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To prepare for the summer ahead, the Shibley Day Camp transportation team recently hit the road in Astoria and Forest Hills. We met with several families and experienced the areas firsthand to evaluate street layouts, traffic patterns, and pickup locations. By being on the ground, we were able to address some of the navigation challenges from last summer and begin mapping out improved, highly efficient routes.

And this is just the beginning! Our team will be visiting other neighborhoods in Long Island and NYC soon to ensure we are fully prepared across all our service areas. We are actively collaborating to implement smarter routing strategies that prioritize efficiency and, above all, safety. We are committed to delivering Shibley’s best summer yet for reliable, organized transportation.

From the moment your child steps onto the bus, we want them to feel like part of the amazing Shibley family. We can’t wait to keep our campers safe, happy, and excited for every ride. Shibley Shibley!

We are excited to announce Angel Colon and Jess Marback as our new Co-Directors of Transportation at Shibley Day Camp. They will be supported by Jackie Steinberger, our Transportation Coordinator, who has been a vital part of our transportation team for the past several summers.

Here is a note from each of them:

Angel Colon, Co-Director of Transportation

This is my third summer at Shibley Day Camp. Having previously served as a bus driver and manager of the go-kart area, I have a strong foundation in camper safety and daily operations. As Co-Director, I am committed to ensuring all routes are efficient, organized, and—most importantly—safe. My goal is to take Shibley’s transportation program to the next level of reliability.

Outside of camp, I am a married father of five and a proud grandfather of six. As a competitive sports fan, I love teaching and mentoring; I truly believe sports provide a blueprint for valuable life lessons. I look forward to another amazing summer of ensuring every camper arrives with a smile!

Jess Marback, Co-Director of Transportation

I am ecstatic about my new role as Co-Director of Transportation, having been part of the Shibley family for 13 years. Last summer I was the Athletic Director of Junior Camp, and before that, I spent eight summers as a group leader. This summer, I am focused on precision: making sure buses are on time, routes are optimized, and every camper’s journey is safe.

During the school year, I am an educator at Weber Middle School. I’m a die-hard Yankees, Rangers, and Jets fan, but my greatest joy is my three children—Lola, Georgia, and Briar—who have practically grown up at Shibley. Seeing the growth and happiness of my children and all our campers is truly incredible. I can’t wait for Summer 2026!

Jackie Steinberger, Transportation Coordinator

As an educator and a passionate fan of the arts and sports, I bring a unique set of skills and a collaborative spirit to the Shibley community. I am a dedicated teacher and co-director of the school show. Outside of work, I enjoy traveling, photography, and following soccer and tennis. 

My Shibley journey began as a camper and evolved through roles as a counselor, group leader, and specialist, giving me a 360-degree view of the camp experience. My deep commitment to Shibley’s core values—especially building lifelong friendships and fostering a family atmosphere—is what drew me back to this leadership role. I am dedicated to providing safe, seamless transportation for our campers and staff, and I look forward to addressing parent inquiries with the promptness and care they deserve. It’s going to be a wonderful summer!

All three have been out on the road scouting areas, meeting with families and learning about the neighborhoods our families live in. Stay tuned for a follow up ShiBlog about their experiences….

One of the most important questions parents ask when touring a camp is,

“What is your camper-to-counselor ratio?”

Your child’s safety is our top priority. We go beyond standard ratios with a layered supervision system, ensuring constant, high-quality care in every area of camp.

Here is a breakdown of the dedicated staff members who create our strong foundation of supervision:

Group Leadership: The Home Base

At the helm of each group is the Group Leader, the adult in charge. They are the eyes and ears of the group and will be your primary contact throughout the summer. Our Group Leaders work with children during the year—they are truly the parent of the group.

In recent summers, we have also added the extra layer of an Assistant Group Leader to many of our groups, providing even more support and leadership.

Counselors: Big Sisters and Big Brothers

Every group is supported by a dedicated team of Counselors who travel from activity to activity with their specific group. These staff members act as the big sisters and big brothers to our campers.

To ensure no child is ever overlooked, each counselor is assigned a smaller Squad of children within their group. This counselor is responsible for making sure their Squad is:

• Safely getting from one activity to the next.
• Properly applied with sunscreen.
• Drinking enough water.
• Packing up at the end of day.
• Cubby maintenance.
• Supported and encouraged throughout the day.

