DAY CAMPS, OVERNIGHT CAMPS
AND SUMMER PROGRAMS

Read Gay Parent magazine's list of quick descriptions of day camps, overnight camps and summer programs for your child.

APPEL FARM ARTS & MUSIC CENTER

(856) 358-6881
https://appelfarm.org/camp/

Igniting creativity, kindness, and confidence! Appel Farm is a creative haven for creative kids, age 7-17, with flexible, combinable 2-week overnight sessions on our beautiful, rural campus in Elmer, New Jersey. We deliver transformative arts and learning experiences in music, theatre, technical theatre, dance, visual arts, photography, video, creative writing, and more! Our mature staff and 3:1 camper to counselor ratio ensure your child’s physical and emotional safety. Our focus on camper choice, personal attention, and fostering a love of learning helps your child develop their unique strengths and skills. Our diverse community empowers your child to become their best self, teaching empathy and kindness through our unique approach to positive youth development, featuring collaborative problem solving, restorative justice, and emotionally intelligent leadership. Appel Farm’s balance of arts classes, free time, trips, campfires, and performances is the fun summer your child deserves!

We’d love to learn more about your creative kid! Connect with us at 856-358-6881 and camp@appelfarm.org.


ATLANTIC ACTING SCHOOL

https://atlanticactingschool.org/kids-and-teens/summer/

Experience the magic of theater at Atlantic Acting School's Summer Camps! Our one-week camps, running from June to August 2023, provide children ages 5-18 with a fun and exciting opportunity to explore different aspects of theater and performance. With classes from musical theater to sketch comedy, improvisation, scene study, film/TV, and more, our experienced instructors help students develop their skills, build confidence, and make lifelong friendships. Atlantic Acting School provides a supportive environment for children to learn, grow, and let their creativity shine. Sign up now and give your child the gift of theater at Atlantic Acting School's Summer Camp!


Camp Clio
CAMP CLIO

http://campclio.org/

A Seriously Fun Place for Adopted Kids... And Now Teens Too.


CampOUT Logo

CAMPOUT

https://www.campoutflorida.com
Admin@campoutflorida.com
Instagram @CampOUT.Florida

CampOUT is a non-profit organization and more than your average summer camp. Yes, it holds many components of your typical camp including canoes, archery, camp games, swimming, sports, arts & crafts, bonfires and more! What sets us apart from the rest is we focus on helping our campers do the most courageous thing possible, being and loving their authentic self. Utilizing workshops, adventures, experiences, peer connections, and positive role models we can create an environment our youth can thrive. Where they can take the knowledge learned from camp to build their confidence and have the bravery to express themselves and be true to their brightest colors. This week long sleep-away camp has youth ages 10-17 from all aspects of the rainbow and LGBTQ+ community. Including all genders, sexualities, allies, or children of queer families, all is welcomed and will be respected.


CRS SUMMER

www.charlesriverschool.org/crs-summer
summer@charlesriverschool.org

At CRS Summer, we celebrate the joy of childhood each day.  With camps for ages 4-14, a Leadership/CIT program for 15-16 year olds, and a toddler drop-in program, there is something for everyone.  Set on our beautiful 16-acre campus, our camps span interests from STEM, Science/Nature, Creative/Performing Arts, Leadership and Entrepreneurship and are led by experienced specialized educators. We provide an inclusive and welcoming community environment for campers and staff.


FROST VALLEY YMCA

845-985-2291
info@frostvalley.org
www.frostvalley.org/camp

Frost Valley YMCA offers traditional Overnight Summer Camp, teen and pre-teen Adventure Trips, Equestrian Camps, Farm Camp, Tokyo Camp, and Adventure Survival Camp.

Children and teens grow confident and resilient in a safe and engaging environment, gaining skills as young leaders, and bonding with new friends on mountain hikes, swimming and boating in Lake Cole, zip-lining, sleeping beneath the starry Catskill sky, putting on music concerts for their friends, playing games, making crafts, and much more. Frost Valley YMCA offers 1- and 2-week programs from June to August for grades 2 through 10. Come for an open house or schedule a private tour. While camp only takes place for a matter of weeks – Frost Valley is an experience that lasts a lifetime!

But what’s the best part about Frost Valley? Every aspect of a Frost Valley experience integrates our 8 signature core values: caring, community, diversity, honesty, inclusiveness, respect, responsibility, and stewardship. And a mission to serve all guides every activity, program, and event the camp offers.

To learn more, visit www.frostvalley.org/camp. But hurry - sessions fill fast! Avoid the wait list and call: 845-985-2291 or email info@frostvalley.org today.


THE GOW SCHOOL SUMMER PROGRAM (GSSP)

https://www.gow.org/summer-programs

The Gow School Summer Program (GSSP) is a five-week program running from the end of June to the beginning of August. Designed for students ages 8–16 who possess the potential to excel but who have struggled in school or who have been diagnosed with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, central auditory processing disorder, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, ADHD, and ADD.

