The 2020 Summer Camp and Activities Guide

One of the many advantages of living in Southern Westchester is the wide range of summer programs available to your children, all within a bus ride from home. There are traditional day camps, specialty camps for music, dance, sports, STEM and the arts and programs for pre-schoolers too.
Even though it’s January, directors of summer programs and camps are busy planning for the summer of 2020 now – and invite you to see what they offer. We reached out to a range of summer camps and programs for kids from 2 to 17, and here's information from some programs sure to be enjoyed by Scarsdale kids. Contact them by phone or email and be sure to mention Scarsdale10583.com.
Day Camps

Camp Hillard: (pictured above) Started in the summer of 1929, four generations of the Libman family has continued to own and operate Westchester's first day camp. Impeccably maintained and constantly improved, Camp Hillard offers a complete program that uniquely combines spirit, tradition, and fun with first class modern facilities. Our program includes swimming and sports instruction, balanced with high-quality creative and performing arts, fun specialty activities, as well as exciting special events in a warm and personable camp environment. An experienced staff of camp professionals work together to ensure a successful summer for each and every camper.

Activities include swim instruction in seven heated pools, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, softball, lacrosse, flag football, tennis, gymnastics, pony rides, arts and crafts, drawing, painting, jewelry, clay, nature, theater, music, dance, zip line, flying squirrel, climbing wall, mini golf, golf skills center and driving range, archery, gaga, mini sleep away program, day trips, horseback, golf and sports specialization programs for older campers. 

Camp Hillard
26 Elizabeth Street
Scarsdale, NY 10583
914 -949-8857

Camp Ramaquois is "a day camp as complete as sleep-away camp," situated on 44 magnificent acres in nearby Rockland. From adventurous activities to creative arts to athletic activities, boys and girls, ages 3-15 experience a traditional day camp program filled with a variety of stimulating activities including instructional and general swim in nine heated pools and boating on a five-acre lake. Seven period programs planned for each age group include a splash park, aerial adventure park, climbing wall, flying squirrel with zip lines, tennis, basketball, volleyball, lacrosse, hockey, softball, soccer, recycling bin, ceramics, nature facility with petting zoo, dance, drama, yoga, special events and much more. Facilities include an air-conditioned indoor gym and group bunks with bathroom facilities. Hot lunch is served in an air-conditioned dining room by waiters and waitresses. Junior Camp for 3-6 year olds has a separate campus with age-appropriate activities and facilities. Ramaquois offers pre-teens and teens a regular camp program in combination with an optional Trail Blazers trip program. Day trips planned for 3rd–10th graders; overnight trips planned for 5th-10th graders; Leadership Program for 10th graders. Door to door air-conditioned mini-bus transportation provided by licensed school bus drivers and a bus counselor. Ramaquois is a magical camp where children experience a sense of adventure, meet new challenges, create wonderful memories and make lasting friendships.

Camp Ramaquois
30 Mountain Road
Pomona, NY 10970
845-354-1600

Specialty Camps

For over 40 years, the JCC of Mid-Westchester has introduced children to the joy of summer camping. They now offer 8 weeks of camps, with a five day per week or three day per week option, which is ideal for young campers. They also continue to provide towel services and extended days. The day camp introduces campers to a variety of professionally led activities and weekly special events including instructional and recreational swim in their heated indoor pool (beginning with 3 year-olds), gymnastics, a variety of different sports activities, arts and crafts, and nature. They offer low staff to camper ratio and early drop off/late pick up. Unique to the JCC is its renowned Summer Arts Center (SAC) for the creative and independent child who is interested in the arts. For campers grades 6 and up who are serious and experienced dance students, there is a comprehensive curriculum of dance and dance-related classes taught by professionals in the state of the art dance studios. The CIT/LIT programs offer teens the opportunity to gain hands-on counselor training and leadership experience with social action initiatives and weekly trips. LITs that successfully complete the program may be asked back for the following summer as junior counselors.

JCC of Mid-Westchester
999 Wilmot Rd
Scarsdale, NY 10583
Caryn Symons, Director of Camping
914-472-3300

Squire Advantage and Squire Sports Camps at Maria Regina High School in Hartsdale is celebrating its 47th year and is the proud recipient of the first ever Westchester Country Inspector Choice Award! An OPEN HOUSE and CARNIVAL is scheduled for Saturday February 1ST from 1-4pm. There will be door prizes, bouncy houses, carnival games and food! Instructors and coaches will showcase their courses and tours will be given. Courses are taught in air-conditioned classrooms by certified teachers. Hot lunch is included and transportation is available. Squire Advantage Primary (grades K-3) and Advantage Choice (grades 4-9) is created for campers who wish to custom design their own schedule by choosing courses in the fields of swimming, computers, sports, fine arts, science, cooking, music and more. There are more than 50 different activities to choose from! Squire Sports Camps are divided into two different sports programs. Squire All Sports Academy (ages 6-15) allows for instructing and playing of many different types of sports throughout the day. Sports include tennis, basketball, soccer, baseball, football, etc. Squire Tennis Academy (ages 6-15) is a fun and challenging tennis experience designed for beginners to experienced players. Squire Camps programs run from June 29th until August 14th, 2020.