Specialists: Experts in Every Area

When a group arrives at an activity area, they are greeted by the Head Specialist and their team who run that area. Specialists are experts in their field, leading the instruction and organization of each individual activity. Our Group Counselors then give critical support, maintaining the group’s safety and engagement while the Specialist focuses on the activity itself.

Pool Coverage: Safety in Numbers

Supervision is most critical at the pool, and our procedures reflect that. When a group enters the pool area, the coverage is layered for maximum safety:

• Lifeguards: Two lifeguards are always positioned in the chairs (one at the deep end and one at the shallow end) before any campers enter the water.
• In-Water Staff: Before instructional swim begins, an additional 4–6 lifeguards will enter the pool to create a grid of in-water supervision.
• Group Staff Support: Once the lifeguards are positioned, the Group Counselors enter the water with the campers, and the Group Leader and Assistant Group Leader circle the pool deck, overseeing all activity.

Our Group Ratios (Camper to Counselor)

Our dedication to safety is clearly reflected in our low camper-to-counselor ratios:

• Nursery: 4:1
• Kindergarten: 5:1
• First Grade: 6:1
• Second Grade: 7:1
• Third Grade through Eighth Grade: 8:1

By maintaining these ratios and implementing our system of layered supervision, we ensure that every camper has a safe, positive, and well-supervised experience at camp!

The Shibley Glossary

At Shibley Day Camp, sometimes we use our own language! Here is a glossary of words you might hear around camp or read in camp communications.

• “Shibley Shibley”
  • This is our “Aloha” – it can mean: “Hello”, “Goodbye”, “Good Morning”, “Have a good night” or “See you tomorrow”.
• “Happy GREEN Friday” or “Have a GREEN Friday”
  • This is our way of reminding everyone in our community to show or recognize Generosity, Respect, Endurance, Empathy & Nurture.
• Camp Grade
  • The grade a child will be in after camp ends.
• Junior Camp
  • Camp Grade = Nursery, Pre-K, Kindergarten or 1st grade.
  • Groups are broken up by age and grade.
  • Group names will start with Nursery (N) for Nursery and Pre-K and Junior Girls (JG) or Junior Boys (JB) for Kindergarten and 1st grade groups.
• Senior Camp
  • Camp Grade = 2nd through 8th grades.
  • Groups are broken up by camp grade.
  • Group names will start with Senior Girls (SG) or Senior Boys (SB).
• Super Seniors
  • A subset of senior camp.
  • Camp Grade = 5th through 8th grades.
  • Group names will start with Super Senior Girls or Super Senior Boys.
• Sleepaway Week
  • This is an optional one week trip for 3rd to 8th grade campers to Club Getaway in Kent, Connecticut. 
  • Campers stay overnight in bunks with Shibley counselors. Shibley directors, lifeguards and health center staff accompany the campers as well.
• CIT or Counselor in Training
  • An extension of senior camp.
  • 9th & 10th grade campers who assist children under the supervision of trained counselors.
  • CITs also participate in activities with their peers each day at camp.

• Squad
  • A smaller set of campers within the group generally supervised by one specific staff member in the group.
• GL or Group Leader
  • The adult in charge of one specific group at camp.
• AGL or Assistant Group Leader
  • A second adult responsible for supporting the Group Leader, who is training to assume a Group Leader role in the future.
• Counselor
  • Staff member assigned to oversee a squad of campers within their group.

• Specialist
  • Staff member assigned to work in one activity area in camp – for example: Arts & Crafts, Adventure Park, Junior Drama, Athletics, etc.
• Instructional Swim
  • All campers participate in one daily 30-minute period of American Red Cross swim instruction taught by Water Safety Instructors and supervised by Nassau County certified lifeguards.
• Free Swim or Recreational Swim
  • All campers participate in one daily 30-minute (junior camp) or 45-minute (senior camp) swim period that is purely for enjoying the pools with friends.
  • Pools are overstaffed and supervised by lifeguards, group leaders and counselors.
• AirGoBeach
  • A group will be assigned to Air Bungee, Go Karts and Beach Volleyball at the same time so that all campers are active. This is our top priority when it comes to programming at Shibley.
  • These activities are all next to each other making supervision and organization simple.
• Options
  • Senior campers have “Options” in their schedule as they progress through senior camp and become super seniors so they can do more of what they love or try something new if they feel so inclined.
• Leagues
  • Senior campers participate in intramural style athletic “Leagues” intentionally programmed to include and encourage campers with all levels of athletic ability.
• Tournaments
  • In Senior Camp we have a few traditional tournaments that we hold at the end of the summer.
    • 2nd Grade – World Cup – Soccer
    • 3rd & 4th Grade Girls – Jeannie Cup – Newcomb
    • 3rd & 4th Grade Boys – Goose Cup – Field Hockey
    • Super Senior Girls – Kulchin Bowl – Flag Football
    • Super Senior Boys – World Series – Softball
  • Our oldest campers in Junior Camp will participate in a tournament called the “Kickball Cup” to get them started.
• Special Events:
  • Additional activities, dress up days and events that take place in addition to the daily program of awesome activities i.e.,
    • Carnival Day, GREEN Fridays, Olympics, Show Week, dress up days and more!
  • A Shibley Glossary update with more detail about our Special Events calendar is coming next…

