Little Shots Day Camp – Ohio

Olander Park in Sylvania, OH

Camp Dates 2026: July 13-16, 2026

Designed for campers age 5-10

"Camp gives kids with T1D visibility and support better than any other environment. In school, in public, they aren't recognized the same. They deserve to be around others who not only understand T1D, but have it themselves. Surrounding them at a young age with others who know their day to day wins and losses with type 1 is so empowering. My son is only 6, but he cried tears of joy when I explained to him that he was going to camp with ALL T1Ds like him. This is huge for kids with T1D!! Visibility and feeling like a normal kid is what they all deserve. Thank you to the staff and volunteers for making this a thoughtful and memorable experience that we hope to repeat yearly to support our son!"

Little Shots Camper Parent

2025

Little Shots OH Registration Opens January 14, 2026

What is Little Shots?

Little Shots Day Camp is a 4-day experience designed for children living with Type 1 diabetes aged 5-10. At Little Shots, campers are immersed in opportunities to not only make connections with other kids living with T1D, but also learn about independent diabetes management through fun hands-on activities. Your camper will walk away with fun memories, new friends, and a better understanding of Type 1 diabetes. For kids, this is often the first place they meet another child with diabetes. At Little Shots, they do not feel different because they are just like everyone else. Parents have peace of mind that their child is safe and cared for with qualified healthcare professionals surrounding their child.

About Our Staff

Our staff is comprised of medical professionals in the endocrinology field. Nurses, pharmacists, Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs), registered dieticians and nurse practitioners all come together to make camp a success. We have people living with Type 1 diabetes on our medical staff, and nearly all of our young adult counselors live with T1D themselves and role model proper diabetes management at camp. Several members of our staff were campers themselves, and over time create strong connections that last past camp!

Programming at Little Shots OH

Each day at Little Shots is packed with tons of fun activities for your T1D to enjoy. Each year brings a new theme with related activities that are age appropriate such as crafts, games, ice skating, and inflatables. Camp is oftentimes full of new experiences for campers, and our staff will work with you and your child to encourage new experiences in a safe setting. We also work to bring in special guests from the local and national stage to speak to campers on their experience living with T1D. We work closely with Endocrinology professionals throughout the year to design our Diabetes Education classes based on what kids need most. Our dietician leads hands-on cooking classes and lessons on healthy eating habits. Campers learn carb counting, the importance of injection rotations, recognizing high and low blood sugars, self-advocacy with T1D and so much more! Our team of counselors living with T1D and medical staff work to help campers understand and navigate the ups and down of diabetes. Ordinary moments become diabetes teaching moments - we don’t need a classroom!!

A typical day at Little Shots camps looks like this:

8:30AM – Check In

9:00AM – Activity Rotation #1: Diabetes Education, Cooking Class, Recess Games

9:45M – Activity Rotation #2: Diabetes Education, Cooking Class, Recess Games

Clean Up/ Lunch Prep

12:00PM – Lunch/Dosing

1:00PM – Playground/Swimming

2:00PM – Special visitor or camp wide activity!

3:30PM – Free time/Snack

4:00PM – Check Out

Little Shots Ohio Accessibility

Diabetes Youth Services works hard to ensure every child living with diabetes has the opportunity to come to camp. We work with the Ronald McDonald House of NW Ohio in Toledo to help house families who are traveling from out of town to attend camp, at no cost to you! DYS partners with Ronald McDonald House to provide housing for our Little Shots OH families. Email [email protected] for more information.