FAQ

Pricing varies by location and program. Use our camp finder and get pricing details.

We have camps throughout the Bay Area, Southern California and Chicago areas. Use our camp finder to find a location near you.

We offer extended care everyday from 8AM-9AM and 3PM-6PM. At Summer Camps @ the Tech, afternoon extended care starts at 4 PM.

Your kids will have a blast long after the regular camp day ends in our extended care program. Signing up for extended care is a simple part of the camp sign-up process. If you’ve already signed up for camp and want to add extended care to your order, log in to your account, click “Add Lunch/Extended Care” next to your camper’s name, select your camp program and click the “Extended Care” box or boxes for the weeks you want to add extended care.

Learn more about how they’ll spend their extended care time.

The balance of fun and learning is at the heart of what makes Galileo so great. Camp is bursting with joy and creativity, with exploration and adventure in both outdoor games and hands-on projects in the classrooms.

Learn more about what your camper’s day looks like:

• Pre K – 5th grades
• 5th – 8th grades

Water Day is a water play based all camp game that happens at most sites on Thursday afternoons. Campers will spend about 30 minutes engaged in safe, fun, water-based activities such water ball (kickball with foam water balls), water olympics (water based challenges), and water carnival (a variety of water based games such as a staff member dunk station). Based on camper demand, we brought this back in 2019.

In California we partner with Choicelunch and in Chicago we partner with Gourmet Gorilla. Our partners provide kid-friendly (and approved) meals with tons of options. Both partners let you customize.

Lunch prices range based on where you live and your customized order (in Chicago). Learn more about menus, how to order, how to customize, details about pricing, and more on our Lunch details page.

Definitely. At Galileo Summer Quest and Summer Camps @ The Tech, simply coordinate your camper’s dates and major or class with the friends in question. At Camp Galileo, you can submit friend requests if campers are in the same age group as part of the sign-up process. While we’ll try to group your camper with as many friends as possible, we can only guarantee one request.

If you don’t do any social planning in advance, don’t worry. Our group structure and stellar staff work all week to facilitate new friendships and make every camper feel safe and included.

Don’t forget about our Refer a Friend program — click here to learn more.

As our curriculum and activities are designed specifically for each age level, we strongly discourage grade group hopping. If your camper is concerned about seeing friends who are in a different grade group, remember that campers eat lunch together and participate in all-camp activities and games throughout the week.

At Camp Galileo, we group campers by grade in three groups—pre-K – entering K (Nebulas), entering 1st and 2nd (Stars) and entering 3rd through 5th (Supernovas)—and carefully customize our curriculum for each group. At Galileo Summer Quest, 5th – 8th graders will spend the week with the like-minded visionaries in their major.

At Summer Camps @ The Tech, campers spend most of their week with the other campers in their chosen class or classes, which are organized by grade—entering 4th – 6th and 6th – 8th.

If your week of camp is already full, you can join the waitlist online or over the phone. There is no cost to join a waitlist, and no obligation to sign up once you’re on it. If you have questions about a particular waitlist or your odds of getting to the top of it, contact us.

If space opens up and you’re next on the list, we’ll send an email letting you know. You’ll have three business days to sign up for that week or class. If you don’t sign up, we’ll email the next family on the list to offer them the spot.

It’s absolutely OK, but not something we recommend. Our curriculum is carefully crafted to unfold over five days, with each day building on the one before it. Missing a day means missing an important piece of that nifty process. If no full weeks fit into your schedule, it’s totally fine to sign up and plan to miss days—we can’t, however, prorate the cost of your camp week, and your camper will not be able to complete that week’s projects.

We make scheduling your summer easy. Switch to another session or location any time for free. No transfers after 3 pm the Friday before your camp week. Contact us to make changes.

The camp you sign up for is uniquely yours. Sessions and classes are not transferable to other campers.

Cancel camp and we’ll refund your purchase, minus a $125 per session cancellation fee. No refunds fewer than 30 days before your first camp week.

Policy applies to all cancellations regardless of original sign-up date. Fees from unused sessions cannot be applied to future purchases.

While schedules vary from camp to camp, all of our Camp Galileo and Galileo Summer Quest programs happen at schools. Because teachers and staff often head back to school in August, we arrange our exit to give them the time they need to prepare for a new school year.

Yes. Every year, we award thousands of weeks of specially priced camp through our financial assistance program. We also refer to these as our scholarship weeks. Apply on our Financial Assistance page.

