The regular full-week day camp runs from 9 am to 4 pm. Extended Care is available commencing at 7 am and closing at 6 pm. Extended care must be prearranged.

Our Baby Bird Program runs from 10:00am to 2:00pm.

Please note that before and after camp programs are not typically structured programs like those we conduct during the day.  Campers are provided with the option of free play, to watch an animal-related movie, visit our library or do a craft.

No, we do not have the option for busing at this time.

Each day is very different, please check out the program page of the camp you are considering and review the list of different themes and possible activities.  Our focus is for campers to spend as much time as possible outdoors hiking and learning about nature. Campers will interact with our animal ambassadors, however, for the health and well-being of our animals, they do need to have some time off during the day.

Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue has 10 unique programs for kids ranging in age from 4-16 years old. Our overall camper-to-staff ratio varies based on the age from 8:1 to 12:1 for older campers.  Senior staff members are constantly interacting with camper groups, providing on-going supervision and direction to staff every day. Due to the nature of our activities and work with animals all programs have a limited number of spaces available each week.

We are happy to integrate children with special needs, working with animals is a great experience for all children. Each child's individual circumstances will determine whether Soper Creek Wildlife Nature Centre is a good camp choice; if our program is a good fit, we encourage parents to send support staff their child is familiar with to camp with them. Camp is an excellent way for children of all abilities to grow and learn, and being exposed to a broad range of people with different skills and talents is a rewarding and enriching experience for any child. Parents of a child with special needs are asked to call the camp directly to discuss the inclusion of their child at camp.

Unfortunately, as an outdoor facility with natural pathways, we are not wheelchair accessible. It is simply impossible to groom the forest to make it so, as we do sit on protected land. We do offer a wide variety of animal-based workshops that take place in our shelter which can be accessed by wheelchairs. Should you wish to speak to someone about this please do not hesitate to reach out.

Safety is always #1 at Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue. Due to the nature of our camp, we take camp safety very seriously. We continuously evaluate every aspect of camp, including arrivals, departures, exposure to elements, staff qualifications, activities, and animal interaction.

We do not post our address publicly online. This is for the safety of the children participating in our educational programming, as well as the safety of the animals. In today’s day and age, you can never be too careful. As we run year-round programs for students, and have hundreds of children attend our summer camps, we want to make sure they are safe. By not listing our address we drastically reduce the number of people who know where we are, which reduces the dangers of strangers.

Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue does have 4 dogs on our property. We do not have any form of attack dogs; none have been trained to attack people or animals. We do have two livestock dogs which are locked up during the day to sleep as they work long hours at night. Legally we are required to post signs informing people of guard dogs due to their breed, especially as they run the property protecting all of the programming animals against coyotes when it is dark. These signs are part of our insurance policy requirement should someone break onto the property at night. The other two dogs are rescue dogs. Bosco is 14 and barely comes out of the house, and Captain America is a 6 year old rotti who is epileptic. He too spends most of his time in the house. The two house dogs are only let out in our enclosed back yard. We have never had any form of issue with any of our dogs. They all must be safe as they are personal family dogs, and there are two young children, 6 and 9, which interact with them daily.

All of our dogs are safe. We have never had any form of an issue with them. If you would directly discuss the matter of the dogs on the property please feel free to email or call us.

We do not recommend program participants stay for only half the day because our full day programs are structured in such a way that the afternoon and morning sessions are intertwined.  Missing the afternoon sessions will result in program participants not participating in animal encounters, animal enrichments, or other activities.

Our camper to staff ratio depends on the child's age. Please refer to our camp summary page to see the individual camps and their ratios.

There may be up to 24 participants in each group, again depending on the age. Camp groups with 24 individuals will have a minimum of 2 wildlife educators.

Yes, program participants are never left unsupervised on Soper Creek Wildlife Rescue property. Our staff have received a background check, have had extensive training, and are all either CPR or First Aid trained. Our camp directors are full time staff.

Privacy laws do not allow us to share that information. Please reach out to that child’s parents for this information.

Throughout the year, program participants will have opportunities to have up-close encounters with many of our animals in the presence of Soper Creek Wildlife Educators. We also provide biofacts (pelts, bones, skulls etc.) that the children may touch to enrich their experience. Any animals in rehabilitation are located in a separate area of our property not accessible to program participants unless in a specialized program.

Programs will not be closed due to weather or environmental conditions, unless there is a safety risk to the program participants. If that decision has been made to end the program, all children’s’ parents will be notified by email or phone.

During a significant weather event the safety of your child is a priority. Should there be thunder &/or lightning, children will be kept under our large, wooden picnic shelter which meets safety regulations. If the weather event is still occurring at the time of pick-up, we ask that you come to our picnic shelter to retrieve your child upon your arrival so we can keep the group under the shelter.
Should there be a period of extreme cold during winter programming access to the medical building will be available. This heated building will give program participants a break from the cold and a chance to warm up.

No. Children are encouraged to bring bottled water.

Children should bring their own reusable water bottle labeled with their name. Refilling is available.

Yes.  The program participants are active all day, so extra healthy snacks are encouraged. Two time slots throughout a programming day are alloted for snack time. If your child requires more breaks because of a health condition please add all the information into their file or email in advance.

No, program participants are expected to bring their own lunch.  Please be aware that lunches are not refrigerated, although they are kept in a shady place.

We like to take photos of our program participants as they are partaking in animal encounters and other program activities.  These photos are used for promotional purposes.  For the safety of our program participants, names are not included with the photos. A photo release waiver is signed for your child upon registration. A private Facebook group has also been created in recent years so parents of program participants, ONLY, are accepted into the group to view the group photos from the duration of the program. The link is included in the registration email.

Yes. All of the programming is outdoors. Please be sure that your child is dressed in play clothes according to the daily weather report. Program participants will receive their camp shirt or hat (if purchased) the first morning. Closed-toed shoes are required for all programs.

Flip-flops or crocs are not allowed as they can lead to injuries.

 Morning drop-off will begin at 8:30 a.m. programming staff will let you know where the drop-off and pick up area is. Early drop off is available but must be arranged prior to the start of programming.  For summer camp the drop off is like school, a kiss-n-ride system. For other programming throughout the year please use our parking lot and a staff member will meet you at the green picnic table located in the parking lot area.

Program participants must be picked up by 4:00 p.m. Please indicate on the first day of camp the names of the adults who have permission to pick them up. Camp staff will let you know where the pick-up area is. Only those listed on the pick-up list will be able to pick your camper up. This is for the safety of your children. Late pick up charges will apply if the child is picked up well after 4:15. Late pick up is available but must be arranged before the start of the program.

Yes, all of the camp staff, directors and permeant staff are First Aid Certified and CPR trained.