Squire Camps
Maria Regina High School
Hartsdale, NY
(914) 328-3798
Matt Davanzo – Director

Challenge Camp: Open the door to a delightful and meaningful summer of fun and learning for your bright, curious child. Challenge Camp is an ACA accredited camp celebrating its 40th summer. Join them at their fully air-conditioned facility in Hartsdale, NY. Challenge is dedicated to providing meaningful opportunities for children aged 4-15 to realize their intellectual and personal potential. They offer over 100 STEM and Arts based enrichment courses ranging from 3D Printing, Chess, Coding, Cooking, DJ'ing, Drones, Escape Room, Fashion, Fortnite, Go Kart, Lego, Magic, Makerspace, Minecraft, Model Rocketry, Music, Photography, Robotics, Theater, Video Production, Virtual Reality, YouTube and many options in between. Sports options include Swimming, Fencing, Ninja Warrior and Tae Kwon Do. Challenge campers customize a program of selections based on their interests and follow their courses for an entire session, enabling their knowledge and interest to grow throughout the session. Bus transportation and early/extended day options available. Please join them for an Open House on Sunday February 9th, from 2-4PM at their location.

Challenge Camp
The Leffell School
555 West Hartsdale Avenue
Hartsdale, NY 10580
914-779-6024
info@challengecamps.com

Music and Dance

The Music Conservatory of Westchester’s summer programs will spark your child’s interest in music and other artistic areas from June 29-August 21, 2020. We offer fun, comprehensive learning experiences with a variety of programs and classes. Our reinvented Music & Arts program for grades K-6 continues to provide quality instruction in music, dance, and art. This year, Music & Arts offers a new Band Experience for the older group (grades 4-6) playing popular music from rhythm & blues to radio tunes and beyond. Younger kids (K-3) will be introduced to music fundamentals and begin playing instruments. The Musical Theatre Immersion will give kids grades 3-7 the opportunity to be stage stars performing a musical production from songs to scenery. Suzuki Summer (ages 5+) and Beginner Special (ages 4+) programs offer violin, cello, and piano students an opportunity to reinforce Suzuki skills or an introduction to the incredibly effective music instruction technique. 

Music Conservatory of Westchester

216 Central Avenue

White Plains, NY 10606

914-761-3900

School of Rock White Plains Summer Camps: With camp choices for ages 5 through17, School of Rock White Plains is the perfect summer activity for your child. Our summer music camps are performance-based, meaning students learn to play by rehearsing and performing together in a fun environment. From beginner camps to songwriting to themed camps like Classic Rock and Pop Punk, we offer a wide variety of options to ensure your child has an amazing, immersive music experience. Sign your child up now and watch them become a musician this summer!
School of Rock White Plains summer music camps offer students a way to learn how to sing, play an instrument, write songs and, in most cases, perform live on stage with a band. Our camps are perfect for musicians of any skill level who want to play guitar, bass, drums, keyboard and vocals.

School of Rock White Plains
242 Central Avenue
White Plains, NY 10600
(914) 468-1100

Steffi Nossen School of Dance: This summer explore dance in one and two week camps: from Story Book Dance for the tiniest dancers to a Dance Intensive for pre-professional teens and adaptive programs for kids and adults. Explore the performing arts in a safe, nurturing and artistically challenging environment. Weekly Story Book camps, a morning of movement, music and art for preschoolers with a new story each week (June 8 – August 17). Moving Wheels & Heels Adaptive Dance Intensive (June 22-27) and Camp (June 29 –July 2) a chance to enjoy movement, improve range of motion, explore and express creativity; wheelchairs welcome. In Dance Camp (grades 1-5) and Dance Intensive (grade 6-8) July 6-17 take classes in Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Hip-Hop, Musical Theater and body conditioning, learn dance history and composition, choreograph your own dances. In Hip-Hop Camp (grades 2-5) the child who loves Kidz Bop Music Videos and reenacts the dance moves on Fortnite Mission Success will have a blast learning Classic and New School styles, scratch, MC. and the rich history of Hip-Hop Culture. Musical Theater Kids (Grades 2-5) and Musical Theater Intensive (Grades 6-10) July 27 – August 7 are for actor/singers who need more intensive dance training and dancers who want to explore acting and singing; train with some of the best professional teachers in the field in daily acting, voice, and dance classes enhance vocal and acting skills while honing dance technique. Beginner – advanced performers learn music and choreography from a different Broadway musical to perform at week’s end. Early drop off and extended day available. 10% discount before March 30.