Help us make camp a reality for all with a donation to our assistance fund. Make a non-tax-deductible donation by adding it to your camp purchase when you check out, or call our customer service team at 800-854-3684.

At Camp Galileo, we group campers by grade in three groups—pre-K – entering K (Nebulas), entering 1st and 2nd (Stars) and entering 3rd through 5th (Supernovas)—and carefully customize our curriculum for each group. At Galileo Summer Quest, 5th – 8th graders will spend the week with the like-minded visionaries in their major.

At Summer Camps @ The Tech, campers spend most of their week with the other campers in their chosen class or classes, which are organized by grade—entering 4th – 6th and 6th – 8th.

As our curriculum and activities are designed specifically for each age level, we strongly discourage grade group hopping. If your camper is concerned about seeing friends who are in a different grade group, remember that campers eat lunch together and participate in all-camp activities and games throughout the week.

Definitely. At Galileo Summer Quest and Summer Camps @ The Tech, simply coordinate your camper’s dates and major or class with the friends in question. At Camp Galileo, you can submit friend requests if campers are in the same age group as part of the sign-up process. While we’ll try to group your camper with as many friends as possible, we can only guarantee one request.

If you don’t do any social planning in advance, don’t worry. Our group structure and stellar staff work all week to facilitate new friendships and make every camper feel safe and included.

Camp Galileo is a great place for your tiny innovator in training. We design activities specifically suited for pre-K and kindergarten-aged campers (we call them Nebulas), surround them with staff who are experienced with this age group and work with them to develop teamwork skills, a great preparation for kindergarten. Campers are grouped exclusively with other kids their own age and enjoy a maximum of 8:1 camper-to-staff ratio. While most Nebulas attend our full day program, we do offer a part-day option from 9 am – 1 pm for campers who aren’t ready for a full day.

Nebulas must be entering kindergarten in the fall or turning 5 by December 1, 2019.

It depends on the kid. Camp Galileo is for the 5th grader who loves the mix of art, science and outdoors and wants to be on the top of the heap in a group with 3rd and 4th graders. We give our 5th grade campers at Camp Galileo the honorary title of Red Supergiant and let them develop their leadership skills by mentoring younger innovators. Galileo Summer Quest is for the emerging visionary interested in an older environment (being grouped with 6th, 7th and 8th graders), ready to pick a passion—from majors like Mobile Game Design, Chefology or 3-D Modeling & Printing—and go deep exploring it.

Innovators with an interest in science and technology might want to spend part of the summer at Summer Camps @ The Tech for 4th – 8th graders in San Jose.

Sure, it’s actually pretty common. While the curriculum is the same each time, our instructors are prepared with more challenging next steps for returning campers so they can build on what they learned the first time through. Our returning campers often emerge from round two with more sophisticated projects and a deeper understanding of the concepts they learned.

Yes. While returning campers will find the curriculum familiar and the basics more or less the same, another week in the same major affords campers the opportunity to delve even deeper into what they’re passionate about. Through additional weeks, campers can gain mastery in techniques introduced in the major, taking their projects to the next level and continuing to practice the Innovator’s Process and Mindset, which is the core of our curriculum.

We take allergies very seriously. As part of the sign-up process, you’ll complete a detailed health history form with any information we should know about your camper’s allergies. We send this information to the staff at your camp location. Before camp begins, we welcome you to contact your Camp Director (we’ll send you contact information in early June) to talk through any concerns or specific instructions you may have.

We designate nut-free tables at all of our camps during snack times and lunch and enforce a strict hand-washing policy. All staff members are trained on how to administer an EpiPen in the event of an emergency.

While our camps aren’t specifically designed to accommodate special needs, a wide range of kids with special needs have had great experiences with us over the years. To help decide if our camps are right for you, please give our customer service team a call at 1-800-854-3684. We also welcome camper aides, but require all aides who attend camp to complete a background check before camp begins.

Chronic medical conditions like diabetes are typically able to be supported at camp. For more serious or specialized conditions, please give us a call at 1-800-854-3684.

We maintain one of the lowest camper to staff ratios in California. During class time, it’s a maximum of 8:1 for entering Kindergarteners, and 10:1 for most other grades. During camp hours, we keep our ratio at 10:1 or better. During programs, campers are organized into smaller groups or teams so that our staff can effectively maintain a watchful eye. Camp Galileo campers are never alone – even trips to the restroom happen with a buddy or group – and our staff is trained to take attendance every 15 minutes and during every transition.