My name is Melissa Slansky, and my job is to create a balanced, engaging schedule that allows our campers to grow, explore, and most importantly, have an incredible summer. Every detail is thoughtfully planned to ensure a perfect mix of structured and unstructured activities, including arts, sports, adventure, and creative play.

Our Core Activities

• Aquatics: Swimming is an essential part of our day. We have two swims daily: one instructional swim focused on skill development and safety, and one recreational swim where campers can relax and play with friends.

• The Arts: Our diverse program includes arts and crafts, cooking, dance, science & nature, theater, and a new jewelry-making activity. We ensure every schedule includes a rotation of these activities, giving campers the chance (sometimes with a little gentle nudging) to discover new interests.

  • Spotlight: Campers in 3rd through 8th grade have the opportunity to audition for our summer theater shows.

• Athletics: We expose campers to a wide variety of sports, including soccer, flag football, basketball, Newcomb, volleyball, kickball, baseball, pickleball, tennis, and hockey. We focus on building confidence by designing games everyone can enjoy, regardless of their skill level.

  • Senior Camp Feature: Our older campers participate in organized leagues and tournaments that promote teamwork, sportsmanship, and leadership.

• Adventure: This is where campers learn to take risks and build confidence! Children of all ages navigate elements in the Junior and Senior adventure parks, bounce and flip on the air bungee, and drive go-karts. Overcoming these fears together helps them realize they can achieve things that may look scary at first.

We also include dedicated time for our playgrounds and creative play areas. This scheduled “unstructured time” fosters imagination and social-emotional development.

Why We Balance the Schedule:

1. Confidence: We want everyone to have an activity each day that they love and excel in.

2. Energy Management: We want campers to be physically active but also have “down time” to rest… “Smiling, Tired & Dirty” but not so exhausted that they can’t enjoy the next day. We are counting the days until we are all together again and look forward to another amazing summer at Shibley Day Camp!

Do you wonder each morning at school drop-off, “Will they be okay without me today? Do they have what they need to succeed?” Most parents do! We want them to be resilient, and we want them to believe in themselves when things get difficult.

In my years as both a camp director and an educator (I spent a decade in the classroom before making camp my full-time life), I have learned that independence and confidence are built slowly through small victories, safe failures, and the profound realization that they can navigate the world on their own.

Camps provide environments and build community based on strong values such as generosity, respect, empathy, endurance and nurture. The outcome, when these values are encouraged and when children feel safe and welcome, is that confidence and independence are naturally developed.

What does this look like in camp and out in the real world? It happens on the bus, at camp activities and in the small moments and transitions between activities.

Conquering the Pool

There is perhaps no greater metaphor for independence than learning to swim. It is a physical skill, yes, but it is also a massive psychological hurdle. It requires trusting your own body in an environment that feels unnatural. It requires Endurance—a common value that camps focus on within their programming and culture.

Joseph’s parents state that prior to camp, he “loved the water but was not really swimming.” They had tried private lessons and weekend trips to the pool, but progress was slow. He was comfortable on the steps, safe near the ledge, but terrified of the deep end.

At camp, we don’t force; we encourage. Joseph’s parents noted that it only took “5 days of camp” to completely change his mindset. By the end of the summer, the child who was scared to be carried into the deep end was jumping off the diving board at his town pool.

Why did it happen so fast at camp? Because at camp we have something I like to call “Positive Peer Pressure”. When a child sees their friend try, they want to try. It is powerful for the child to watch a peer or even a staff member try something new and fail the first time. What happens next is what really matters! In a supportive camp environment, children are likely to keep trying rather than getting frustrated and giving up.

