp AND an overnight camp in the same summer, as long as there is no overlap between sessions.
What are the pick-up and drop off days and times? +
Farm & Arts Day Camp:
Our camp goes from 9:30am-2:30pm, Mondays-Fridays. On the first day of camp, intake will gofrom 9-9:30. For the rest of the session, if you are dropping your camper off, the earliest we are able to begin receiving campers is 9:00am. THERE IS NO FLEXIBILITY ON PICK UP TIME! Barring an emergency, we insist that all campers are picked up at 2:30pm.
Overnight Camps:
All overnight camp sessions open on Sunday at 12:00pm and all camp sessions close on Friday at 10:00am. We understand travel plans can be difficult; please be as communicative as possible if a situation prevents you from being able to drop-off or pick-up your camper at the specified times.
I am ready to apply to camp! What are my next steps? +
Great! Our applications for Overnight camps can be found HERE and for Farm & Arts Day Camp HERE.Upon filling out the application, you will also need to submit a $300 or $500 deposit, which will be deducted from the total camp tuition. You will also be linked to a Health Form, which, with the application and deposit, will secure your campers spot. Once those 3 components are received, they will be reviewed by our camp managers, and a reply will be sent to you within 2 weeks. If during that time you decide to withdraw your application, you will be refunded your deposit. If, for whatever reason, our managers do not deem your camper a good fit for our camp, you will be refunded your deposit.
Once your child has been accepted to camp, our payment portal will be e-mailed to you which will provide you all the details for paying the remainder of your camp tuition.