Questions Before Camp
The eight week 2025 session is from June 30th to August 21st. We also offer 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7-week options. Please see Dates & Rates for more information.
The camp runs Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 4:15 PM. A typical day includes a mix of athletics, instructional and free swim, and specialty activities with a mid-day break for a lunch and an afternoon break for refreshments.
You will receive this important information the week before camp. If you have any special request for group placement or pick-up and drop-off timing, please do not wait to receive the letter. Many times we can accommodate special requests if we have enough advance notice. If you do not want your contact information shared with your child’s group, please call or email us to let us know by June 1st.
At Deerkill Day Camp we have NO TIPPING. We believe that tipping, which can amount to upwards of $500 at many camps, can lead to uncomfortable situations for both staff and parents. Our staff compensation is above industry average and more than offsets typical tips received by staff at other camps. Our counselors, many of whom are teachers and parents themselves, are happy to know what their compensation will be for the summer. They are professionals and we treat them as such. Sometimes parents do choose to provide a gratuity, monetary or otherwise, to their bus counselors if they think they have gone above and beyond.
Yes, day camp tuition is eligible for Child Care/Dependent Care Reimbursement through your employer, or as a straight deduction on your taxes. Many Deerkill families take advantage of this. Our Tax ID is 46-2358978.
Parents may visit any day from 9:30 to 11:15 AM and from 1:15 PM to 3:30 PM. Parents appreciate our open visiting policy. All you have to do is get a name tag from our gatekeeper and sign in at our office. We will escort you to your child”s group.
We always offer alternatives to the hot lunch including tuna, turkey, cheese or soy-butter and jelly sandwiches. However, we do encourage our campers to try the hot lunch, as this is part of their learning experience. We ensure that all of our campers are provided with a full meal and will work with parents whose children have dietary restrictions, including allergies.
A sample-menu is available for review.
The owners/ directors can always be contacted by email or phone until 9:00 pm Sunday to Thursday evenings.
I have been so reassured by the bus crew on our route, whose concern for the safety of our kids is very appreciated.
Campers are picked up at their own doors in air-conditioned mini buses with both professional drivers and bus counselors. In Hoboken,Weehawken and Jersey City we provide convenient central locations for pick-up and drop-off. Transportation is included in the tuition.
We believe that camp is the place for your child to connect with other children in the real world and not the virtual world. We offer a large variety of activities every moment your child is at camp to give them this opportunity. Therefore, we have a firm policy banning the use of cell phones, video games, and other electronics. We appreciate your support of this policy.
The camp “uniform” consists of a pair of shorts, a t-shirt, sneakers and a baseball cap (to provide shade from the sun). On rainy days, please remember to send along a sweatshirt or rain coat with your camper’s name written on it. One day each session we will hold our “photo days” and we will ask that all campers proudly wear their Deerkill t-shirt.
While our campers make tremendous progress in the pool during the summer as part of our swim program, sometimes parents do choose to supplement instruction for their children. We provide opportunities for private swim lessons on weekends here at Deerkill through our Waterfront Director, Mat Malden. You can contact Matt through his site at Malden Aquatics.
We do not serve any product with peanuts nor do we allow campers to bring lunches with peanuts to camp. Our campers enjoy a wonderful peanut substitute Soy-butter, also known as Wowbutter. Soy-butter and jelly sandwiches are available every day as well as tuna, turkey, cheese, cream cheese, a selection of yogurts and fruits.
All parents and campers are members of our weekend club throughout the summer. Grandparents are also welcome without charge. Siblings of camp-age (3-yo) and above who are not campers are charged $10 for their summer weekend membership. Guests of our camper families, including family members not including siblings and grandparents, are welcome with a fee of $7 for guests (adults and children).
Children are remarkably perceptive. Your own concerns are easily communicated. If you have confidence that your child can deal successfully with new situations, he or she will almost certainly fulfill your expectation. Assure your child that concern about new experiences is perfectly normal, and communicate confidence in your child’s ability to deal with this new situation. But don’t belabor the point – constant reassurances are not reassuring.
We love to watch little children as they get off the bus the first day. Almost invariably they get off holding the hand of a new friend - usually a child a year or two older who has magically assumed the role of “big brother” or “big sister”. (We also have bus counselors on all of our buses, and counselors are always waiting to greet new campers as they get off of their buses the first day.)
Everyone is encouraged to bring their young children to our weekend club on the Saturday or Sunday before camp. (Our weekend club, but not camp, will also be open on July 4th). Our new campers will find that our beginner pool is warm and shallow. They will make new friends and look forward to their first day of camp.
If your children are happy they are probably doing just fine. But if you have any questions or concerns please call. We will be happy to have your child’s Group Leader call you at a convenient time. We will also be sending out surveys and your child’s Group Leader will call you the first few weeks of camp. We encourage our counselors to discuss any problems their campers may be having with the Camp Directors and with parents. Please don’t hesitate to call if you believe your child has a problem at camp.
We have lots of shade at camp, but of course, children are in the sun while they are playing ball sports or swimming in the pool. We recommend waterproof sunscreens. The new lotions really do not wash off, but it is still important to put it on heavily – most people do not put enough on. Please send in a labeled bottle with your child and our counselors will be happy to help apply more sunscreen in the afternoon. Sunscreen sprays work great for covering the body while sunscreen sticks are easiest when applying to the face. We also encourage all campers to wear baseball caps.
