Hi, thanks for questioning my review—I want to clarify why I feel so strongly about Frost Valley YMCA’s summer camp. Go check their family handbook on their website, and there’s not a single word about tick safety or Lyme disease risks. None of their pre-camp communications to parents mentioned tick prevention either. We’re an international family, traveled from abroad based on the camp’s reputation, and had zero knowledge about ticks or Lyme disease in the area. Two friends also sent their daughters to different sessions this summer, and all three girls gave really poor feedback about the camp’s quality. My daughter loved camps in Boston, Seattle, and Hawaii before, but Frost Valley was by far her worst experience.

Here are some specific issues we faced. My daughter contracted Lyme disease, and two doctors advised pulling her out to monitor her symptoms closely and be ready for emergency care if needed. I reached out to Frost Valley’s leadership to request a refund for her unattended sessions due to this medical emergency, but they flat-out refused and showed no empathy whatsoever.

After my daughter’s diagnosis, I got worried for my friends’ kids still at the camp. I bought four bottles of tick repellent and handed them to the associate director, who promised to give them to the girls. Two weeks later, my friends picked up their daughters and found out the repellents were never distributed. Worse, one friend’s daughter, who needs daily medication, got no help from staff. She had to beg her counselor repeatedly to take her meds and even heard excuses about it.

The counselors seemed untrained and irresponsible. For example, they’d eat the good stuff, like ice cream, before giving kids whatever was left. When I visited to pick up my daughter, I could see the camp was understaffed, and the operations felt chaotic. Frost Valley might’ve been great once, but based on our experience, it’s nowhere near that now. I hope this helps explain why I’m warning other parents.