"Summer school" doesn't begin to cover Gow's exciting and enriching summer program. With options for boarding, full or academic day, families can choose an option that works for them. In the morning campers get to work in the classroom taking four classes that include Robotics, Reconstructive Language, and much more.

GSSP is settled on 125-acres which gives our campers plenty of room to learn and play. On the weekends campers load the buses to go camping, to water parks, to baseball games, or Cedar Point!

The Gow School Summer Program helps improve academic performance by teaching skills as well as material, enhancing confidence, and instilling discipline and sportsmanship.
By combining a structured program and environment with flexibility, individualization, and room for fun, The Gow School Summer Program provides a rich school experience that is precisely what dyslexic students need to learn and to enjoy learning.


THE PLAY GROUP THEATRE

1 North Broadway
White Plains, NY 10601
(914) 946-4433
www.playgroup.org
info@playgroup.org

The Play Group Theatre is a thriving artistic community, offering young people the opportunity to collaborate in a uniquely nurturing, yet creatively charged environment. At PGT, you will find every class and rehearsal to be a unique learning environment: an authentic arts experience that prepares you to be a truly creative, innovative, and compassionate artist... and human being! Our emphasis is on understanding the thinking process behind your work. We provide you with tangible skills and the necessary creative freedom to access your imagination and define your own artistic voice.

Stage your year with The Play Group Theatre’s inspirational and innovative Performing Arts Programs! Join us in summer for the award-winning CAMP PGT.  With programs in Musical Theatre, On Camera, Improv, Sketch Comedy, Shakespeare, Stage Combat, Design/Tech and more, there is something for everyone at Camp PGT! Camp PGT includes options for 1, 2, 3, and 4 week programs, and for students ages 4-17. Whether you’d prefer to be center stage or behind the scenes, or if you’d rather make us laugh or belt out your favorite tune, you can do it ALL at PGT!

And during the fall and spring, choose from all of PGT's innovative programs including Mainstage, Little Theatre, TheatreLab, Improv, Design/Tech, Community Cabaret, and our ALL NEW SKETCH COMEDY weekly program! With classes happening every weeknight (plus Sundays), you can mix and match your way to the perfect fall and spring! Programs available for all ages 4-17.


ROSS SUMMER

ross.org/summer

Ross School
18 Goodfriend Drive
East Hampton, NY 11937
631-907-5376

Ross Summer, built on the innovative, educational foundation of Ross School, is an exciting and enriching experience for kids and teens! Ross Summer offers fun programs in the arts, media, sciences, and more, plus for-credit academic courses with top faculty, and high-level athletic training! Ross is a leader in COVID preparedness and offers premium services to enhance the Ross Summer experience and provide an opportunity for families to create their ideal summer.

Celebrating its fifteenth year, Ross Summer is a place where children can learn and grow in a supportive environment under the tutelage of professional instructors. Along with all the fun of a traditional summer camp, our immersion programs offer campers a wide range of exciting week-long programs focused on specific topics including visual arts, performance, nature explorations, film-making and stop-motion animation, coding and robotics, cooking, fashion design, and surfing! Early childhood programs offer music and creative exploration programs for campers 6 and under.

Our summer sports programs provide young athletes with an opportunity to spend their summer training under expert coaches and sports professionals, including renowned tennis coach Larri Passos. From specialized U10 programs to our high-performance training with live ball drills and match play series, our all-encompassing summer program is our most intense and complete junior tennis education offered. Ross also brings the same dedication and experience of the Ross School Tennis Academy to our soccer and multi-sport programs, designed to help young athletes of all levels build their skills. Partnering with the NY Knicks, our summer basketball program provides campers with expert, small group training sessions with Knicks alumni and coaches.

Programs include:

• High-performance tennis training for players 6–16
• Strengthen individual and team basketball skills
• Individualized soccer instruction for all levels
• Multi-sport program for ages 3+
• Limited capacity, enrolling now

An academic Summer Term allows students age 14–18 to earn high school credits and participate in enrichment programs, working with Ross School’s world-class faculty. Rigorous academic courses are balanced with relaxation and time at the beach in idyllic East Hampton.


SILVER LAKE CAMP & RETREAT CENTER

www.silverlakect.org

Silver Lake Camp & Retreat Center, an ACA-accredited camp, is a place where young people experience nature, make new friends, and explore their faith. With more than 60 acres of wooded land on lakeside shores in Northwestern Connecticut, Silver Lake offers many opportunities for young people to take risks and try new things with the support of an intentional Christian community.

Time and again we hear from our campers: "Silver Lake is where I can be the real me!" We are committed to providing an experience of welcome and acceptance to youth and adults from diverse family situations and of all gender expressions and sexual identities. We invite you to take the plunge this summer and find your true self, new friends, and a closer connection to God.

We worship, learn, play, serve, and work together, respecting the right of private judgement. We seek to provide a safe environment of acceptance regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, reflecting our unity in Christ and respecting the faith journeys of all of God’s children.

