Frequently Asked Questions

General Questions

Being mobile allows us to provide new experiences each day and make the most of our time out and about. Additionally, Vamonoos is an accredited STEM program… our focus is on having fun and providing new learning opportunities and experiences.

Each week will have a theme. For example, a typical week may be themed ""Living Things"" and would include a day at the pool, a day exploring a state or national park, a day of STEM opportunities and Arts & Crafts, a day at the Natural History Museum and riding scooters at the National Mall, and a day visiting a Bee Farm.

00:09

Families will be able to communicate with each group's counselors via text message and phone calls; text messages being the preferred method of communication. Please keep in mind that the counselors may not be able to respond immediately. For faster response, you will also be able to contact the Admin team via text message and phone calls.

00:44

We delay the delivery of each week's itinerary to take the weather into consideration. On these days, we will use indoor spaces, such as museums, and reserved indoor spaces. Additionally, each week will have a Plan B location, in case there is unforecasted bad weather.

01:05

Each week's itinerary will be provided the Friday before the week of camp. The reason we wait so close to camp is that we take the most current weather forecast into consideration.

The itinerary will be sent via email. Additionally, the Admin team will have a video call with families on the Saturday prior to camp to discuss the itinerary and answer any questions. This call will be recorded and shared with all families registered for camp that week.

01:24

Weeklong camps (which includes Summer, Mid-Winter Break, and Spring Break camps) and Day camps are from 9am through 5pm. Additionally, Vamonoos has a home pick-up and drop-off option. Morning pick-ups begin at 8am and afternoon drop-offs begin at 5:20pm.

After-care is from school dismissal time through 6pm.

01:50

The campers will be able to leave their belongings on the bus, since each bus will be used specifically for one group. For week-long camps, campers may leave their belongings on the bus all week and take them home at the end of the week.

We strive to have an electronics free environment. However, we understand that some families provide their child with cellphones in case of emergencies. If your child has a cellphone, please ensure that it is not left on the bus overnight.

02:15

We understand the importance of campers experiencing new activities with their friends and will do our best to ensure they are in the same group; but are unable to guarantee they will be. Additionally, the communal drop-off and pick-up location you are assigned to may not be the closest to your home, depending on where your child's friend lives.

02:41

Vamonoos is a bilingual program with Spanish-dominant counselors. In our programs, campers will speak Spanish and English.

Also, Vamonoos is a STEM accredited program. We will complete experiments and projects from the STEM curriculum.

03:04

All of Vamonoos' programs are for children ages 5 and older. However, we understand that it is difficult for families with younger children to have multiple drop-off and pick-up locations. Because of this, we have partnered with Jardincito DC, who accepts 3 and 4 year olds. You will be able to drop-off at one location, and someone from Vamonoos will be there to receive your older camper.

03:22

What To Bring

We provide mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, but do not provide lunch for the children. Each child should bring their lunch from home. Please keep in mind that Vamonoos is a nut-free program when preparing your child's lunch.

03:44

We recommend that the children bring a water bottle, lunch, swimsuit, towel, a change of clothes, and scooter. Please let the Admin team know prior to attending a program if your child needs a scooter.

04:01

Transportation

Yes, there will be communal pick-up and drop-off locations for families who prefer not use our transportation option. During the registration process, you will be able to select one of three predetermined locations, or select the "Floating Location" option.

The Floating Location option takes where families live into consideration when we are identifying a pickup location. We try to keep these locations as close and convenient to your home as possible, and it will be communicated to the families two weeks prior to camp start date; at the latest.

04:14

Yes. For an additional fee, Vamonoos provides the option to have your camper get picked up and dropped off directly from your home. Morning pickups begin at 8:00am and afternoon drop-offs begin at 5:20pm. The pick up and drop off locations must be the same each day.

Siblings receive a 50% discount if picked up at the same location.

04:43

Each group is scheduled to depart to their fieldtrip at 9:20 am each day.

05:09

If a child arrives after the group has already departed or you need to pick up early, please contact the Camp Admin team. We cannot guarantee it, but we will try our best to send someone to transport the child. Also, families can meet up with the group to drop-off or pick-up their child.

