Parent Faq

We understand that families sometimes face economic challenges and must make difficult choices. Our hope is that no child would be deprived of a summer camp opportunity because of this. We don’t want any child to miss out on this potentially life-changing opportunity because of cost. DC Rebels friends and donations have helped us provide scholarship assistance for families with need. In order to address financial concerns, we’ve outlined ways to make camp accessible for EVERYONE.

Drone Camp Rebels has a variety of scholarship funds which have been set up to provide help for campers who cannot afford the full registration fee. Scholarships are awarded on the basis of need and, as a general rule, do not exceed one-third of the camp fee.

• If you wish to apply for a scholarship, simply fill out the Scholarship Application which is integrated right into the online registration form.
• When we receive a registration that includes a scholarship application AND the $50 deposit, our scholarship committee will determine the amount of your scholarship. Scholarship applications will not be sent to the committee until we receive the $50 deposit.
• We will send you an email letting you know the amount of the scholarship and the balance due, if any. If you paid with a credit/debit card, we will set up the balance on a payment plan. If you paid by check, you can send it when you are able as long as it’s paid at least 2 weeks before your camper comes to camp.

• DC Rebels will only accommodate late arrivals which are health-related or family emergencies. If families anticipate not being able to arrive on time, they will be encouraged to register for a different session.
• We reserve the right to cancel the registrations of children who do not show up and have not notified us by noon on Monday.
• Cancellations will be subject to DC Rebels’s cancellation/refund policy.
• Rationale for this policy: Much happens in the first few hours of camp, with implications ranging from personal comfort, to cabin bonding opportunities, to state licensing regulations. For these reasons, regardless of your camper’s comfort or experience level with camp, it’s important that they arrive near the start of the camp session.

• DC Rebels will only accommodate student absences which are health related or family emergencies. If families anticipate arrival conflicts or conflicts due to sports or otherwise during the camp session, they will be encouraged to register for a different session.
• We reserve the right to cancel the registrations of children needing absences during the week for reasons other than health or family emergencies. Cancellations will be subject to DC Rebels’s cancellation/refund policy. See policy below.
• Rationale for this policy:
  • Student – An absence from camp disrupts and diminishes the child’s experience of camp in several ways. Time away means loss of involvement. Relationships built through common experiences and time spent together in conversation and activity are foundational to the growth opportunity for the week. When the child misses even some of this time, they’ve lost a portion of that common experience and its fruit. Neither are these isolated losses; many aspects of the program build upon the prior activities. Missing activities then leaves gaps in the week’s programmatic progression (for example, drone building and programming sets up missions, or flying patterns develops increased comfort levels leading to participation in the talent show). The child who has missed activities returns to camp feeling out of the loop, having missed out on the experiences others have had and less comfortable in embracing the coming activities. This all plays into a loss of personal development potential. The multi-day experience away from home provides children with self-confidence and esteem building opportunities as they make their own decisions and make their own way apart from their families. Having touch points with home takes away the child’s sense that they are doing things successfully on their own. A final impact of camp is found in a child’s ability to disengage from the routines of daily life and reset. This is often where the mental impact is found. Just as it often takes adults a couple of days to settle into a vacation, children need to step away from the pressures and concerns of their regular obligations and relationships. In doing so, we are able to become refreshed and more clearly focused on our camp missions.
  • Drone community – Social development is one of the significant opportunities of the camp week. As the group gets to know one another and plans events and shares activities, the community loses the valuable gift the absent child adds to the community and vice versa.
  • Camp counselor – Knowing a camper’s relationship with their counselor is a key component of the camp experience, the counselor is put in the difficult position of striving to make up for lost time with the camper who was absent as the counselor tries to fill the camper in on what was missed, and develop a relationship with less opportunities for engagement. In addition, the time spent waiting for the camper to be picked up and returned pulls the counselor from activity leading responsibilities and relational opportunities with other campers.

• We strongly discourage early departures.
• Rationale for this policy: The end of the camp session is designed to wrap up the week and transition campers back into their daily routines. It is filled with debriefing conversations, picture signing, and other closing activities that are significant in the child’s experience. If you must pick up your child early, please contact the office to discuss the most opportune time.

