Thinking About Sleepaway Camp?

We are lucky to be affiliated with some of the BEST sleepaway camps around!  We have co-ed or single gender; full season, half season or shorter; and traditional or specialty.  Please reach out directly to each camp OR let us know which you are interested in and we are happy to make introductions to those camps’ directors. We are also happy to discuss which camps might be the best fit for your family! We love to talk about camp!

We offer special discounts for the first summer at a CampGroup camp based on how long you have been at Shibley: CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.

How do we know when our children are ready for sleepaway?
CLICK TO READ SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT THIS TOPIC FROM HAYLEY.

Camp Akeela – Thetford Center, Vermont

Camp Akeela is a co-ed, overnight camp in Vermont where “quirky” kids thrive! Within a well-rounded and traditional camp program, we focus on the social growth of campers, many of whom have been diagnosed with ASD, AD/HD, 2e or a similar neurodivergent profile. Akeela is an intentional community that values and celebrates each child and staff member. Campers make life-long friends, develop self-confidence, achieve independence, and leave camp with lasting memories filled with fun and spirit.

866-680-4744

info@campakeela.com

campakeela.com

Berkshire Lake Arts Camp – Hinsdale, MA

Berkshire Lake Arts Camp offers one and two week sessions for girls ages 7-15. We provide top-tier dance, theater and visual arts instruction, plus all the magic of traditional summer camp. This makes us the best of both worlds! A place where creativity and summer camp meet to nurture girls to become their best selves. Each day, girls have six activity periods that are programmed based on their interests and preferences. Hone in on a specialty, or dabble in a bit of everything. Each girl gets her own entirely unique schedule.

Thanks to our small program size, intimate site and low counselor-to-camper ratio (1:3), each girl receives individual attention, learning and care, and feels deeply connected to our diverse and intentionally built community. We foster a warm and welcoming sisterhood where girls feel comfortable being their authentic selves, creatively and socially. When she leaves camp, we hope each girl has made deep friendships and has grown in her skills, her independence and her self-confidence.

413-233-4950

Berkshire United Sports Camp – Sheffield, Massachusetts

Berkshire United Sports Camp provides a high-level sports-centric experience for male and female athletes focusing on individual skill and athletic development. We provide both one-week and two-week camp experiences for campers having completed 4th through 10th grades. Campers can choose to focus on Ice Hockey, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Volleyball, Golf or Soccer. Male and female athletes concentrate on one primary sport of their choice. They will receive premier skill-focused coaching delivered by experienced professionals.

We offer flexible one-week and two-week options. The Berkshire United Experience centers on intensive training tailored to our athletes’ primary sport. We offer access to top-notch indoor and outdoor facilities for optimal training. We will prioritize both skill and character development. Alongside the specialized sports training, athletes will have the opportunity to participate in traditional summer camp programming. This balance helps foster personal growth, friendships, and a diverse range of skills beyond the individual’s primary sport.

413-203-6905

directors@berkshireunited.com

www.berkshireunited.com

Camp Cobbossee for Boys – Monmouth, Maine

Cobbosseee is the nation’s premiere four-week boys sports-and-adventure camp. Nestled on the shores of gorgeous Lake Cobbossee, Cobbosseee is one of the oldest continuously-running camps in the nation. Cobbossee is a place where sports and competition occupy a central facet of our summer program – but never at the expense of grace, class, or brotherhood. We know that competition and a healthy social culture are not mutually exclusive. Our boys form deep, lasting connections with each other, their counselors, and the veteran leadership at Cobbossee. Beyond sports, Cobbossee offers a rich program on our breathtaking waterfront, as well as a fully-developed adventure program in Maine’s forests, rivers, oceans, and mountains.

207-933-3503

info@cobbossee.com

www.campcobbossee.com

Camp Danbee – Hinsdale, Massachusetts

Camp Danbee is an all-girls camp located on Lake Ashmere in the beautiful Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts. Families can choose from our full-season program or opt for shorter durations with our Danbee in 3 or Danbee in 4 programs. We pride ourselves on a grounded and spirited community with a strong emphasis on high-level instruction while offering traditional camp programming.

Since 1950, we have been welcoming campers from all over the country and around the world, who are entering 2nd grade through 10th grade. We want our girls to be the best versions of themselves while leaving camp feeling confident, empowered, and with lifelong connections. Celebrating each campers’ uniqueness, our girls experience all that Danbee has to offer! From the lake to the fields and to the Dance studios, our days are structured and our campers are participatory!

