Thank you for your interest in referring a child to Project Avary.


Project Avary is a FREE support and enrichment program for children and youth who have a parent(s) in prison or jail.  We have a summer camp, a monthly outing program, and a teen leadership program.  We work with children from pre-puberty ideally through young adulthood, providing support, enrichment and community for children and their families.  If you are unsure if the child you are referring qualifies (perhaps has a parent who was recently released) please feel free to call us with questions.

  • We are not a behavior modification program.

  • We are not equipped to handle children who are violent, aggressive or provocative a majority of the time.


Basic Eligibility

To be eligible, a child must:

  • Have an immediate family member who is either currently or recently incarcerated.  This incarceration should be emotionally significant to the child.

  • Be between the ages of 8 and 10.

  • Have at least one adult (best if a family member or caregiver, but child welfare worker, social worker is okay too) who can support the child through the application process.  This includes filling out forms, making sure the child is packed and ready for camp, and gets to our van pick-up spot on time.

  • Lives in Marin, San Francisco, Alameda, or Contra Costa counties.


To start the process please download the form at the left of the page and fill it out to best of your ability.  Once completed email or fax it to info@projectavary.org 415-382-8946.  After we receive the completed form we will contact you by phone for a short intake interview, which should take 10-15 minutes.  Any information given to us is confidential and will only be seen by authorized Avary staff.


We recommend informing the family or caretaker about the program and why you think Avary would be a good fit for their child.  However, please be aware!  Normally we receive twice as many applicants as available spaces, so please encourage families to complete the application process as quickly as possible.


After the Intake Interview


Children who qualify will receive a one page application and program brochure in the mail.  We can either send this application to the referring party (you) or to the family directly.


After we receive the completed application, we will determine if we have a space for the child, and if so in which session.  If the child has summer school or other summer conflicts, the caregiver should note this on the application.


Once the child is accepted into the program, we send a registration packet, which includes an enrollment agreement, a health and family history form, a packing list, and the pick-up & drop-off information.


IMPORTANT: To attend camp every child must have seen a doctor for a complete physical within the last year, and have the doctor fill out the doctor’s form that comes in the registration packet.  If the child has not seen a doctor in the last year, the family must make an appointment for a complete physical.  Since this is often the most challenging aspect of the process, we suggest making an appointment as soon as possible.


  • Referring professionals and families are welcome & encouraged call the Avary office directly with any questions or concerns.

  • When families receive the camp brochure they often express concern about swimming.  All campers receive swim LESSONS and they always wear lifejackets and are under the supervision of our Red Cross certified swim instructor & lifeguards.  In 11 years of camp, we’ve never had an incident.  Every kid who has come to camp has learned how to swim.

  • Also, some families ask if the program includes “group therapy.” At Camp Avary we strive to provide a safe open environment where young people can speak honestly about their feelings. However no child is ever put on the spot or forced to speak about anything they don’t want to.  We want to empower children to talk about what they are experiencing in their own way, and in their own time and however they choose to/or not do this is fine. However, a central part of our program is dealing with parental incarceration, therefore the child must be aware that their parent is incarcerated.  It is not necessary that the child know about the circumstances regarding the incarceration.