Steff Nossen School of Dance
216 Central Avenue
White Plains, NY
914-328-1900

For the Younger Set:

Beth El Day Camp in New Rochelle is the place to be for children ages 2-9! Widely recognized as the best-in-class day camp in Westchester, Beth El continues to be the most fun, most trusted choice for young campers and their parents, year after year. Join us Monday, June 29 through Thursday, August 20, 2020. We offer before and after camp care 7am-7pm. Campers love the sports, especially tennis, swimming twice a day in the pool, music, arts and crafts, cooking, dancing, nature, STEM, yoga, karate, and much more! Proudly accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA), we are also known for our nurturing environment, cutting-edge programming, and commitment to safety. We have the county's finest, best-trained professional staff and a very favorable child to staff ratio. Whether this is your child's first camp experience or not, at Beth El everything begins with love and ends in fun.

Beth El Day Camp
1324 North Avenue
New Rochelle, NY 10804
(914) 235-2700 ext. 256
daycamp@bethelnr.org

Scarsdale Synagogue's Summer Stars Program is the perfect summer experience for young children. This warm and nurturing seven-week summer program is for children 18 months to 5 years old. The children are engaged in activities such as sports, music, art, story time, daily water play and much, much more. There are special theme days each week such as Circus Day, Hawaiian Day or Carnival Day. At Summer Stars, friendships are formed and children grow socially, emotionally and intellectually as they engage in fun, stimulating summer activities. There is a three-day option for toddlers ages 18 to 30 months. Two year-olds may choose a three-day option or attend five mornings a week. Three to 5 year-olds may choose a half-day, 9am -12 noon option or a full day option from 9am - 2pm. Your child will sparkle and shine at Summer Stars!

Scarsdale Synagogue Summer Stars
2 Ogden Road
Scarsdale, NY
914-723-3001



St. James The Less Fun In The Sun Summer Program is a morning program for children aged 2, 3, 4 or 5 year-old program or those entering kindergarten in the fall. Staffed by experienced nursery school teachers, Fun in the Sun Summer Program offers outdoor playgrounds, water tables and sprinklers plus music and movement, gym and yoga classes, arts and crafts and fun weekly themes. Directed by Cheryl Smith, the program runs from 9- 11:45 am, Monday through Thursday from June 29 to July 30. For the two's program, there is one counselor for every five campers and for the 3,4,5's, there is a 1 to 7 counselor camper ratio. Fees are $200 per week and incoming 2's have the option of 2 or 4 days at $100 or $200 per week. 

Cheryl Smith-Director
Church of St. James the Less
Ten Church Lane
Scarsdale, New York 10583
914.723.1018
director@stjamesnursery.org

Westchester Reform Temple's Summer Play Place Camp offers young children a unique 7-week summer experience. The professional certified staff provides arts and crafts, water-play, stories, games, sports and snack within a nurturing and loving environment. The 3's and 4's program is enhanced by specialists in music, movement and nature and special theme days. There are separation classes and classes with a loved one to stay as options for children who will be entering a 2's program in September. The little ones also enjoy crafts, water-play and music. Your children will learn, laugh and flourish. Click here to register. … Limited spaces are available in the ECC school program for the 2020-2021 school year.

Summer Play Place Camp
255 Mamaroneck Road
Scarsdale, NY 10583
914-723-5493
Email: sue.tolchin@wrtemple.org

Close to Home

Scarsdale Recreation Summer Day Camp offers four-day camps for children from Kindergarten through eighth grade, including recreational and educational programs and daily swimming at the Scarsdale Pool. The camp accommodates about 900 children in grades K-8. Camp Sagamore is for children entering kindergarten, Camp Lenape for first graders, Camp Wapetuck for second graders and Camp Patthunke is for kids in third through eighth grades. The season runs from Monday, July 6-Friday, August 7 from 9am - 3:30pm. Transportation is provided from Scarsdale Pool, Quaker Ridge, Greenacres, Heathcote, Fox Meadow, and Edgewood. There are also combination camps for third-eighth graders who can choose soccer or sports camp in the morning and regular day camp in the afternoon. The Village offers two sessions of Teen Travel Camp for sixth through eighth graders, who go on a different trip each day.

Scarsdale Recreation Camp
Phone: (914) 722-1160
Email: recreation@scarsdale.com

To add your summer program to our guide email us at scarsdalecomments@gmail.com.