When a child like Joseph conquers the pool, he isn’t just learning to swim. He is learning that he can do hard things. He learns that fear is temporary and that with practice, he can accomplish his goals. That is a confidence that follows him back to the classroom in September when he’s faced with a difficult math problem or a new social group.

Practicing for Life in “The Camp Bubble”

Transitions are hard. For many children, the transition from the safety of home to the structure of school is the first major challenge of their young lives. This is where the “camp bubble” becomes a vital training ground.

Camp provides a unique environment—it is structured like school, but without the academic pressure. It allows children to practice separation, adaptability, and socialization in a place designed for fun.

Skylar’s parents shared that prior to her first summer, she found it “difficult at first to get used to each level of daycare… and drop off was generally very difficult.” Separation anxiety is real and can be painful for both the child and the parent who has to walk away.

Camp changes the narrative because the days are filled with the excitement of activities and special events where the distraction outweighs the anxiety. The environment is “down-to-earth” and welcoming, which lowers the barrier to entry for anxious kids.

Skylar’s parents told us, “After her time at Shibley, her transition to Kindergarten was seamless. She is so happy at school (from day 1) and we believe much of that comes from the confidence she gained at camp.”

When a child realizes they can leave mom and dad, have an amazing day, and come home safe and happy, the world becomes a little less scary. They can say to themselves, “I was nervous at camp, but I ended up having fun. I can do this at school, too.”

Nurturing the Whole Child

At camp, we don’t just hire counselors; we hire mentors who are trained in child development and are prepared to provide a little extra Nurture when necessary.

We saw an incredible change in Suzie, a camper who came to us as an anxious child with some behavioral challenges. Suzie’s parents described her previous school experience as “explosive,” noting that she struggled to regulate her emotions in a traditional setting.

At camp, surrounded by a staff dedicated to understanding and meeting her specific needs she has transformed.

“She has gone from an anxious child… to a more mature and peaceful child—excelling in school to the point that they don’t believe she was explosive at her old school.”

When a child feels truly seen and understood by an adult other than their parent, their self-esteem skyrockets. They stop acting out of anxiety and start acting out of confidence. The tools Suzie learned at camp “definitely carried over to home and school life,” proving that the lessons of camp last far longer than the summer.

From Anxious Camper to Strong Leader

Sammy started as a camper who needed help tying his shoes and opening his lunch. Sammy is now entering his 10th summer at camp. He has grown up on the grounds. In his recent Bar Mitzvah speech, he mentioned camp as “an important piece of his growing up.”

Now, he wants to be the one helping the next generation of campers. He views Shibley as “home” and credits the staff for inspiring him to be a better friend and leader. When a child feels such a deep sense of belonging that they want to give back to the place that raised them, we know we have succeeded.

Sammy ‘s parents say he is “constantly talking about the importance of being kind to others and making memories with friends.” This is the ultimate evolution of confidence and independence as Sammy becomes a leader within his peer group and in the camp environment.

The Hidden Curriculum of Camp

Beyond these beautiful individual stories, there is a “hidden curriculum” at camp that builds independence in small, practical ways every single day. These are the things you might not see on the schedule, but they are vital for development:

• The Bus Ride: For many, this is the first time riding a vehicle without a parent. Navigating the social dynamics of the bus—choosing a seat, talking to older or younger kids, following the bus counselor’s instructions—builds massive social confidence. It is their first taste of “commuter” independence.
• The Changing Room: It sounds simple, but changing into swim gear twice a day fosters critical self-help skills. Children learn to manage their belongings, keep their area tidy, and ask for help when they need it. They learn that they are responsible for their own stuff.
• The Adventure Park: When a child stands at the bottom of the zip line or the rock wall, they are making a personal choice. They are calculating risk and overcoming nerves. That adrenaline rush of success—or the resilience of trying and failing—is pure confidence fuel.
• Choice and Empowerment: Whether it is choosing an elective activity or deciding what to create in arts and crafts, camp gives children autonomy. In school, they are often told exactly what to do. At camp, they learn to ask, “What do I want to do?” and then pursue it.

When you send your child to camp, you aren’t just paying for swim lessons and gaga. You are investing in their character. You are giving them a safe space to practice being independent, to reinvent themselves away from the pressures of school, and to discover that they are capable, resilient, and strong.