Little Shots Day Camp – Ohio

Olander Park in Sylvania, OH
2025 Dates TBD | Thank you for an amazing summer!

Designed for campers age 5-10

"Attending this camp let my son see he’s not alone or different. That there’s others kids out there with diabetes. Being at camp, making friends helped him try new things from food to new activities to trying a new site for his pump. I’m grateful he was able to go. My son didn’t want it to end."
Camper Parent
Little Shots 2022

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.

Family Camp Fee: $225 | Registration Fee: $10

In 2024:
Campers improved their attitude towards their diabetes 85%
Campers were able to identify new tools related to diabetes management 76%
Campers talked about meaningful camp experiences 100%
Campers showed improvement in their diabetes care 85%
Parents would recommend DYS camp to other families 99%
Parents felt that camp fulfilled their expectations 99%

Pictures from Little Shots OH 2024: Olympics