PASSPORTkids! FAQ’s
What age group may participate in PASSPORTkids!?
Children must have completed 3rd grade and must be below 7th grade (i.e., not yet begun attending 7th grade). Adult chaperones must have been out of high school for at least a year.
How many chaperones do I need to bring?
Your group’s adult to child ratio MUST be a minimum of 1 adult for every 5 children (adult and children of the same gender). In other words, if you have three girls and seven boys, you will need one female adult and two male adults. Because the adults who come as chaperones are an integral part of the PASSPORTkids! session, underage children and babies are not allowed. Children older than 6th grade are invited to attend our PASSPORT youth camps.
When does camp begin and end?
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•Registration is 12 noon - 1:30 pm
on Day 1 of each session.
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•The first meal served on Day 1 is supper.
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•Opening Celebration is the first program event
at 3:00 pm on Day 1.
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•The last meal served on Day 4 is lunch.
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•Camp ends on Day 4 after lunch.
Departure time is approximately 1:15 p.m.
How do PASSPORTkids! campers engage in missions?
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•Campers will not be taken off-site to do mission projects. Instead, we bring missions to life for the children through fun, hands-on exploration of a particular people group each year.
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•Campers learn about the work of missionaries and ways they can share the love of Jesus Christ with people everywhere.
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•A mission offering is collected each year to support the work of missionaries among our people group.
How will adults be involved?
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•Adult chaperones’ primary functions will be to supervise and care for their church group’s campers at night and during meals, and to build meaningful relationships with campers.
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•Volunteers are essential to our program! Adult chaperones will be asked to sign up for various volunteer positions while at camp. During programmed activities, they will assist the staff in a variety of ways. These will include: Bible Study, Missions Groups, Camper’s Choice, Recreation and nightly Parties. Please see the Adult Chaperone Page for more details.
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•Adults will also have an Adult Bible Study during the campers’ Bible Study time.
Will our children build relationships with children from other churches?
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•Building bridges is one of our favorite parts of PASSPORTkids!
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•Campers from each church are “scrambled” into different Bible Study groups so they can build new friendships and learn from different perspectives.
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•Each Bible Study group becomes a team during the Rec Party and morning Recreation.
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•Camper’s Choice is an afternoon activity that allows campers to mingle with other children who share their interests.
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•We also encourage adults to build relationships with the adults from other churches. Adult Bible Study time is a great opportunity for you to learn what other churches are doing and hear fresh perspectives on the scriptures.
Are there activities our church group can do together?
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•Free time each afternoon is intended to be a fun and relaxed bonding time for your group.
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•During Free Time, your group may want to go swimming, visit the Camp Store, join in a daily recreational event, or just relax and get ready for the evening’s activities.
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•Members of our staff will “hang out” at some of these activities to spend time with your campers, but they will not supervise. Group Leaders are responsible for supervision of all their campers during Free Time.
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•Following Worship, campers gather with their groups for Worship Response. We will provide you with an outline of activities and discussion questions you may use to help your campers respond not only to worship but to all that they have experienced during the day.
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•Mealtimes are an hour each, and there is a 30-minute rest time in the cabins, lodges, or dorm rooms each day to give campers a midday break. During all meal times and lodging times, you and your adult chaperones are responsible for supervision of your campers.
What will worship be like?
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•Worship is designed specifically for 3rd-6th graders. It is multi-sensory and creative. It includes elements of liturgical and contemporary worship forms, but is also unique. The pastor preaches an age appropriate sermon. Music is a blend of fun songs with movement and more traditional music, such as hymns that children can understand. Drama, dance, and other art forms are also included.
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•The pastor offers a challenge each night to lead into a Worship Response time. The challenge is not manipulative in any way and could lead to a variety of responses. Those responses occur within the context of the church group. Church Group Leaders will receive written material in advance to help them prepare to lead these gatherings.
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•An offering is collected on the third night of worship to support mission work among the people group about whom the campers will be learning.
Is our camp affiliated with a particular denomination?
Passport, Inc. is an ecumenical organization and seeks to provide ecumenical camping experiences. PASSPORTkids! was formed in partnership with the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). This partnership
equips us to prepare for the missions emphasis at camp, but the emphasis will be on Christian missions rather than exclusively on CBF missions.
Besides the registration fee, are there any
additional costs?
Each group is asked to pay a single camp supply fee based on the number of participants in the group. This fee is included in your final balance. The fee schedule is as follows:
1-10 people = $30.00
11-20 people = $60.00
21-30 people = $120.00
31-40 people = $150.00
41-50 people = $180.00
51-60 people = $210.00
61-70 people = $240.00
71 and above = $270.00
These fees are used to purchase non-renewable supplies and pay for the shipping of any materials to the mission field personnel who will use them. Campers may also want to bring some money for the mission offering as well as the camp store.
We have a child who cannot afford the fee. Is financial assistance available?
Churches generally help subsidize fees for campers in their group who are unable to afford the camp fee. We
have limited scholarship funds available if a church cannot provide full assistance for a camper. To inquire
about a scholarship application, please e-mail scholarship@passportcamps.org.
What medical care is available at camp?
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•Neither PASSPORTkids! nor the host campus provides medical care. PASSPORTkids! staff carry a limited amount of first aid supplies with them (bandages, cold compresses, but no oral or topical medications). Neither PASSPORTkids! staff nor employees of the host facility are permitted to administer medication to campers. You or a designated adult chaperone from your group will need to keep and administer any and all medicines. We strongly encourage you to bring first aid supplies of your own, including pain relief and itch relief medicines.
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•Upon check-in, we will provide you with maps and/or directions to the nearest medical treatment centers. We require two copies of the Medical Release Form for each camper and adult chaperone, one for our records and the other for you to keep with you in case one of your campers needs treatment.
May campers with special needs attend PASSPORTkids!?
Absolutely! All children in the appropriate age group are welcome. We provide our staff basic training in how to include and attend to campers with special needs. If you need special accommodations or have a dietary request, please contact the Passport office prior to your camp arrival so that we might best prepare for your stay. If your camper requires a trained caregiver at school or needs specialized attention, we ask that you assign one of your adult chaperones to shadow the camper during all activities to ensure that his or her needs are promptly met.
