Camp Life

Our Lower Division provides our youngest campers with the opportunity to experience the unique magic of summer camp! From our rooftop playground to our indoor pools to our state-of-the-art gym, studio spaces, and everything in between, the camp day is filled with enriching experiences and activities that spark joy, movement, and creativity. 

Our Middle Division blends our signature camp programming with a taste of specialty camp! Campers get to enjoy all that our JCC and the Upper West Side have to offer, including daily swim instruction, mornings outside in the park, and engaging activities that encourage self-expression and creativity. Middle Division campers also spend an hour a day in a specialty of their choosing from our three specialty camp options: Sports, Theater, and Visual + Culinary Arts.

Our Upper Division offers a specialty camp experience like no other! Each week, campers will choose from one of our three exciting specialty options: Sports, Theater, or Visual + Culinary Arts. This enhanced specialty camp experience includes working with trained professionals in the field, showcases, and regular trips to deepen their inquiries. When they’re not immersed in their specialties, campers will also enjoy daily park excursions, swim, specialty theme days, and more!

Discover what makes camp so special by exploring a typical week in the life of our campers! From daily activities and creative projects to time outdoors with friends, every moment is filled with fun, learning, and adventure.

 

Click below to view same schedules by age:

• 3s Sample Schedule
• 4s Sample Schedule
• 5s Sample Schedule
• 6s + 7s Sample Schedule
• 8–10s Sample Schedule

The camp day is filled with exciting and engaging activities, which encourage children to discover, explore, and hone their interests. We offer 8-10 specialty classes a week, which range from swim, sports, art, cooking, dance, engineering, yoga, and so much more. Our hands-on, experiential approach allows children to fully immerse themselves in their learning and focus on the process of their work in addition to the product. All campers swim every day in our indoor pools and participate in skill-based, instructional swim classes.

The JCC has two state-of-the-art indoor pools, which campers use daily. Swimming is one of the main elements of the camp experience and all campers participate in instructional swim with our talented Aquatics Staff. We are ready and excited to work with all types of swimmers – from children who have never swam before to children who never want to stop swimming!

 

Our swim instructors and lifeguards, most of whom work at the JCC year-round, are Red Cross-certified and highly experienced and skilled at teaching children how to swim. Campers aged 4 and up who swim in the main pool are formally assessed at the beginning of their camp experience to determine their swim level. Three-year-old campers swim in the training pool and are informally assessed based on pool comfort and prior swim experience. Swim lessons are done in small groups, which allows us to meet children where they are and affords more personalized attention.

Our goal is to foster a positive sense of self and boost campers’ confidence in their athletic abilities. Each sport is taught with realistic and age-appropriate expectations, with coaches and counselors demonstrating respectful behavior, fair play, and sportsmanship. We focus on both the body and mind, developing fine and cognitive motor skills, as well as hand-eye coordination, while also teaching the rules and strategies of each sport.

 

All of our campers participate in sports instruction multiple times a week, whether indoors in our gym or outside in the park. Our talented coaches focus on skill development and helping children gain a deeper understanding of the rules for each sport. The curriculum is designed specifically for each age group, enabling campers to learn and grow throughout the summer. Some of the sports we teach include basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, football, t-ball, and relay races/games. 

Campers ages 4–7 have the opportunity to select an elective class each week. Elective classes are split up by age (4–5 year olds, 6–7 year olds) and meet every day for 45–60 minutes, depending on the age group. By selecting their own class, campers gain a stronger sense of autonomy over their day and are able to explore an area of interest more deeply and meaningfully.

Being outside is an important part of our camp experience! Campers spend time on our beautiful rooftop playground every day. Starting at age 5, campers will spend part of their mornings outside in one of our local parks or playgrounds. Our JCC coaches (and security guards) will travel to the park with the campers and lead sports classes outside. 

 

Middle and Upper Division campers will take field trips throughout the summer. Upper Division campers will go on field trips with their specialty camp cohort to locations related to their area of study.

Camper and staff well-being is a top priority at camp. When we think about well-being, our focus is on safety, health, and support. We work very closely with the JCC’s security team to ensure a safe camp experience, both inside and outside the building. We also train and support counselors in creating and maintaining an emotionally safe space for their campers in partnership with our Care + Inclusion Team (see “Inclusivity” for more info).

 

To promote and maintain a healthy camp environment, we have a full-time nurse on site and an EMT, who travels with campers whenever they leave the building. We are also very conscious of the food we serve and make at camp, and take food allergies very seriously. All of our food is kosher, peanut- and tree nut-free, and allergen-friendly. We provide daily lunch, snack, and ingredients for our cooking specialties. In our cooking classes, we make healthy and tasty meals that children enjoy preparing and eating. We steer away from highly processed or sugary foods and focus on nutritious and delicious ingredients, snacks, and meals.

We are a proudly inclusive and welcoming community. Our staff and campers come from all walks of life, and our values are rooted in human dignity and respect.

 

We are committed to creating an environment that meets the needs of our community. We understand that some campers might need extra support at camp, which is why we have a Care + Inclusion Team dedicated to supporting our campers’ social and emotional well-being. Our Care + Inclusion Team members are experienced social workers and educators, whose work is focused on partnering with families to ensure their child can thrive at camp. They also work with camp counselors, leadership, and specialists to strategize and collaborate on best meeting the needs of our campers.