Silver Lake is the year-round Outdoor Ministry of the Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ. Visit us online at www.silverlakect.org.


THE STORY SCHOOL

Story-based, STEAM Adventure Camp in Charlton, MA
www.thestoryschool.org

The Story School has been delivering immersive, interactive, and inclusive overnight camp adventures since 2013.

We build “character” by encouraging our heroes to be courageous, honorable, and compassionate in a story that reacts to their every choice. Education and imagination collide in our “STEAM-powered” adventures and heroes are challenged to complete engineering projects, master math puzzles, and solve chemical formulas to advance the story and level up new abilities. Campers are invited to try on and test out aspects of their identity when playing their character, encouraged to accept everyone for who they say they are, and driven as heroes to defend and protect each other. Differences are embraced and celebrated in our fantasy worlds creating an LGBTQ+ and neuro-diverse friendly community.

Our overnight adventures start at age 8 and continue up to 17 for our teen adventurers with Counselor-In-Training programs and employment opportunities for those who are still children (and heroes!) at heart. Come spend your summer in a story!


Surprise Lake Camp

SURPRISE LAKE CAMP

845-265-3616
www.surpriselake.org

Since 1902, Surprise Lake Camp has provided a warm, welcoming community for Jewish children in the picturesque mountains of Cold Spring, NY. Kindness and support are things we manifest every day at SLC. These values are built into our staff training and camper programming. Campers learn to accept and respect one another, our hard-working staff, and the plants and animals in our environment.

SLC’s program is filled with camp favorites such as beach volleyball, ropes courses, zip-lining, tennis, gaga, nature, and organic farming. We also offer creative opportunities, such as arts & crafts, baking, drama, music, dance, and photography.

Our waterfront program offers Red Cross swim instruction, swim teams, sailing, canoeing, row boating, kayaking, windsurfing, and aqua-jump water trampolines. We have a pristine private lake, as well as a heated swimming pool.

SLC provides delicious kosher food, fun; engaging Jewish activities; and a unique Bar/Bat Mitzvah program for those who never had the chance to have one.

Surprise Lake Camp offers the following sessions: 8 weeks, 4- weeks, (campers have completed grades 1-10); and a 2-week session, (campers have completed grades 1-4.) For campers who are considering a sleep-away experience for a future season, SLC offers a 5-day “Get Your Feet Wet” program in late August for first-time campers who have completed grades K-4. The camp also offers two Rookie Days for campers who have completed grades K-5. Learn more at www.surpriselake.org.


Textile Arts Center

TEXTILE ARTS CENTER SUMMER CAMP

https://textileartscenter.com

Textile Arts Center Summer Camp welcomes children ages 5-14 to create within the world of contemporary and historical textiles in exciting week long programs!

Each camp week features an in-depth project using fiber & textile techniques, with concepts drawn from textile exhibitions and local textile artists.

Textiles exist in nearly every aspect of our everyday lives and function in the world of utility as well as fine art & design. Learning about how something is made and the labor that goes into an object promotes appreciation of making and our ecological impacts. Textile Arts Center empowers youth to see themselves as the makers and innovators of the future and to continue a love of textiles long after summer camp is over.


WAYFINDER EXPERIENCE

www.wayfinderexperience.com

The Wayfinder Experience is a Live Action Role Playing camp for kids and teens aged 6-17 and has been named Best Summer Camp by Hudson Valley Magazine for 6 years running. We offer day camps and overnight camps, both of which feature our 20-year-proven programming centered around the Adventure Game: an immersive play experience where campers enact a storyline as characters of their own invention. Throughout the week, we teach the building blocks of the Adventure Game, filling our inclusive community space with improvisational theater, character building, and play fighting with our safe foam swords. Wayfinder’s programming is built to give campers time for self-exploration through community and character building. All characters are welcome. Come out and play with us and find the hero inside!

For more information call us at (845) 481-0776, email us at info@wayfinderexperience.com or visit our website at www.wayfinderexperience.com


YMCA CAMP FOSS AND YMCA CAMP MI-TE-NA

603-232-8642
www.campfoss.org
www.campmitena.org

Located in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region, YMCA Camp Foss and YMCA Camp Mi-Te-Na offer both one week and two week session options filled with a diverse mix of exciting and challenging camp activities. Every day is an adventure you can count on to give your kids the fun they want and the growing experience they need. Talented counselors and staff are a dedicated group of individuals joined together by a shared passion, to foster growth and independence of every camper. With endless activities ranging from archery, tomahawk throwing, and sports activities to high and low ropes courses, boating, and swimming, our compassionate staff create a safe and supportive environment where kids can challenge themselves, make new friends, explore, and create memories that will last a lifetime. Inclusion is a priority at our camps and our hope is that every camper feels as though our spaces and programs were created with them in mind.

Flexible payment options and financial assistance are available to ensure that every child has the opportunity to experience the magic of overnight camp. For more information please contact us at lfrazier@graniteymca.org or browse our website.