This page will be most interesting to people who are already familiar with NBTSC in the past and are wondering what has recently changed.
This page still shows our 2018 changes – 2019 “key changes” update coming soon!
New Oregon session! (Sort of…)
We are adding a new one-week option to Oregon Session 2 at Camp Myrtlewood. “One-weekers” will participate in the first week of this two-week session, and then depart on the morning of Day 7. This option also offers a slightly less intense experience than any of our other sessions, so it may be a great way for new or younger campers to start their nbtsc career. Note that we will launch registration for the 1-week option on March 1 (rather than February 1 like our other sessions). More details on our Oregon Session 2 page.
Paperless Registration
We have received a good deal of feedback requesting a paperless registration option and we expect that this will make life easier for everyone. We are teaming with an organization called CampDoc with the goal of providing an entirely paper-free pre-camp experience. (Last year we had a positive experience teaming with CampDoc on part of our pre-camp info-gathering, such as our health history questionnaire, and we are excited about expanding the collaboration.)
Changes to camp fee structure
We are introducing a 2-tiered payment system to help make camp accessible for all – including our staff. Families who fall into higher income brackets will pay a somewhat higher rate ($100 more for 1-week sessions, $150 for two weeks). All of the extra revenue we earn this way will go to support more sustainable pay for our longtime session staff, who are so much of what makes NBTSC come alive afresh each time. We always do our best to keep camp tuition low, so please understand that this change does not come lightly or in the interest of extravagance. For the most part we are thrilled to continue to run camp frugally: by continuing to choose beautiful but simple sites, serve delicious but simple food, and run a relatively simple program without the need for lots of fancy supplies or equipment. We will continue to pass along the savings on these expenses to all camp families.
No rebate this year. (Our basic price-tag is $100 lower, but then there is no $100 rebate for getting in fees and forms on time.) Instead, a smaller $35 late-fee if tuition is not paid on time.
We are adding a small “sibling discount” for multiple campers from the same immediate family. (The first to register pays full price; each additional sib gets $50 off.)
To increase ease of payment, we’re adding a new way to pay for camp. If it’s inconvenient for you to send us a paper check, you’ll now be able to pay right in our registration portal on CampDoc. This adds approximately 4% to your fees (similar to the 3% fee we used to charge for using PayPal). Or, you can set up an automatic monthly payment plan via CampDoc – if it deducts directly from your bank account then this adds only approximately 2% to your tuition.
Vermont ~ diversity scholarships
In Vermont, we offer diversity scholarships. If you are a person of color who would like to come to NBTSC but cannot afford the tuition, please get in touch.
Vermont ~ more transportation options.
In the past, some campers have had too much trouble traveling to Vermont, so in 2017 we started offering a ride from/to the Burlington airport ($40 each way). For 2018 we’re also planning to experiment with a van from/to one or more regional cities (outside of Vermont that is). We’re still working out details and costs – stay tuned. (Of course we’ll also continue to offer van pickups from the Amtrak and Greyhound stations in White River Junction.)
