About Us
Garden School’s Summer Camp has provided great summers to thousands of families over the years! Our camp is run by highly-trained staff, industry experts, and professional educators who are dedicated to ensuring that each camper has a safe and enriching experience. To ensure that your child gets the attention they need, our camp has low camper-to-teacher ratios and is divided into different programs by age. At Garden’s Summer Camp, your child will build confidence, make new friends, develop new interests, discover new talents, and have lots and lots of FUN!
Our camp follows and adjusts all safety protocols as they become available through the CDC, American Camp Association, American Camp Nurse’s Association, and local/state/federal guidelines and guidance.
Camp Highlights
- Ages 2-13
- Half, Full and Extended Days
- On-site Swimming Pool & Program
- On-site Gymnasium
- Hands-on Creative Art Projects
- STEM Enrichment Class
- Athletics & Wellness
- Visual and Performing Arts Classes
- Certified Lifeguards on Duty
- CPR and First Aid Certified Staff Members
Garden's 2025 Summer Camp Dates - Coming Soon!
Garden Summer Camp Pricing - Coming Soon!
Quick Facts
- Snacks are provided twice per day
- Swim lessons are provided daily for ages 4+
- A deposit is required to secure a place for your child. This deposit is non-refundable. Your registration is not considered complete until Garden School receives your deposit. Deposits by mail or drop off are due within 7 business days. The balance of the total summer fee must be paid in full by the camper’s first day of attendance. You can also add new weeks via the Registration form if you wish, after your original balance is paid
- Your child will not be able to begin their first day of CAMP without a Health Examination Form
- All balances must be made in full before your child’s first day of camp
Base Charges
- 1 Week of Camp (Full Day) – $685
- 2 consecutive weeks of camp are discounted to $1,300
- 1 Week of Camp (Half Day) – $475
Optional Program Charges
- Early Morning and Afterschool
- 1 Day of Early Morning (7:30 am – 8:45 am) – $15 per day
- Doors will open at 9:00 am for regular camp
- If your child is left with Camp Staff before that time, you will be charged for Early Morning
- All Early Morning check-in is through the front gate
- 1 Day of Afterschool (4:00 pm – 6:00 pm) – $25 per day
- Doors will open for pickup at 4:00 pm
- If your child is not picked up within 15 minutes from the start of afternoon pickup, you will be charged the afterschool flat fee of $25 and your child will be put in Afterschool
- All Afterschool pickup is at the front gate
- 1 Day of Early Morning (7:30 am – 8:45 am) – $15 per day
- Bus Charges for Door-to-Door dropoff and pickup
- 1 Week of round-trip bus transportation – $185
- 1 Week of one-way bus transportation – $125
Additional Items
- Snacks are provided twice per day
- Swim lessons are provided daily for ages 4+
- If you register before May, you must have your first deposit in before the end of the end of the month in which you register
- You will not be allowed in if you do not have your medical form in
- All balances must be made in full prior to your child’s first day of camp
Summer Camp FAQ's
- Q: Do we have a pool on Campus?
- A: Yes, we do! It is within our school’s grounds so we are able to offer swim lessons in our pool every day from our Aquatics Director. Each group will have a designated time for instructional and free swim.
- Q: Does a camper need to have prior swim experience to swim at Garden Summer Camp?
- A: No, you do not. We teach from zero experience. We use “bubbles” for younger campers, a type of flotation device to help our campers learn to swim.
- Q: Do nursery campers have swimming lessons?
- A: No, they have water play experience outside of the pool in an outdoor play area.
- Q: Are there bus pick-up spots?
- A: No, we send our buses door to door each morning. So campers are picked up and dropped off from your house. We try to keep campers on the bus for no longer than 45 minutes.
- Q: Do we offer tours of the campus?
- A: Yes! Please email campdirector@gardenschool.org to schedule a time.
- Q: Do we provide Lunch?
- A: No. We will provide two snacks daily. One in the morning and one in the afternoon; however, we do not provide lunch, and it is expected to be brought from home.
The Curriculum
Use the toggles below to learn more about the curriculum for each age group!
Garden’s youngest campers learn and explore in a warm and nurturing environment. The focus at this age is on group dynamics, navigating one another and the world, and exploring a range of activities from basic arts to early academic concepts, and developing social skills all while having fun and using their imagination. To ensure each Honeybee’s arrival is smooth, we have a pre-camp orientation which parent and child attend together. At the orientation, Honey Bees meet one another, their counselors, and walk spaces where they will spend camp without the hustle and bustle of the first day of camp. Then on day one, Honeybees arrive early and head right into “The Hive” where they are eased into those first days.
Honey Bees have fun filled days with water play, age-appropriate curriculum, introduction to a variety of sports and gross motor activities and explore the arts, music, and other creative expression. Honey bees spend most of their day in and around our Nursery classroom with separate bathroom facilities, and special entrances so their first days on campus can be as unintimidating as possible. Each day has time for music, gymnastics, guided water play (not in the pool), lunch, rest, playground, gross motor activities, snack, arts and crafts, and story time.
In the Caterpillar (ages 3-5) or Butterflies (ages 5-7) campers learn and explore with a focus on understanding their role in the group and exploring a range of activities from arts to academic enrichment, and developing social skills all while having fun and using their imagination.
Youngest groups like the Caterpillars also come in for a pre-camp orientation and we may decide to do that for the Butterflies too depending on the specific children who enroll. Like the Honeybees, at orientation, parent and child attend together to meet peers, counselors and key adults, and walk the spaces where they will spend their summer. This helps get them settled prior to the busy start of camp. Early arrival for the first few days of camp also make for a calm and smooth transition to camp.
Caterpillars spend most of their day in and around “The Cocoon” – our Pk3/4 classroom with separate bathroom facilities and lots of room to spread out, learn, and explore. A typical day includes “Cocoon Time” which is a camp version of morning meeting, Music Class, Gross Motor, Swim Instruction, Lunch, Rest, Water Play, Playground & Games, Snack, Arts & Crafts, Story Time, and Science exploration.
While Butterflies have a similar typical day, there are some modifications and adjustments as the older students can do a bit more independently and have more motor skills to engage in other activities. For example, rhythm and movement class becomes Ukulele, Arts & Craft becomes beginner Fine Arts and we also add in a Dance and Theater component.
The Monarchs and Swallowtails are grouped by ages in a more independent and mature camp program. This allows for increased opportunities for choice and student agency to help shape their actual program.
All Monarchs and Swallowtails have daily swim, mixed athletics, and enrichment classes in visual / performing arts, guided journaling!
Registration is Open!
If you have already registered your child, please fill out the Parent Package and email it to Mary Petruso, Executive Assistant to the Head of School.
Forms
Contact Us
If you have any questions, please email us at campdirector@gardenschool.org or call us at (718) 335-6363.
Tours are available by appointment only.
Garden School is located at 33-16 79th Street, Jackson Heights, NY 11372.
We hope to see you at Camp!