Please note that the earlier you inform us about an early pick-up, the more likely we are able to plan and transport the child to you.

05:18

At most, we try to keep all field trips within an hour distance. However, we may increase the distance if we determine that the location will provide a great experience for the campers.

05:48

The two main rules are that children who need booster seats use them and seatbelts are required at all times.

During the camp registration process, families will be required to inform us whether their child needs a booster seat. Additionally, we ask all families to talk with their campers about the importance of wearing their seatbelts. The Vamonoos counselors will emphasize this further with the group.

05:59

Admin Questions

At Vamonoos, our goal is to have fun, but safety is our number one priority. Because our programs are constantly on the move, we have implemented numerous practices to be as safe as possible. Some of theses are:

We ensure the child to adult ratio is manageable by limiting the amount of children in each group. Also, children will wear colored vests to help identify them.
All Vamonoos staff gets training.
GPS coordinates are provided to families in real time, so families know where their camper is at all times.
Booster seats are provided for campers who need them.
Vamonoos uses electronic attendance software for morning drop-offs and afternoon pick-ups. Guardians are required to submit information, including a picture, of all adults who are authorized to pick-up their children. This is submitted in the camp management system. Group counselors will ensure that the adults who pick up the camper are approved the family's profile.

06:23

Families will be able to inform the Vamonoos team of any allergies or health concerns during the registration process. Additionally, we will reach out to each family who have informed us of an allergy or health concern directly; prior to camp beginning.

07:30

We ask that families apply the first application of sunscreen in the morning, prior to arriving to camp. We will continue to reapply spray sunscreen throughout the day. We use a brand similar to Babyganics, but if your child needs a specific sunscreen, please provide it and provide details during the registration process.

07:48

Group sizes are limited to the amount of children who can safely seat in our transportation. This limits group sizes to 18 children and at least two counselors. At most, we will have a 9 : 1 child to adult ratio.

08:12

Vamonoos programs are open to all school-aged children ages 5 and older, and whom are able to use the bathroom independently.

08:26

Everyone at Vamonoos has their background checks completed and all drivers have their driving records pulled and reviewed.

As for experience, the majority of Vamonoos' staff fall into one or more of the following categories:

Teachers and assistants at DCPS and DC Public Charter schools;
Child Development Associates; and/or
Individuals who have experience working at other camps.

There will also be personnel that don't have experience working at a camp. These staff members will always be paired with someone who has experience to transfer knowledge and experience.

Lastly, Vamonoos provides staff with annual training. This includes training in First Aid, Safety Protocols, and Vamonoos' mission... to provide safe and fun experiences for all the campers in our programs.

08:37

Yes. The main purpose for developing Vamonoos' behavior policy was to help ensure that all campers are safe and respectful to themselves, others, and their environments.

09:26

Finance

We currently do not have sibling or multi-program discounts for our camps. We take pride in providing the best experience for each child and believe that our best price should be provided to all families.

However, Vamonoos provides the option to have your camper get picked up and dropped off directly from your home. There is an additional fee for this service and siblings receive a 50% discount for transportation costs if they are picked up at the same location.

09:39

For week-long camps, a $100 deposit will be processed once the registration is approved by the Admin team. The remaining balance will be processed two weeks prior to each week of camp beginning.

For day camps, the full tuition will be processed once registration is approved by the Admin team.

For after-care, the full tuition will be processed once registration is approved by the Admin team.

10:09

There is a 3% credit card processing fee. This fee can be avoided if a bank account is linked to the family's profile for ACH payment instead.

10:36

No. The Admin team will review your details prior to approving it. Payment for the deposit will not be processed until your registration is approved. Once approved, you will receive a system generated email with your confirmation and receipt.

10:49

Yes, the timeframes for when deposits and tuitions are refundable vs. non-refundable are detailed in the terms and conditions in the registration process. We understand life happens and will do our best to work with families on a case by case basis.

11:07

Washington DC Fun Kids Camp

700 K St NW Suite 300, Washington, DC 20001

info@vamonoos.com

9am - 5pm / Mon - Fri

http://www.facebook.com/vamonoosdc

http://www.instagram.com/vamonoosdc

©January 7, 2025, Vamonoos Inc.