Summer Camp

We invite you to read this article published by the Association des camps du Québec (in French): Préparer son séjour au camp | Association des camps du Québec (campsquebec.com)

You have the choice. Children can attend the camp for 1 to 6 weeks. They arrive on Sunday and leave on Friday. Please visit our website’s Staying at the Camp page for all the details concerning the stays, the duration, etc.

To know if there is still availability for the desired period(s), visit our Registration Platform to verify in real time what periods are available. To do so, you must first create an account and add the members of your family. Click on FAQ under the “Registrations | Qidigo” tab to learn more. If the period of your choice is not available, you can add the name of your child on a waiting list. As soon as places become available, we will contact you by phone, and you will have 24 hours to make a decision.

Please visit our website’s Documents section for an overview of a typical day at the camp. Please note that this schedule is for information purposes only; it may be modified at any time. The daily schedule varies depending on the children’s age group and according to the sanitary measures in place.

Arrival at the camp is on the Sunday between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., and departure on the Friday between 6:15 p.m. and 7 p.m. It is essential to respect arrival and departure times to optimize client service.

If your child is registered for more than one week, for two consecutive stays, your child stays at the camp between those weeks.

There is always a responsible person responsible present and available for the children. In addition, during the night, female instructors stay in the room next to the dormitory.

When children attend the camp for consecutive weeks, they can stay at the camp between those weeks. You can visit your child on Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Important: Any person that wants to visit a child attending the camp must obtain the written authorization of the parents/legal guardians and submit it to the camp management.

We welcome over one hundred children each week, and to help children become self-sufficient, communications are allowed in case of emergency only. Also, there is no system in place allowing to forward emails to children. Before the arrival at the camp, prepare pre-addressed letters with a specific remittance date during your child’s stay. We also ask you to some writing paper, standard-size pre-addressed envelopes, stamps, and a pen in your child’s camper kit. During quieter and relaxing moments, we will ask children to write a letter to their parents.

There is laundry service for those attending the camp for 12 nights or more (2 weeks or more). It is the reason why we’re asking that you stick to the list of items mentioned in the "Camper Kit" under the tab documents.

Due to the camp’s closing during the 2 years of pandemic, we had to make difficult choices, including to stopping equestrian activities. We thank you for your understanding.

There is a wide range of activities offered at the camp. To learn more, click on Activities tab. Our objective is to allow children to experience as many activities as possible; therefore, campers can’t select specific activities. Since it’s impossible to prevent Mother Nature’s fluctuations, an activity must be cancelled and not reschedules during your child’s stay.

There are no specific activities per age group, but every activity is adapted depending on the children’s age.

Your child and their friend may be in the same group if they have the same age and registered in the same group on the same date. There must still be room in the group at the time of registration to make this possible. Please note that all campers must meet age requirements as of July 1st to register in one of the groups.

Yes, your child may attend the camp even though they don’t speak French. Although activities are carried out in French, the bilingual members of our staff will ensure your child’s inclusiveness, and that all safety instructions are understood by all. Experiencing immersion in a Francophone camp is an excellent opportunity to learn French.

We’ve noticed that the first day is often the most difficult, especially for children not used to being away from home without mom or dad. It is why we ensure that the first hours at the camp are well planned. This way, children quickly feel good in the company of the camp staff, so they don’t think about those who brought them to the camp earlier. When it’s time to go to bed, we prepare children, especially the youngest, by reading them a story, singing or inviting them to think about their favourite moments of the day. In some instances, a child may miss their parents more intensely. In such cases, we pay particular attention to the child. Parents often ask us if a child can phone home. No. Most of the time, it’s only temporary, and it does not take long for the child to forget about it and enjoy the rest of the week. It rarely happens that a child does not attend the camp for the planned duration. It is important to remember that the parents’ attitude plays a crucial role here. Often, parents admit that it is hard for them to be separated from their children. We understand! In such cases, though, children may feel bad, and as a reflex, they want “to take care of their parents.”

To sign up for a camp activity. You must go on our registration platform by clicking here. You must create an account on Qidigo or log in to your account to sign up for activities. If you are signing up for a member of your family or an additional person, in that case, you must add a family member to your account. See below how to create a Qidigo account or add a family member to your existing account.

To help you create your Qidigo account, we invite you to watch the Guide Première inscription - YouTube or to click here for all the steps.

To add a family member to your account, we invite you to watch the following video: Guide inscription à Qidigo | 2e étape or to click here and follow the steps.

Should you look for accommodations near the camp, we invite you to check availabilities in De Lanaudière region (consult Tourisme Lanaudière website) or in Saint-Donat.

You can buy the camp’s promotional items via the Shop section of our website or in person at the camp the day of your child’s arrival.

In February, you will be able to get your income tax receipt (RL 24) via your online client account. You will need your connection information to access your account and have previously added your social insurance number (SIN) to your profile.

The social insurance number (SIN) must be added to your profile in your client account to allow the Camp Mère Clarac to issue your Relevés 24 which allows you to claim a tax credit for child care expenses. To get some help, we invite you to click here. This tax receipt is only available to Quebec residents.

The camp is owned by the Sœurs de la Charité de Sainte-Marie who participate in camp life and share their values with youth. The human and Christian values we want to promote to youth guide our actions. These values are autonomy and initiative, fraternity, a sense of sharing, transparency, openness to youth from other countries, respect, the joy of living, and creativity. For more information about the camp’s general guidelines, we invite you to read our Code of Ethics.

One of the ways to integrate human and Christian values is through moments of prayer or reflection. Those moments take place in the morning and the evening. Plus, we sing grace at every meal. For youth attending the camp for over five nights, there is usually a Eucharistic celebration in the presence of members of the Nun’s Community. This celebration is very lively and adapted for the children. It takes place in a spirit of openness, joy and respect. As stated in our mission, we bring children closer to nature which is a source of beauty and inspiration, so they develop an appreciation and awareness for their environment and their Creator and develop their own values. .

Des portes ouvertes sont spécifiquement prévues afin de permettre aux futurs campeurs et à leurs parents de visiter les lieux. En 2024, elles auront lieu le 1er juin. S’il vous est impossible de vous présenter à cette date, nous vous invitons à consulter notre site Internet et notre page Facebook qui regorgent d’une foule d’information et de photos.