Summer Camp Demand Hits Record Levels At Bergen Co. YMCA

BERGEN COUNTY, NJ — Summer camps at a local YMCA are filling up in a record-setting pace, with two-thirds of available spots reserved in less than two months. In an effort to meet demand, the Meadowlands Area YMCA has added three more programs, most notably of which is through a partnership with a prehistoric theme park.

Still, if the accelerated signup pace continues, the YMCA, located in East Rutherford, expects to reach capacity in just three weeks, spokesperson Mike Golz said. In anticipation of a rush of parents struggling to find summer camps with availability, the YMCA opened registration in early January.

As of this week, 286 of 400 spots have already been filled. In 2022, the YMCA did not reach this number of signups until April, Golz said.

“Last year, parents were scrambling trying to find quality camps that still had availability, and a lot of them were left without many options," CEO of Meadowlands YMCA David Kisselback said. “By opening registration early, (and) expanding our programming, we’ve never seen such high demand."

In response to the demand increase, the YMCA added Field Station: Dinosaurs as a summer camp partner, as well as other off-site programs, which also allow the organization to provide more opportunities for children to learn over the summer, Meadowlands YMCA Senior Child Care Director Andrea Fernandez said.

Off-sites are a 10-week "Brainiacs" camp in Moonachie and an 8-week camp at a Hudson County high school, which will together accommodate 245 more children.

Field Station: Dinosaurs, alone, will add four weeks of educational programming for 60 more children, and will allow campers to experience fossil digs, a paleontology lab, and shows with life-sized animatronic dinosaurs.

"As the dad of a kindergartner, I know how hard it is to find a great camp you can trust," Guy Gsell, Executive Producer at Field Station: Dinosaurs, said. "To combine the experience of the YMCA with the fun and learning of Field Station: Dinosaurs is every parent's dream. We're taking campers 65 million years back in time to play, laugh and, most importantly, to learn from the dinosaurs. "

Located in Bergen County's Overpeck Park, Field Station: Dinosaurs opens to the public on May 27, with the YMCA camp running from July 24 to Aug. 18.