Unplug and PLAY
Camp Excel serves elementary and middle school students with age-appropriate programming that inspires learning, teamwork and responsibility. Campers participate in character-building activities, literacy instruction, sports and daily swim lessons that build confidence, skills and lifelong healthy habits.
Supported by the Annual Campaign, Camp Excel is offered at no cost to families and is for children who are currently enrolled in Y Learning and their siblings.
If your child is not currently part of Y Learning, they are not eligible for Camp Excel. However, we’d love to help you explore other day camps and programs, including options with financial assistance. Click here or contact branch Welcome Center staff.
Camp Excel Sessions
There will be eight weeks of Cary Camp Excel located at West Cary Middle School this summer. July 3 is a holiday, and camp will be closed.
This high-energy week brings campers together through teamwork, character building, and vibrant activities. Each day, a YMCA character trait and color are highlighted with games, crafts, and challenges. The week ends with a Color Run, a fun race where campers celebrate community and spirit with a burst of bright colors.
It’s America’s birthday—and camp is throwing the party! Campers celebrate with red, white and blue games, challenges, crafts, and celebrations as camp honors 250 years of history, community, and summer fun the YMCA way.
It’s a week full of games, laughter, and classic carnival fun. Campers step right up to creative activities, silly challenges, and festive surprises that bring the magic of the midway to life.
Camp hits rewind and campers learn what made yesterday so awesome! Campers step into different time periods, learning how people lived, played, created, and imagined the world. With themed crafts, outdoor adventures, dress-up days, and classic games, every era becomes a brand-new adventure.
Campers explore the excitement of various holidays, including the 4th of July, Christmas, Halloween, and more, through games, crafts, and festive challenges. Each day immerses kids in a new celebration, sparking imagination and cultural curiosity. The week wraps up with a special YMCA Birthday Party, where all campers come together for a joyful celebration of the Y.
Campers dance at a beach party, play wet and wild water games, do seaside inspired crafts, and splash around with new friends. Summer might be hot, but at the YMCA, it's nothing but fun in the summer sun!
Campers are the stars during this week filled with excitement and imagination. Through arts and crafts, active games, and tons of other fun activities, campers will experience what it’s like to live the Hollywood life.
Campers will step into their own superhero stories through teamwork challenges, creative missions, and character-building fun. This week celebrates courage, kindness, and the unique strengths of every hero.
Camp Highlights
Summer Fun
Hands-on activities, games and creative experiences that make learning joyful and engaging.
Literacy Instruction
Daily reading and writing support to strengthen skills and prevent summer learning loss.
Water Safety
Essential swim skills and water safety habits that build confidence and prevent accidents.
Healthy Meals
Nutritious meals and snacks that fuel growing minds and bodies all day long.
Camp Excel FAQs
Rides In will take place in the middle of the school. Look for our Rides In signs and banner. Please stay in your car. From 8 - 9 a. m., we will have a staff member outside to open car doors and greet you.
Rides Out is from 4 – 5 p.m. and will be run in the same area. The person picking up must have their pick-up card (provided on your child’s first day of camp) and an ID as a safety precaution. If you are dropping off or picking up between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., please park in front of our front office, stay in your car and call 919-338-4308. A staff member will come to you!
If your child is riding our bus, morning pick up in your neighborhoods will approximately be between 8 - 8:45 a.m. In the afternoon, kid’s riding the bus home will leave camp on the bus by 4:20 p.m. We expect all kids to be home by 5:00 p.m.
A typical day at Camp Excel includes one hour of engaging literacy instruction led by certified teachers, along with nutritious breakfast and lunch provided at no cost through the YMCA’s partnership with public schools. Campers also enjoy swim lessons led by our aquatics team, plus a variety of traditional day camp activities that create a fun, safe and welcoming environment where children can learn, grow and thrive.
We swim every day! We have three set swim times that kids may go to the pool. We bus kids off site to the Taylor Family YMCA to swim and get lessons. If you plan to pick your child up early, please let us know so that we don’t send them off site to swim during the time you’d like to pick them up. Swim Session A (swim lesson time) is 11:15 - 11:55 a.m., Swim Session B is 1:30 - 2:10 p.m. and Swim Session C is 2:15 - 2:55 p.m.
Campers are asked to bring a change of clothes, a swimsuit, a towel, lunch, two snacks, and a refillable water bottle. Most campers pack everything in a backpack.
Sunscreen/insect repellent (lotions and sprays) requires a Sunscreen/Insect Repellent Distribution Form to be completed if you wish for the Y to apply it to your child. This is part of the YMCA Medication Distribution & Sunscreen Application form.
We recommend that your child bring spray sunscreen and repellent for personal use if you prefer they self-apply. Please mark your child's first and last name on the bottles.
YMCA Day Camp Experience
From preparation to programming, these are the essentials that shape each camp day.
Counselors & Staff
YMCA Day Camp operates with a 10:1 camper-to-staff ratio. We hire high schoolers, college students and teachers to lead activities, drive buses and facilitate summer camp. Each staff member undergoes extensive training - from CPR and First Aid to leading assemblies. Many staff are former campers and return summer after summer.
Swimming at Day Camp
Almost all YMCA Day Camps offer free swim times or water play (for younger campers). Each camper is assessed for their swim ability on the first swim day of the session. Campers are issued swim bands that identify their swim levels. Swim bands also help lifeguards and counselors identify which areas of the pool are appropriate for each camper.
Weather Management
From outdoor games to water play, day camp is designed to keep kids moving, learning and connecting. But when the heat index rises, so does our responsibility to make smart, timely adjustments that protect campers and staff.
Huddles
Huddles are small groups of campers of similar age and grade who are grouped together at day camp. Typically, huddles move together throughout the day to difference activities. Each huddle is accompanied by two or more counselors.
Character Traits
Respect, Responsibility, Caring, Honesty, and Faith are the character traits the YMCA uses to reinforce positive behavior. Campers can earn beads by demonstrating these traits. Each camper (ages 5 and older) receives a necklace on the first day camp for their beads.