Believe in the Magic of Camp
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Q. Can any child who is treated at Radys Children's Health come to summer camp?
A. Yes of course. Patients and their siblings ages 9-17 from the Orange County and San Diego regions are welcome.
Q. What is Parents' Night?
A. There will be an in-person meeting and virtual (Zoom or Team call) on Monday June 1st, 2026, to all parents, especially those who have never sent their child away to camp, to come hear what camp is like on a daily basis, and to learn about what their child will be doing while they are in camp. We will discuss the do's and don'ts of camp and will address any and all your questions and/or concerns. Parents' nights will start at 7:00PM Below is where the in-person meeting is being held but if you can't make it, we will also have a laptop on either Zoom or Team that you can join. That information will be sent out a week by May 28th.
If you wish to come to the actual meeting it will be held at:
PARENT NIGHT FOR CAMP RONALD MCDONALD
Location of parent night: 1120 W. La Veta, 5th floor, Orange 92868
This building (8 stories, CHOC signage at the top) is at the corner of Pepper and La Veta, across the street from the hospitals.
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Turn off La Veta at Pepper St.
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Go into the parking structure to your left (Centrum North structure)
Proceed to building entrance; elevator to the 5th floor (CHOC Foundation) — bring your parking ticket for validation
Q. What about the Day that we leave, where is the Drop-off and Pick-up?
A
DROP OFF PROCEDURE & LOCATION
The drop-off and pick-up location for camp is 3730 Susan Street, Santa Ana, CA 92704
The most important part of the drop-off day procedure is to be sure you have all your camper(s) forms and payments given through the Active.com registration system by the deadline.
Sending your child off to Camp on that first Sunday is a chaotic experience at best. In order to alleviate some of the chaos, we have created the following procedure to establish a sense of order on departure day. Patience is vital to this process, and you can expect the following:
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Please arrive at 9:00am on the day of departure (No early arrivals, please) but no later than 9:45am.
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Upon arrival, please park in the designated area, keeping other areas open for buses, people and the check-in process.
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Proceed to the check-in area with your child and all of their belongings including luggage, medications and their sack lunch.
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Place all luggage in the designated luggage drop off area. Your child will need to keep their lunch with them on the bus to eat when they get to camp.
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Once it is your turn for check-in the staff will confirm that all paperwork and waivers have been completed. You will be told which cabin group your child is in and where to find that group.
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Next, turn in all medication and complete the medication form which must be done for all medications. Even if it is just Aspirin, it must be checked in.
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Drop off your care package at the designated area. If you wish to mail your package to camp, please do so about 4 days before we leave for camp. If you wish for us to take it up to camp, the cost is $15 per package.
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Health Screening – Each camper will be given a health screening where the staff will be asking questions and be checking for observable signs of illness and injury.
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Take your child to his/her cabin group where you will meet the counselor and other cabin mates.
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Take this opportunity to discretely discuss any special care issues that you feel are important to your child’s experience and may help your child’s counselor.
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Say your goodbyes and wish your camper well. This allows the counselor the chance to begin group-building exercises and allows all of the campers to start getting to know each other.
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Now it is time for parents to leave and start your own week of events while your child is at camp having the best time EVER. See you next Saturday!
PICK UP PROCEDURE
Return-From-Camp-Day is as hectic as Departure-To-Camp-Day.
The buses will depart from Camp somewhere around 11:15am to 12 p.m. This means that your child’s bus will return from camp between 1:30 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. (We cannot control traffic, so there may be delays) You will be sent an email when the last bus leaves camp with an estimated arrival time. If you still are uncertain then we ask that you call Camp4Kids after 1:00pm to get an estimated time of arrival. You may also want to check our Facebook page which will be updated with estimated arrival times. Once the Directors arrive, a small area will be cordoned off with cones. Please vacate this area so that the checkout process can go smoothly.
It is imperative that you remain patient during the checkout process. Once the buses arrive, the luggage will be off-loaded. At the same time, Cabin groups will be dismissed from the buses and will head to a designated area. Once you see your child’s Leader, move to a position near him or her. Before you try and take your child you MUST FIRST check out your child with the counselor. The Counselor will ask you to sign for your child and may ask for picture identification before you take your child. Once you have picked up your child’s belongings, luggage, medications and you have checked out you may leave! Please make sure to check the luggage as much of it looks the same. Also please don’t forget to pick up all your medication.
Once again, you must:
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Check your email and our Facebook page for details or call Camp4Kids after 1:00pm. When you do arrive, please do not block parking lot or bus parking area.
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Look for your child’s counselor and check your camper out.
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Collect all of your child’s belongings, luggage and medication.
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Please take time to listen to your child, as they will want to talk with you about camp and all the fun they had. Please hear them out.
If you forget to pick up your children’s luggage it will be held at our corporate office (56 Tesla, Irvine, CA 92618) for 10 working days. After that all luggage will be donated to the Goodwell, and the medication destroyed
Q. What happens if my child misses the bus on the day of camp?
A. The bus will not wait after the official time the bus is scheduled to leave. If you miss the bus, we will provide you with directions to the Camp so that you may deliver your child to Camp Ronald McDonald.
Q. What type of luggage should I send my child’s belongings in?
A. We suggest that you pack all of your child’s belongings in an army-type duffel bag or a suitcase with wheels (roller bag). Please label all of your child’s belongings with his/her name on it; this will make things easier for your child and for us to identify their belongings.
Q. How many pieces of luggage can my child bring?
A. Your child is permitted only two large bags of luggage.
Q. What are the ages of children that can attend camp?
A. Ages 9 through 17.
Q. What should we pack?
A. We have created a helpful packing list, which can be found on this website. Please be sure you do not send your camper with any of the prohibited items listed such as: fireworks, matches, anything that could cause a fire, animals/pets, sports equipment, electronics of any nature including cell phones, illegal drugs, e-cigs, tobacco, alcohol, vape pens, weapons of any nature, or any device that could hurt someone.
Q. If, when my child returns home, I discover that they have lost an item, what can I do?
A. Camp4Kids holds medication and lost & found articles for 10 days from the date we return from camp at the Camp4Kids' main office located at 56 Tesla, Irvine, California 92618. Please call us at 714-474-9774.
Q. What is the weather like at camp?
A. Historically, temperatures in Mountain Center, CA average a high of 92 and a low of 58 low with 14.4 hours of daylight and a 1% chance of rain.
Q. What are the accommodations like at camp?
A. At Camp Ronald McDonald all children will sleep on a bunk bed with railing inside a model-style cabin. There is electricity in these cabins with private bathrooms and private showers for your child’s convenience and comfort.
Q. Can I visit my child at camp or call them?
A. In an emergency or if you have a specific concern, you may call the camp. Regarding visiting, the answer is no. This is a disruption to the camp experience and distraction for your child and other campers.
Q. Is the Camp accredited?
A. Camp4Kids and Camp Ronald McDonald are both accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA) and recognized for meeting and/or exceeding over 300 camping industry standards in safety, staff screening & training, healthcare and operations.
Q. Who watches my kids in the pool?
A. American Red Cross certified lifeguards watch over the campers while they swim. In addition to the lifeguards, all of Camp4Kids' cabin counselors are trained in how to assist the lifeguard in case of an emergency and Camp4Kids also has some certified lifeguards on our staff.