Our staff members are trained in how to recognize the signs of anaphylactic shock and administer an EpiPen, if needed. EpiPens brought to camp will remain with the camper and supervising staff member at all times. Our staff also keeps campers’ health history, provided during the enrollment process, handy in case it is needed. Campers with tree nut and other food allergies enjoy lunch in a nut-free zone, supervised by a staff member.

We do everything we can to keep your campers safe, and we’re prepared to support them in the event of an injury. At least 2 staff on every campus are first-aid and CPR certified. We notify all parents about minor injuries (like scraped knees) during the check-out process every day. In the event of a more serious injury, we call 911 if needed, and notify the parents or guardians immediately.

Our staff goes through a rigorous interview process that includes: application, in-person interview, reference check, and criminal background check; and leadership team members will attend an additional one-on-one interview. Those that meet our standard of excellence – 15% of applicants on average – are invited to join the Galileo team. Once hired, all staff receives several hours of online training plus 2 full days of in-person training, followed by ongoing supervision and professional development provided by their Camp Director. But don’t just take our word for it! Over 98% of nearly 7,000 parents rated our staff highly on their post-camp survey.

Our staff is required to check for a photo ID and cross check it with the list of people that you have authorized to pick up your child. Please be prepared to bring your photo ID each day at check out.

Just like the school’s teachers during the school year, our staff is trained to approach all visitors to campus. Our staff also rehearses a lockdown process while setting up for camp, for use in the unlikely event that we’d need to shelter in place.

We have evacuation plans at each of our sites and camp staff is trained on what to do in the event of almost any emergency, including earthquakes, fire, airborne exposures, and much more. Prior to camp, we notify all first responders that camp is operating in their community so that they are prepared to support any emergencies that may arise.

We have received the Markel Safety 1st* award for over 6 years running. Keeping your camper physically and emotionally safe is, above all, our highest priority, and we have an excellent safety record that proves we’re serious.

*Markel’s Safety 1st program recognizes policyholders who have shown an exceptional commitment to the safety of their employees and customers. Camps and clubs must meet stringent criteria to quality for the Safety 1st designation. They must have a proven safety record, undergo formal assessments and inspections, and participate in continuing education and certification programs.

Yes. Log in to your account and review your registration details. Check your camper’s emergency contacts and t-shirt size and confirm that you’ve signed up for lunch or extended care if you need it. If you see discrepancies or have questions, give our customer service team a call at 800-854-3684. If you’ve purchased lunch and would like to customize your camper’s menu, you must do so by 8 am the day before camp.

Campers should wear casual clothing that can get dirty and comfortable shoes for indoor and outdoor activities.

If you’ve purchased lunch, the only sustenance your camper needs is a water bottle. If your camper’s day includes afternoon extended care, please include a snack as well. If you do not plan to purchase lunch, please pack your camper a snack, lunch and a water bottle (plus a second snack for afternoon extended care, if needed).

Campers should arrive with sunscreen already applied and may want to bring a hat and additional sunscreen.

What should my camper bring for water day?

Campers should show up with bathing suits under their clothes, closed toe shoes (water shoes are a great option), a towel, and sunscreen.

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Not a problem. We’re here to help. Contact us via email or give our customer service team a call at 800-854-3684. You can find us by the phone Monday – Friday, 8:30 am – 5:30 pm PST.

Check out all of our active discounts and savings by visiting our Promotions and Specials page.

Thanks for your interest in Galileo. We receive a large volume of requests and we are happy to help spread the joy of innovation everywhere we can.

Please submit your auction request using our Auction Donation Request form.

For the first time ever we’re offering a limited-availability, part day camp hosted at our Oakland, CA headquarters during select spring break weeks.

STAR CAMPERS (1ST – 2ND GRADES)
April 1 – 5, 2019
9 am – Noon
$100 now only $75 (Early Bird savings apply through 2/28)
@ Galileo HQ, 1021 3rd Street, Oakland, CA

SUPERNOVA CAMPERS (3RD – 5TH GRADES)
April 15 – 19, 2019
9 am – 2 pm
$150 now only $125 (Early Bird savings apply through 2/28)
@ Galileo HQ, 1021 3rd Street, Oakland, CA

Click here to learn more.