Local Guide to Summer Camps for Kids

With a little less than four months left in the school year, local parents have already started planning for their kids’ summer vacation.

And that means one thing: summer camp.

To help you decide, Garden City Patch has compiled this summer camp guide featuring a host of programs in town – and many others from nearby towns – to make the job of picking the one that’s right for your kids a much easier experience.

See the list below, and if you think we missed some, please add the camp details in the comment section.

Location: Garden City
Name: The Waldorf School of Garden City
Type of camp: variety/sports/crafts
Cost: Half-Day (age 3): $1,500  or $58 per day; Half-Day (ages 4-5): $1,900 or $75 per day; Full-Day: $2,900 or $110 per day
Where: Waldorf School of Garden City, 225 Cambridge Ave., Garden City.
When: July 1 - Aug. 9
Deadline for registration:
Details:  Waldorf School of Garden City is a half-day and full-day summer programs for boys and girls age 3 - 13 for six weeks on their 10-acre campus. Campers are grouped primarily by age, with approximately 24 campers per group. The day program includes music, crafts, dramatic work, storytelling, games, swimming, athletics and more. Optional visits to local points of interest  are scheduled for older campers. Flexible scheduling is available but a minimum of 23 days is required.
For more information call: 516-742-3434 ext. 327

Location: Hempstead
Name: Hofstra Summer Camps
Type of camp: sports/performing arts/academics
Cost: Specialty Camps: $825 - $2,500; Learning Institute: $1,675 - $4,880; Sports Academy Camp: $775 - $3,400; Hofstra and Nassau BOCES Camp: $1,000 - $3,590. $50 application fee for all except BOCES camp.
Where: Hofstra University, 1000 Fulton Ave, Hempstead.
When: Four Sessions: July 1 - 12, July 15 - 26, July 29 - Aug. 9, Aug. 12 - 16
Deadline for registration:  Open enrollment as long as space is available.
Details:  Hofstra Specialty Camps and the Learning Institute offer a spectrum of two-, four-, six- and seven-week co-ed camps for children entering kindergarten - 9th grade. There are more than 20 Specialty Camps, including actors workshop, dance, fine arts, golf, musical theater, science, soccer, tennis, more, in addition to 13 Learning Institute camps that encourage children to reach their academic potential. The Sports Academy camp allows athletes in grades 3 - 12 to learn new and drill new skills in 12 sports, including baseball, basketball, dance, pep band, wrestling, girls' lacrosse camp and more.
For more information call: 516-463-CAMP (2267)

Location: Rockville Centre
Name: Center for Science Teaching and Learning
Type of camp: science/educational
Cost:  Early Bird through April 30: $255 for one-week session, $510 for two-week session; Standard: $299 for one-week session, $598 - $618 for two-week session.
Where: Center for Science Teaching and Learning, 1 Tanglewood Rd, Rockville Centre.
When:  Two-week sessions: June 24 - Aug. 16; One-week sessions:  Aug. 19 - 23, Aug. 26-30
Deadline for registration:  Early Bird Open Enrollment, as long as space is available.
Details:  This educational science day camp is for children ages 4 - 12 looking to have fun while learning. Children will be engaged in hands-on experiments and bring their ideas to life by building, constructing and using their minds to invent. There is a field trip during each two-week session to a science-related place.
For more information call:  516-764-0045

Location: East Rockaway
Name: Rolling River Day Camp
Type of camp: variety/outdoors/sports/crafts
Cost:  Skippers: $2,200 - $4,200; Kindergarten: $2,800 - $5,200; Mariners: $3,600 - $5,800; Navigators: $3,800 - $6,000; CIT program: $3,400 - $5,600.
Where: Rolling River, 477 Ocean Ave., East Rockaway.
When:  July 1 - Aug. 22
Deadline for registration: Open enrollment
Details: Rolling River offers a day camp for children ages 3 - 15, grouped by age: Skippers (ages 3 - 5), Mariners (grades 1 - 4), Navigators (grades 5 - 8), CIT program (grades 9 - 10). Camp activities include swimming and aquatics, athletics, boating, creative arts, playground, an enrichment center and special events.
For more information call: 516-593-CAMP (2267)