Summer Camps: Why We Have Different Rates Based on Residency

Our camps are generously sponsored by local organizations whose goal is to support Mono/Inyo County residents through discounted registration fees. At Sierra STEM, Mono/Inyo County residency means that your family lives in the area full time and your child attends school or is homeschooled in Mono or Inyo County. If your child attends school elsewhere, you are considered a non-resident for the purposes of summer camp registration.

Why do we have this policy?

The true cost of our summer camps is around $500 per child per week of camp. This includes curriculum development and planning, supplies and food, transportation, facilitation, and more. We are proud to be able to offer our unique STEM-focused summer camps at a reduced price for all campers–we work hard to piece together funding from many different sources to keep enrollment fees as low as possible. 

Some of our largest contributions toward summer camps come from local organizations (such as June Lake Loop Women's Club, June Lake Little Loopers, Dechambeau Creek Foundation, Mammoth Mountain Community Foundation, and Town of Mammoth Lakes Measure U). These grants are aimed at helping us offer an exceptionally low cost for resident families whose kids attend school or are homeschooled here in the Eastern Sierra. Without this funding, our high-quality summer science programs could only be offered at a price point that would be out of reach for many local families.

We know that nonresidents and residents alike find our programs to be a great value and a tremendous benefit to our community. We look forward to seeing you at camp this summer!