In the event that your child is unable to attend camp, here is our cancellation/refund policy:

• All refunds are subject to a $50 cancellation fee.
• Refunds will be given if requested at least 14 days before your week of camp.
• If cancellations are received less than 14 days before your camp session begins, refunds will only be given for medical reasons or a family emergency.

If you need to cancel, you can do so by calling our office at 734-752-2085.

At Drone Camp Rebels, we enthusiastically pursue opportunities to welcome campers with special needs. We recognize that the term special needs has many dimensions including physical, cognitive, and/or emotional needs, so each camper registration will be uniquely considered. DC Rebels’s intent is that campers with special needs be involved in the regular camp programming, meaning all programs are available for your consideration.

When registering your child, you will have the opportunity to indicate if your child has special needs. After you make this indication, you will be directed to a questionnaire that asks detailed questions which allow us to learn more about your child and assess our ability to accommodate their needs. In some cases, our Coordinator for Campers with Special Needs may call to request further information.

Many of the summer staff will have had prior experience working with children with a variety of special needs. This has become a quality we look for when hiring summer staff. These staff are eager for opportunities to have campers with special needs in their group. Our Coordinator for Campers with Special Needs will work with the counselor, equipping them with any skills or strategies for working with their campers, and will serve as a resource for the counselor throughout the week. As opportunity offers and circumstance requires, the Coordinator may also bring in additional staff to come alongside your child.

Our camp locations also has student nurses/health officers on site who will oversee the administration of medication and any other medical needs.

Please call our office at 734-752-2085 or email us if you would like more information about Drone Camp Rebels’s programs.

Yes, if your first choice of session is full, please choose the wait list option for that session.

When we receive your registration, if we are able to get you into your first choice, we will do that and send you an invoice so you can pay.

If your first choice is full but there are openings in your second choice or third choice, we’ll put you into that session. If we put you into your second or third choice, we will also put you on the waiting list for your first choice only if you indicate you want us to when you register.

If we are not able to get you into any of your choices, we will send you an email indicating that you are on the waiting list.

If you are placed on a waiting list, you will be notified by email immediately. However, it is our policy to reach out to you via phone as soon as possible to inform you of your options.

Of course, but be aware that due to the amount of activity in the waiting list, we are only able to tell you exactly where you fall on the list at the moment. The list can be fast or it can be slow.

That’s hard to say because we never know how many cancellations we are going to get. We do have a lot of cancellations and sometimes if we have staff available and the wait list is long, we can expand capacity. Sometimes we get cancellations just a week before camp begins. Sometimes we even have no-shows at check-in, in which case we may call and offer the spot to someone on the waiting list. So it’s a good idea to keep your calendar open for the session(s) you are on the waiting list.

• Visit the camp 15 minutes before start. DC Rebels has a online video that allows prospective campers to meet some of the staff, and lessen their anxiety.  If the online video doesn’t work for you, you may call our office 734-752-2085 to schedule a personal meet & greet.
• Look at the camp schedule ahead of time so your child knows what to expect each day.
• Talk about homesickness and what to do if they feel it. Let your camper know it is natural to feel anxious when they are separated from you, but that moving past it is an important step in growing up and they can overcome it.
• Discuss “what if” scenarios—losing something, feeling afraid, not feeling well, having a conflict with another camper and what they should do if any of these occur, such as talk with their camp director.
• Include your child in packing for camp. Review the packing list and decide what to bring together, talk about what to wear and why you don’t want to bring your expensive items to camp, and have them help pick out clothes. Often children love the packing process such as making their lunch for the day, and will want to begin packing far before their camp session.

• Prior to the beginning of summer camp we offer a Virtual Open House. This would be an ideal opportunity to get to know our camp directors. Our staff will be online to answer any questions you may have.
• If the virtual open house doesn’t fit your schedule, you may call 734-752-2085 or email to schedule a personal family meet.

In an attempt to create a positive environment where all children can participate in every camp activity, we require clothing that is functional for the varying activities of camp. The dress code will be enforced by our summer staff, and campers wearing clothing or swimwear deemed inappropriate will be asked to change.

We require our campers to wear their DC Rebel t-shirt daily for the functionality of camp. We understand that sometimes that may not be possible. So we ask that our campers wear a regular fitted t-shirt in absence of.  Cut-off shirts or short shorts are not conducive for the activities of the camp environment. Clothing with inappropriate images or slogans are not allowed.