Each summer, the North Carolina State Board of Health conducts unannounced inspections of the many summer camps in this area. Year after year Camp Pinewood consistently scores the highest rating of all these camps. This thorough inspection includes campers’ cabins, kitchen cleanliness, grounds, swimming pool and health center. Needless to say, this distinction is a great source of pride to us.
Yes. Our entrance and exit gates are closed 24/7. The Hendersonville Police Department patrols the campground every night from 12am until sunrise.
Each and every staff member receives a thorough background check administered by a professional screening company. In addition, we require each applicant to submit three character references and three employment references. Before campers arrive, we provide in-depth training and orientation for each and every staff member. We enlist an American Red Cross Instructor to train and certify all of our counselors with American Red Cross First Aid.
Camp Pinewood has five age divisions. We place our campers into these age divisions according to the grade completed just before camp starts.
First, second or third grade - Cub Division
Fourth or fifth grade - Pioneer Division
Sixth or seventh grade - Scout Division
Eighth or ninth grade - Chief Division
Tenth or eleventh grade - Counselors In Training (CIT) division
The CIT division is for a limited number of campers selected by staff members.
Campers and counselors live together and sleep on bunk beds. Each cabin has an attached covered porch large enough for everyone to enjoy and is equipped with at least two toilets (enclosed for privacy), two sinks and individual showers.
Our cabins accommodate from eight to twelve campers. Proper supervision is very important to us. We will never have fewer than two counselors in a cabin. We employ an excellent camper-to-counselor ratio, especially in our younger age divisions. Typically, a cabin group of ten nine year-olds will have three cabin counselors. In addition, for added supervision, many of our instructors also live in cabins with campers.
Regardless of age division at least one counselor remains with the cabin group at lights out. Any counselors who have the night off must return to the cabin by a 12:00am curfew. When cabin counselors have days off, they must also comply with the 12:00am curfew. We do not allow counselors a 24-hour day off or to spend the night away from the cabin. Supervision is of the utmost importance.
Camp Pinewood does not charge extra fees for any of our in-camp activities, including water skiing, wake boarding, wave runners, arts and crafts and horseback riding. We include transportation for two field trips per half session in the price of tuition. The only other extra costs are for camp clothes and camper field trip/spending money. We ask parents to purchase at least four t-shirts and two laundry bags for their camper. For safety and quick, easy identification we require each camper and staff member to wear a camp shirt on each out-of-camp adventure. We keep the cost of the clothing items to a bare minimum. Camper field trip/spending money is a set amount of money that varies depending upon age division and session of camper. The designated amount will be added to your final bill. We distribute spending money to the campers as needed for spending on field trips and use in the drink machines at camp.
No. We provide all meals as well as a daily snack at no additional cost. We also provide evening treats at or after many of our night activities. Camper field trip/spending money also covers periodic trips to our "Sweets & Treats" shop for ice cream and candy. We believe a camp store is an unnecessary expense for the parents. The only way campers can spend money here is at vending machines with water, sport drinks and soda.
Our camp office opens at 9am Monday through Saturday and 10am on Sunday. Our office assistants are available to answer questions and take messages until 7pm each evening except Saturday, when the office closes at 6pm. We encourage parents to call during parent phone hours when a director will be available to answer any questions you may have regarding your child’s assimilation into camp life. We will provide phone hours in the pre-camp information for enrolled families.
Our counselors fill out a daily report card that lists each camper and any pertinent individual information. For example, Stephanie Smith: Stephanie is in good health, happy and getting along with her cabin-mates, scored the winning goal in the day’s soccer game, and was very excited to have ridden a horse for the first time. The counselors turn in this information nightly to the main office, where we store it for reference during phone hours when parents can call and speak with a director regarding their child’s progress. We will provide phone hours in the pre-camp information for enrolled families.
We have three registered nurses on staff and also employ three nurses’ aides. The Health Center is a modern, fully equipped, air-conditioned facility. It is open from 9am until 11pm daily. Should the need arise for medical care beyond those hours, our nursing staff is always on call. We have several doctors just minutes away, and they work closely with our nursing staff. Additionally Margaret Pardee Hospital is just five minutes away in Hendersonville.