Opening Day Procedures

Kayitz 2024 Opening Day: Tuesday, June 25.

Driving to Camp

Our primary goal for Opening Day is to safely welcome our campers upon their arrival to camp.  All of our policies are designed to make sure we are focused on welcoming our campers and providing the best possible care as they transition into our camp community.

This section provides detailed instructions for campers arriving on June 25, 2024, for the First Session and Full Summer. We expect that the instructions for campers arriving on July 23, for Second Session & Mini Aleph, will be similar; Second Session & Mini Aleph families will receive an update as we get closer.  For Mini Bet families, we anticipate that your arrival window on Tuesday, August 6th will be between 11am-noon; we will send an update as we get closer.

We have found that campers’ transition into camp works best when families drop their children off at the front of camp, have a chance to say goodbye and then depart. This allows a clear handoff to our staff, who then can focus on the campers and their experience.  

Having assigned time slots for drop off allows for a more efficient process and helps manage traffic around camp. Families will need to sign up for their drop-off time slot using an online portal that will open on Monday, June 10, at 7:00 p.m. (EDT). We will be limiting the number of cars per time slot so that we can safely and efficiently process each car. Time slots will be available on a first come first served basis. Here is an outline of the process: 

Drop-off time slots will be 1:00pm, 1:20pm, 1:40pm, 2:00pm, 2:20pm, and 2:40pm. 
You may not arrive at the camp gate for drop-off more than five minutes prior to your time slot. We realize that people driving to camp may not be able to precisely schedule their arrival to Palmer. If you arrive in Palmer early, please park and wait at the Big Y parking lot. You will be sent away if you arrive at camp early because we cannot block the road entering camp. 
We will process fifty cars during each 20-minute time slot.  
Upon entering camp, you will be directed to park alongside the road on A-side. Please stay by your cars until a staff member checks you in. 
After we have processed each car, campers will say goodbye to their parents and their counselors will lead them to the bunk area. Activities will begin and campers will settle into camp. 
After your car has been processed, we will facilitate your leaving the parking area in a safe manner. 
Please eat lunch prior to arrival at camp. We will serve snack to all our campers in the afternoon.

Why did we move car drop off to 1 p.m.? We started the camper drop off time for those arriving by car to 1 p.m. because the DC/Maryland bus arrives late in the afternoon and we wanted everyone to start camp close to the same time. This is different from previous years as busing from DC/Maryland is the new normal. Last summer, the campers who arrived by car had several hours of being in camp without the ability to truly start the program, and we don’t want the DC/Maryland campers to feel left out of the start of camp when the bus arrives at 4:00. We feel this is really important so that all campers can adjust to camp more easily; it is especially important for campers who may experience homesickness or uneasiness entering into new situations.

Busing to Camp

Please pack a dairy lunch, water bottle and snacks for your camper(s). Do not pack any peanuts or tree nuts; the buses must be completely nut-free.

There will be bathrooms on the buses.

Campers may bring their phones; they will hand them in to our staff when they arrive at camp.

DC Bus Information

Location: B’nai Israel Congregation, 6301 Montrose Road, Rockville, MD 20852
Begin loading buses: 6:30am
Depart: 7:00am
Estimated Arrival at Camp: 3:00pm

New Jersey Bus Information

Stop #1
- Location: Golda Och Academy ( lower school campus), 122 Gregory Avenue, West Orange, NJ
- Assemble: 10:30 am
- Bus will Depart: 11:00 am
Stop #2
- Location: New City Jewish Center, 47 Old Schoolhouse Road, New City, NY
- Assemble: 11:45 am
- Bus will depart: 12:00 pm
Stop #3
- Location: Westchester Jewish Center, Palmer & Rockland Avenues, Mamaroneck, NY
- Assemble: 12:30 pm
- Bus will depart: 12:50 pm

Estimated Arrival at Camp: 2:45pm

Flying to Camp

We will send out an updated staff name for unaccompanied minor pick-up approximately one week before opening day. You can then update your airline reservation to include the correct name.

If you haven’t already told our registrar, Marissa Barashi, that your camper is flying unaccompanied and will need to be picked up at the gate, please let her know. Please include your full itinerary including a confirmation number.

We will contact you directly with specific pickup instructions in the days right before the flight. If you are flying with your camper, we will let you know where to meet our staff for the shuttle.