I’ll let you in on a secret. I did not enjoy my summers at sleepaway camp. People are often surprised to hear that. And, actually, that I’m open about sharing. I went to a beautiful, top-notch camp in the Poconos that is still a highly regarded camp today. Our neighbors on the street where I grew up loved it, so it made sense that my parents signed me up (sight unseen!) when I hit the age for starting camp. 

Though the camp was lovely (both on paper and in person), the people were not “my people.” Camp is all about community, and the bottom line is that I had different values and interests than the vast majority of the campers and staff. I didn’t feel the “home-away-from-home” feeling that camp should be.  

However, my story has a happy ending.  

When I finally did tell my parents, they immediately helped me find a better-fitting experience, and for several summers I went on bike trips to exciting places (a highlight was traveling the California coast from San Francisco to San Diego) from the 92nd Street Y and met wonderful friends.  

This experience—coupled with knowing that my friends who did have that quintessential sleepaway camp experience all went to Jewish camps—is a big inspiration in my role as Director of One Happy Camper NJ.  

There is a special sense of community and spirit at the 150+ sleepaway camps in the Foundation for Jewish Camp network not found at other camps. Our goal is to help connect families with their perfect Jewish summer camp. The key is identifying the right camp for each child. That is when the magic happens! 

We recently welcomed hundreds of community members to CampFest, a new event providing an afternoon of camp fun in the winter and enabling families to meet 24 leading Jewish day and overnight camps serving our community. As I walked around observing all these camps in one place, it hit me what an amazing array of options there are today and how much the landscape has changed since I was a kid. Many attendees commented that they couldn’t believe all the choices!  

There are so many types of camps from traditional to newer specialty camps (such as STEM, arts, surfing, culinary and more), a huge draw for kids looking for something a bit different, to hone skills or pursue a new passion. There are smaller and larger camps. Camps where kids rotate to activities as a bunk and those that are elective based. And from a Jewish perspective, camps affiliated with a specific denomination, others that are more values-based/culturally focused, some that are pluralistic with kids across different backgrounds, those that are kosher and others that are kosher-style.  

Kids these days start sleepaway camp at all different ages—there’s no one right time to start, and it’s never too early or too late, even for teens! There are many options including short stays for younger campers, sessions that range from 2 weeks to a month to a full summer (now closer to seven weeks than eight); many kids mix and match multiple summer activities.  

Families often begin their search a year or two in advance, which is ideal to meet the Directors and tour camps to see them in action during the summer. Intangible feelings are key toward identifying the camp that “feels right” for your future camper and your family. My parents didn’t have a resource like me at the time, and I’m so glad we are here to help you find the perfect camp for your child that also has that “special sauce” only found at Jewish camp!  

Let’s talk! Set up your free consultation here to get started: www.onehappycampernj.org/letstalkcamp