413-655-8115

annie@campdanbee.com

www.campdanbee.com

 

Camp Emerson – Hinsdale, Massachusetts

Camp Emerson is a co-ed sleepaway camp nestled against the Appalachian Trail in the heart of the Berkshires. Since 1968 we have been providing incredible summer experiences for youth from around the world. We offer 2-week sessions for kids ages 7-15. Our diverse programming consists of 50 activities grouped into six departments – Athletics, Performing Arts, Science/Music, Studio Arts, Watersports, and Wilderness.

And while kids often come for the fun activities, they return summer after summer for the caring community and meaningful friendships. At Camp Emerson our campers benefit from an atmosphere of collaboration, creativity, and connection. Our goal is for campers to leave Emerson each summer feeling more confident, inspired, connected to their camp family, and the natural world.

413-655-8123

zach@campemerson.com

campemerson.com

 

Greenwoods Camp for Boys – Decatur, Michigan

More than a sports camp, Greenwoods is a community focused on inclusion and character development. Whether you are a competitive athlete, a musician, or love water sports … there is a place for you at Greenwoods. We teach sportsmanship on the field and teamwork in the bunks. Our elective program allows campers to choose a competitive or non-competitive schedule.  A competitive camper may choose to participate in sports leagues and tournament play with our highly skilled coaches, satisfying even the most competitive spirit. A less competitive campers may choose to participate in sports instruction to improve his skills, or elect not to participate in team sports.

Greenwoods encourages boys to gain a sense of independence, but that does not mean they are doing it on their own. Our counselors, coaches and directors support and encourage boys every step of the way. The spirit of our brotherhood sets the stage for boys to explore and discover who they are. Campers create their own activity schedules, with input from their parents, to tailor an experience that meets their interests and passions.

847-242-0009

dana@lwcgwc.com

www.lwcgwc.com

Camp Kippewa – Monmouth, Maine

No two girls are alike, why should their summers be?

Camp Kippewa is a unique all-girls overnight camp for ages 7 to 15.  Girls select from a wide array of activities to create their own weekly schedule. The caring, nurturing ambiance at Camp Kippewa sets a girl at ease with who she is, giving her the confidence to make friends easily and feel comfortable about trying challenging new activities.

The Arts program offers over 20 disciplines of Fine Arts & Crafts and Dance & Theater. Onsite horseback riding facilities host an unbeatable Equestrian program where campers can ride daily. Lake Cobbosseecontee is the perfect setting for top-notch Water Sports instruction in waterskiing, sailing, windsurfing, canoeing and kayaking.  Our program also offers a variety of Land Sports including our popular tennis program, gymnastics, soccer, softball, lacrosse and more. Campers enjoy the natural setting of Maine with ocean sailing trips, beach days, wilderness hikes and canoe trips.

Ask about our Equestrian Academy!

207-933-2993

info@kippewa.com

www.kippewa.com

Camp Kippewa Point – Monmouth, Maine

Camp Kippewa Point is the two-week camp experience for girls ages 6-14! Our warm and nurturing environment offers girls a classic camp experience that has a set beginning, middle and end. Our hybrid approach to scheduling allows Kippewa Point campers to explore everything we have to offer while also giving them the chance to spend extra time doing the activities they are excited to explore.

Hiking and camping opportunities, exciting Special Events, and an all-camp trip to the beach round out the two weeks to make sure our campers experience the beauty of Maine during their time at camp!

At Kippewa Point, we intentionally work to develop connections between our campers. We know that deep and meaningful relationships with camp friends and camp staff help to foster growth, confidence, resilience and a sense of belonging. At the end of their two-weeks, we hope that our girls have gained confidence, become more independent, feel proud of their accomplishments, and feel like the Point is their second family!

207-933-2993

jackie@kippewa.com

www.kippewapoint.com

Lake Bryn Mawr Camp – Honesdale, Pennsylvania

Established a century ago as a special summer home just for girls, Lake Bryn Mawr Camp is more than a place. It’s a community where a camper can feel truly free to be herself, where she can try new things surrounded by “summer sisters” who will celebrate her successes and help her learn from her mistakes, where the emphasis is not on her appearance or her accomplishments but on her character.

At the heart of everything we do is our Angel Code, the set of core values that have guided Bryn Mawr since 1921. These four qualities help guide campers to make good decisions and be good citizens whether they’re here at camp or back at home, “living ten months for two.”

