FAQs

Our FAQ’s are here to help you as a guide, but never hesitate to pick up the phone and call us at 413-274-4092 or email us at Directors@campmkn.com.  We are always happy to help answer any questions.

Where do most campers come from?

Mah-Kee-Nac boys come from all over the World, with around 50% of our campers arriving from the Tri-State area in the United States. We have boys from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Boston, Philadelphia, Virginia, Maryland, Washington DC, Illinois, South Dakota, Florida, Texas, California, Colorado, Washington, Atlanta, and about 10% as far away as France, Mexico, Columbia, Switzerland, Israel, and the Dominican Republic.

How do you place campers in bunks?

When placing campers in bunks, we take three things into consideration, first.

  1. What grade has the child just completed?  We bunk our boys by the grade they have just completed.
  2. Is this child a new camper?  Typically we like to place new campers with other new campers.
  3. What session is the camper attending?  As best we can, we bunk our campers according to the session they are attending.  This allows for campers to go through the same transitions as their bunkmates in the summer.

We enjoy and prioritize meeting our new campers throughout the year.  When making final bunk arrangements, we consider placing campers together based on similar interests, personality matches, and making sure that our bunks are diverse based on where campers are coming from.

Bunks and Campuses are arranged as follows:

Team Junior Camp (TJC) consists of boys entering 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th grades.

Lower Senior (LSR) consists of boys entering 6th, 7th and 8th grades.

Upper Senior (USR) consists of boys entering 9th, 10th, and 11th grades.  The 11th graders, our Senecas, are the oldest campers in camp.  They participate in a traditional camp program with the addition of some community service and leadership training benefits.  In this final year, the Senecas earn and are rewarded with many different privileges and awards.

What happens if my child gets sick or is injured at camp?

Mah-Kee-Nac’s healthcare staff consists of four nurses and a physician who cover our health center 24/7. Local physicians also attend to campers who need to see a specialist. These doctors are affiliated with the Berkshire Medical Center, 15 minutes from camp.   There are several local Urgent Care Centers within a 10-minute drive of camp as well.

Our Health Center Coordinator will always notify a parent when a child will need to stay overnight in the health center, needs to see a specialist, or needs to be started on prescription medication. We also contact parents, or the emergency contact person, immediately in the event of an accident or injury.

In addition, our campers are checked twice a session by our nursing staff to ensure hygiene and health are maintained satisfactorily.

During orientation, the healthcare staff reviews each of our camper’s medical history and medications. Sick call is held after breakfast and before dinner, but campers who are more urgently ill are immediately escorted to the health center by their counselor. Children receive routine medications at mealtimes and bedtime according to the documentation on their health history.

How is the food at camp? What if my child has a food allergy?

HOMEMADE AND DELICIOUS! Mah-Kee-Nac’s menu provides a large variety of nutritious and well-prepared meal selections, and allergy alternatives are available at every meal. Breakfast always consists of a fruit and yogurt bar, assorted cereals and a hot meal which rotates daily. For Lunch, a full salad bar and a make-your-own sandwich/wrap bar always complement the main meal prepared daily by our chef. Dinner follows the same suit, offering a full salad bar alongside the main course for the evening. Pasta selections are offered every night as well.  Our campers are always given plenty of options during meals and receive 3 additional snacks during the day: morning, afternoon and a night bite. Fresh fruit is always available in the Dining Hall.

We take allergies extremely seriously at Mah-Kee-Nac. MKN is a “NUT AWARE” camp and does not use any tree nut/nut products in the kitchen, or allow any snacks on campus that contain tree nuts/nuts or were produced in a facility that contains tree nuts/nuts. We do not serve shellfish or sesame and have a separate side of the kitchen to accommodate a variety of allergies. We ask that you contact us directly if your son has a special diet so we can provide the best individual attention to your child.

How will my son travel to and home from camp?

Bus transportation is available from North & Central New Jersey, Long Island, New York City, Westchester, Philadelphia and Boston. Chaperoned flights are available from Los Angeles, Washington, DC Florida. Counselors escort campers to and from camp through the Albany and Hartford Airports.

You may choose to drop off or pick up your camper.  Please note that these options are swift, and well managed by our staff.  A quick hug goodbye, and off they go with their counselors.  We recommend the bus or chaperoned flight as camp!

How will I communicate with my son during the summer?

Full summer campers will receive two phone calls during the summer, one during the first session and one during the second session. Session campers will receive one phone call. Parents will schedule all calls prior to the summer through their online Camp In Touch account.  Our first and full season also include a Family Visiting Day.

Younger campers are encouraged to write home at least once or twice a week. We ask for parents to write weekly as well. We also provide an email service for parents through their online Camp In Touch account.  Parent emails are printed and delivered each morning to your son’s bunk’s mailbox and handed out at mail call.

MKN is a package-free camp. This reduces clutter in the bunks and eliminates feelings of competition and exclusion for the boys (and parents!). If your son happens to forget something, you may send a package with the forgotten item after contacting our office for approval.

What if my son would like to stay longer at camp?

When a camper is enrolled for a session but wants to stay longer – we do our very best to accommodate that request.  Many times, they are having just too much fun to go home.  Campers must extend through the remainder of the next session unless there is a school conflict.