Barn Day Camp Butterflies Summer 2025

Barn Day Camp Butterflies: 2025 & Beyond

Monday, November 4, 2024:

As far back as any folks on our team can remember, Barn Day camp has enrolled 4 -and 5-year-olds, and they have flourished.

However, over this past summer, we learned that day camps which offer a full-day program for 4- and 5-year-olds who have not completed kindergarten must be licensed by the Vermont Department for Children and Families (DCF) as “non-recurring care service” providers. Programs for this age group which operate for 4 hours or fewer per day do not need to be licensed by the state. If you are interested in reading through the regulations yourself, please go here (see section 2 and 8).

For the 2025 camp season, Emily Mathon, the Barn Day Camp Director, and our Leadership Team have made the decision that BDC will operate a half-day Butterflies Program for 4- and 5-year-olds who have not completed kindergarten. The program will run from 9 am – 1 pm, Monday through Friday, and it is limited to 10 campers per session. Five-year-olds who have completed kindergarten are able to register for the full day program.

Tuition for this half-day program will be half the tuition of the full day program and families who would like to apply for financial aid camperships through our Affordable for All program still may do so.

Some of you may have questions about how this change will impact you and your children, and we hope the Q&A section below provides some answers. And please reach out to the Admissions team at 802-422-3761 and admissions@farmandwilderness.org or via the LiveChat option right here on our website with any additional questions, and we will do our best to provide answers.

Warmly,
Jay Kullman

If I have a child who has completed kindergarten and is 5 or older, can they opt for a half-day program at a reduced tuition?
We understand that some families might prefer a half-day program for their child, but only 4- and 5-year-olds who have not completed kindergarten are eligible for the half day program at the reduced tuition.
If I have one child in the Butterflies program, and another, older child attending BDC, can I pick up my older child at 1 pm?
Yes, you can do that, but there will not be any reduction to tuition. Our Admissions team will be in touch with families who have a both a child in the Butterflies Program and other child/dren at Barn Day Camp prior to the start of their camp session to confirm pick up plans for all children in the family.
Why is the half-day program called the Butterflies Program?
All campers at BDC are part of an age-defined group with an animal name, and this age group, 4- and 5-year-olds, are typically in the Butterfly animal group.

Can I apply for financial assistance for a child in the Butterflies Program?
Yes! Affordable for All rates for the Butterflies program will scale with the program tuition. Please reach out to us directly with further questions about Campership/Affordable for All!
Will the Butterflies Program include an overnight trip?
Unfortunately, because of the state regulations governing programs for this age-group, we are not able to offer an overnight trip. However, Butterflies will still participate in our activity areas, many of which inspire a love of being outdoors and encourage skill-building for such future adventures!
Why can’t all 5-year-olds be together in one animal group?
At this time, we are planning for all 5-year-olds who have completed kindergarten to be in a separate, full day animal group (the Deer or Turtles which may also have 6-year-olds) from 5-year-olds who have not completed kindergarten and who will be in the Butterflies Program along with 4-year-olds. We recognize that many families may not distinguish 5-year-olds in terms of those who have completed kindergarten or not. Here, we must follow the distinction that DCF makes.
Will F&W make any exceptions to allow 3-year-olds to register?
While we have made occasional exceptions in prior years, we cannot make any exceptions for 3-year-olds in 2025, and we do not expect that to change in future years.
Are there any plans to help working parents with a child enrolled in the Butterflies Program figure out afternoon care options?
We are very interested in helping families who have children enrolled in the Butterflies Program meet each other and other BDC families, and we are hoping that families may be able to set up play dates, carpooling and/or shared activities to help each other with care in the afternoon. As we get closer to the start of camp, we will provide more information on our plans. And if you have ideas you want to share, please reach out to Admissions.
How did F&W not know that they were out of compliance with DCF? What if there are new state regulations that impact BDC or other camp programs?
At some point in the last 15 years, DCF introduced requirements for non-recurring care service providers, but our team did not receive any notification from the state about this change, and we did not have a process to review the regulations for any changes relevant to our programs. We now have that process in place.
The American Camp Association (ACA) website states that day camps in Vermont are “likely exempt from Early Childhood Program [state] Regulations”. We have been in touch with ACA to update them and request that they update their website.
Does Farm & Wilderness plan to apply for the required license to offer a full-day program for 4- and 5-year-olds who have not yet completed kindergarten?
There are significant changes we would need to make to our facilities, and we would need to increase the time and scope of our staff training to be approved by the DCF to serve this younger age group for a full-day program. At this time, we have made the decision not to apply for the required license, and we will keep camp families posted as we learn more and/or if this changes.
Is there anything I can do, as a parent/guardian, to make it possible for F&W to offer a full-day program for 4- and 5-year-olds who have not yet completed kindergarten?
There may be ways for families, especially those who reside full-time in Vermont, to share their wishes to see changes to the DCF regulations with lawmakers and others in VT, and we will be in touch as we learn more about the most effective ways for families to share input.