973-467-3518

angel@campbrynmawr.com

www.campbrynmawr.com

Lake of the Woods for Girls – Decatur, Michigan

We’re more than just a camp … we’re an intentional community focused on guiding girls and teens on how to become their best selves. We provide an encouraging atmosphere where campers are challenged to take healthy risks and form authentic relationships with peers and counselors. Each camper is respected as an important member of our community, and together, we celebrate differences and achievements.

Campers create their own activity schedules, with parent input, to tailor an experience that fuels their interests and ignites their passions. Girls return home from Lake of the Woods confident of who they are and what they can accomplish.

847-242-0009

dana@lwcgwc.com

www.lwcgwc.com

Camp Mah-Kee-Nac for Boys – Lenox, Massachusetts

Located in the heart of the Berkshires, Camp Mah-Kee-Nac is a premier boys overnight summer camp in Lenox, Massachusetts. The spirit of Mah-Kee-Nac lies in a strong commitment to our community, our camp values, and our elective-based program. At Mah-Kee-Nac campers and staff feel supported, challenged, and encouraged to participate in an action-packed day of sports, outdoor adventure, waterfront, STEM, and media.

Campers build confidence and independence by experiencing success through our program and their friendships. Our boys discover the power of their true selves, individually and collectively as a part of our camp community. To us, community over everything is what makes Mah-Kee-Nac extraordinary.

413-863-6561

rachel@campmkn.com

www.campmkn.com

Camp Walt Whitman – Piermont, New Hampshire

We feel fortunate to attract particularly nice kids and down-to-earth families. We attribute this to the fact that we share a common goal to raise great kids who value community, giving back to others, being a good person and being a good friend. Our campers recognize that there’s a bigger world out there than their own, and they develop a real sense of how to positively contribute to it.

This camp has been in our family since 1948, when the Soloway brothers, Arnie and Chick, established a sleepaway camp for boys and girls that would provide a warm and caring atmosphere, stretch campers to overcome challenges, and teach children how to reach their full potential as individuals while contributing to a larger community.

Today, Camp Walt Whitman is run by the Soloway Brothers’ great-nephew, Jed Dorfman, and his wife Carolyn Dorfman. All this time, we’ve held true to the lofty goals Arnie and Chick laid out 70 years ago.

1-800-657-8282

cww@campwalt.com

www.campwalt.com

Camp Watitoh – Becket, Massachusetts

Camp Watitoh is a coed camp located in the Berkshire mountains, 3 hours from NYC and 2 hours from Boston. Our campers choose Watitoh to be part of something more than a camp, to be part of a family. A hidden gem with just over 220 campers and 100 staff, it is a place where everyone knows each other and is living the dream on Center Lake as one community. We offer land sports, creative arts, adventure, watersports, and so much more on a beautiful lakefront property.

Traditions, evening activities, camp songs, and forever friendships are deeply ingrained in the reason campers return year-after-year to their summer home. We offer an active intercamp tournament schedule along with the opportunity to explore the many special attractions of the Berkshires like Tanglewood, Jacobs Pillow, the Basketball Hall of Fame, and more…The families who are attracted to Watitoh immediately sense the down-to-earth feel and often comment on Watitoh being more of a “throw-back” which connects camp-going parents to their own camper years.

413-623-8951

info@campwatitoh.com

www.campwatitoh.com

Camp Wicosuta – Hebron, New Hampshire

Camp Wicosuta is girls’ sleep-away camp in Hebron New Hampshire.  We offer a three and a half-week traditional summer camp experience for campers completing grades 1-9. In addition, we offer a one-time, first year only Explorer Two Week Program for younger campers (Current 1-3rd graders in first session and current 1st-4th graders in second session).

At Wicosuta our goal is for every girl to walk away feeling confident in herself and competent in her abilities.  She will develop independence and new social athletic and artistic skills while making friends and having the time of her life!  We teach these lessons in a physically and emotionally safe community where our campers are challenged to move past their self-set limits.  These 3 C’s (Confidence, Competence and Community) are the foundation of Camp Wicosuta.

914-946-0927

justin@campwicosuta.com

www.campwicosuta.com

Camp Winaukee – Moultonboro, New Hampshire

Winaukee provides excellent sports instruction anchored in a traditional sleep-away camp environment. Over 100 years of tradition is weaved into campers’ daily lives as they learn new skills, build confidence, develop meaningful relationships and become better athletes and teammates.

