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, Malverne-West Hempstead-Lynbrook 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: West Hempstead

Name: Island Garden

Type: Basketball

Details:  This camp offers basketball fun for children in grades 3-9. Some weeks are designated for boys, others for girls, and some weeks for both. Whether advanced or novice, this is a great place to go to learn all the fundamentals.  Children are able to purchase lunch on the premises. No transportation is provided. Phone: (516) 292-4956.

When: June 24-Aug. 30 (weekly) 

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)

Location: Lawrence
Name: JCC of the Greater Five Towns
Type of camp: preschool/recreation/sports/arts
Cost: *Call for specific programs
Where: JCC of the Greater Five Towns, 140 Central Ave., Lawrence
When: June 26 - Aug. 16
Deadline for registration: *Call for specific programs
Details: The JCC of the Greater Five Towns offers programs for youngsters age  2 -  5 years of age. The program provides a semi-structured group experience supervised by a mature, professional staff. Activities include swimming and water play at their outdoor facility, arts and crafts, cooking, music and movement, storytelling, games and toddler-designed sports.
For more information call: 516-371-5323

Location: Woodmere
Name: Lawrence Woodmere Summer Day
Type of camp: academics/sports/arts
Cost:  Nursery (ages 2 - 3): $2,400 - $3,300; Entering Pre-K:  $3,000 - $3,900 before May 15, then $3,100 - $4,400; Entering Kindergarten: $3,600 - $4,900 before May 15, $3,900 - $5,000; Grades 1 - 2: $4,000 - $5,400 before May 15, then $4,300 - $5,900; Grades 3 - 7: $4,300 - $5,700 before May 15, then $4,500 - $6,300; CIT Program: $4,100 - $4,300; Pilot Programs: $250  
Where: Lawrence Woodmere Academy, 336 Woodmere Blvd, Woodmere.  
When: June 27 - Aug. 20
Deadline for registration:  *Call for specific programs
Details:  Lawrence Woodmere Academy offers a summer camp program for children ages 2 - 12 with a Counselor-In-Training program for teens entering grades 8 - 10. The camp is located on a 10-acre campus with air-conditioned facilities, full-sized athletic fields and heated pools. Activities will include sports, arts, dance, cooking, computers, science/nature, academic enrichment programs and other special weekly events. There are special optional sports clinics and weekly trips for grades 3 and up.
For more information call:  516-374-9000

Location: Long Beach
Name: Long Beach Summer Camp Program
Type of camp: recreational/sports/adventure
Cost: $450 for the summer
Where: West Elementary School, Lindell Elementary School, and Long Beach High School
When: June 25 through Aug. 17
Registration: Call 516-705-7411 or email mangst@longbeachny.org or click here download applications.
Details:
The Recreation Department will again be offering the Morning Playground Program and the Afternoon Sports Camp. The Morning Playground Camp for ages 4 ½ years old (or any child entering Kindergarten in September) to 12 years old begins June 25th and runs through Aug. 17 (Monday-Friday), from 9am to 1pm.   The camps operate in the mornings at three sites including; West Elementary School, Lindell Elementary School, and Long Beach High School. While at camp the children will participate in various activities such as arts & crafts, basketball, soccer, relay races, etc.  We also take trips to Adventureland, Splish Splash, Long Island Laser Bounce, Long Island Children's Museum, Bowling, Earth Arts and more. Throughout the summer we also have special event days such as Olympic Day, Block Party, Crazy Hat Day, and Backwards Day.  Every child also has the opportunity to take swimming lessons with one of our certified instructors.  The cost for this camp is $450 for the summer
The Afternoon Sports Camp for ages 7 years old (or any child entering 2nd grade in September) to 12 years old begins June 25th and runs through August 17th (Monday-Friday), from 1pm to 5pm.  This camp will take place at the Long Beach Recreation Center.  It differs from the morning camp in that all of the activities are sports related.  Children will play basketball, baseball, deck hockey, soccer, lacrosse, ga-ga, and many more.  Sports Camp participates in the same trips as the morning camp.  Any child that attends the morning camp and the sports camp will be bussed from the morning camp site to the recreation center and back to the morning camp site at the end of the day.  The cost for this camp is $450 for the summer.

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)