Our Policies
The Educational Garden Project 2026
What to Expect: At Garden Camp (ages 6-10), we're on a mission to grow and share food with kids. Everyday, leadership is encouraged while we're cooking, gardening, engaging with baby animals and diving deeper into our weekly themes (click for summer schedule). Play is always a priority. Our staff and Counselors in Training (ages 11-16) have continuous plans to inundate Garden Camp kids with many different foods, tools, and experiences. Kids who embrace our offerings often cultivate an enhanced sense of personal strength, creativity and a refreshed wonder of the natural world.
Location: Garden Camp is located just 7 minutes from downtown in East Asheville on the campus of Land of the Sky United Church of Christ (15 Overbrook Place, 28805).
Drop off and Pick up: Please park at the top lot and walk your child to the patio near the fire pit. Our hours are 9:00am-3:30pm. Families are welcome to pick up or drop off anytime within our normal hours. When arriving, please follow the campus signs and enter & exit where Overbrook Road and Overbrook Place intersect (please do not drive behind the building). We ask families not to linger or go into the Forest or Garden areas when Garden Camp is in session. Please wait near the Welcome Tent if you come and go during off hours. If you are late, we will charge you $50.
What to Wear: Please ensure your child is dressed in layered, weather appropriate clothes & closed-toe shoes that you don't mind becoming dirty or stained. While at Garden Camp our focus is on gardening & cooking activities while also engaging with hefty arts & crafts projects, interacting with baby animals and allowing kids to play outdoors. In addition to other craft supplies, we use acrylic, latex and oil paints often.
What to Bring: Change of Clothes, Hoodie and Rain Coat, hearty lunch & two snacks. We provide drinking water and herbal tea stations in many places throughout our campus and encourage kids to drink all day.
First Time Here Tour: We require every newly registered family to take our first time here tour to get acquainted with our campus and policies. On your first day of camp we ask that new families expect to spend 30 minutes taking this tour and signing our waivers. Tours begin at 8:30 and you do not make an appointment.
We Are a Closed Group: Only scheduled and trained staff & volunteers who have passed a background check or family members of kids enrolled in our camp that day are allowed to integrate into our group. We do not have any outside people (including neighbors, therapists, church folk, social workers, other campus partners, etc) around our kids.
Health & Safety: We cook with mostly produce, but also might use all grains, dairy and nuts. We are an outdoor program and our campus attracts bees. We wash hands & sanitize surfaces with bleach solution many times throughout the day. If anyone in your household is feeling sick, please do not come to camp. Our sun prevention policy is to avoid the sun. If your child has serious allergies or health challenges please call Joan 828-989-9647 so we can fully understand one another.
Discipline: Healthy relationships are at the foundation of our program and we require all participants to be respectful of each other, our staff/volunteers, our gardens and our animals. Included here is our Kids Guidelines (Click Here to See our Kids Waiver that each camper is required to sign on the first day)
Below is a list of things your child will be expected to do:
1) Agree to following our Kids Guidelines and sign our Kids Waiver
2) Stay within our well defined campus boundaries
3) Be kind and respectful toward one another and our animals and respond to staff suggestions
4) Be self regulated regarding their ability to participate or play
5) Sit at lunch, eat their food, and wait until everyone is finished
6) Use tools safely
7) Keep their belongings together
8) Transition easily while coming and going
9) Toilet themselves and change clothes without assistance
10) Advocate for themselves
If you know your child has quirkie tendencies or discipline challenges in other places, please let us know by calling Joan 828-989-9647 and we will do our best to create solutions to integrate your child. Our way of free choice often solves a lot of behavior issues with kids and we will attempt to include everyone but do not tolerate continual disruptions. If we feel that your child is unable to do the above, we will offer you a refund and try again a different season
Refunds: If you are not able to attend camp, we will offer you family credit for the days you'll miss as long as you let us know at least two weeks ahead of when your child was scheduled to attend. We refund family credit for illness. This credit will not expire and will be worth your original purchase amount. You can redeem the credit on any of our future programs or schedules.
In the event of cancellation (either on our part or yours), if you are in a position to donate your registration to our scholarship fund it would be a huge help to The Educational Garden Project and families in need. We give A LOT of scholarships.
Payment Plans: We offer payment plans for Summer Camp only. The deposit is 25% of your order total and you pay the remaining 75% two weeks in advance of your child's weekly schedule. There is a $20 non-refundable fee per schedule for choosing to use a payment plan.
FAQ's: Please read our updated FAQ's (click here to read) to ensure you have a comprehensive understanding of how we like for things to flow.
Reviews: Google Reviews help new parents get a feel for camp and we would greatly appreciate it if you would take the time to leave us a review.