Boys are immersed in a developmentally appropriate setting that adjusts to their needs as they grow with us. Our distinct Mainland and Island campuses share our Winaukee values while meeting your son where he is socially and athletically.

A typical Winaukee camper loves to compete, regardless of athletic skill level, and is part of a brotherhood where the person comes before wins and losses. Winaukee campers’ confidence levels and social independence grow as they are nurtured in a safe community.

Camp Winaukee is more than a sum of it’s parts — the sports, the trips, the lake, the tournaments, the tradition, the competition, the staff — we are creating life changing experiences for boys who return home as more confident versions of themselves.

800-487-9157

info@winaukee.com

www.winaukee.com

Camp Winadu – Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Camp Winadu is an all boys camp located in the Berkshire Region of Massachusetts, approximetely 2.5 hours from both New York City and Boston.

Winadu stands alone in that families and campers do not need to make a choice between a well round traditional camp and great instruction from Sports to Crafts to Music to Outdoor Adventure and Watersports.   We like to say its not an either/or.  Amongst its 40 plus activities, Camp Winadu is one of the only traditional summer camps offering a full Ice Hockey program led by the Head Coach of Williams College plus a Golf Program on-site and off-site led by an on-site Teaching Pro.

We offer three unique ways to visit and Experience Winadu this Summer:  No Stop Tour @ Camp, Pop Up Tour – where we come to you and September Open House dates @ Camp.   Contact us to learn more about these options:

914-437-7200

alissa@campwinadu.com

www.campwinadu.com

 

Full-Time Team Updates – Hooray for Hayley and Melissa!

We are happy to tell you about some updates to our year-round team:

Hayley Burrows is now Assistant Director at Shibley Day Camp. Hayley started at Shibley as a group leader in 2019 and became Junior Camp Director in 2021. She joined us full-time after that summer and hasn’t looked back. Hayley will continue to direct all aspects of Junior Camp. In addition, Hayley coordinates our incredible staff training, speaks and meets with new families, plans dynamic programming for our youngest campers and so much more! We are lucky to have her in this role!

Melissa Slansky, who happened to spend her first summer working together closely with Hayley as group leaders in our 1st grade division, is now our Full-Time Program Director. Melissa was invited to be Hayley’s assistant director in Junior Camp for Summer 2022. She excelled and was invaluable in a part-time administrative role throughout the off seasons that followed. In this new role Melissa will direct our daily camp program, special events, off-season events and Shibley “street team” as we spread Shibley cheer throughout the local communities.

We are thrilled to have Melissa and Hayley working with us in these roles, and we hope you’ll congratulate them! (hayley@shibleydaycamp.com & melissa@shibleydaycamp.com)

Sincerely,

Heath & Randi

EverGREEN: Promoting & Exhibiting GREEN Values All Year Long

An “EVERGEEN” is a tree or plant with foliage that persists and retains its color throughout the year. It is- forever green.

I like to think of this when I think of Shibley. We remain evergreen even when the camp season is over. At the core of everything that we do at Shibley are our GREEN values: generosity, respect, empathy, endurance and nurture. These values are talked about and encouraged throughout the summer season.

We see the green values symbols throughout camp. We have green Fridays and we praise a camper when they exhibit one of these values. We invite our families to participate in off-season events that help us in keeping the GREEN shining bright throughout the year!! Our staff models behavior we expect from our children at these events and during each day at camp.

How to encourage these values at home:

As a parent I like to continue encouraging and incorporating the GREEN values in my home. I want these values to permeate through my house all year long. I want my children to be little everGREENS 🙂 I think that one of the best ways to do this is through stories and books. There are so many fantastic books that focus on each of our GREEN values. Here are some of our family favorites. I hope you enjoy them!

Generosity:

  • Piggie and Elephant: Should I Share My Ice Cream? By Mo Willems
  • Can I play too? By Mo Willems
  • A Visitor For Bear By Bonny Becker

Respect:

  • The Earth book By Todd Parr
  • Do Unto Otters- A book about manners By Laurie Keller
  • Pout Pout Fish and the Bully, Bully Shark By Deborah Diesen

Empathy:

  • You, Me and Empathy By Jayneen Sanders
  • Empathy is your Superpower By Cori Bussolari
  • We’re All Wonders By R.J. Palacio

Endurance:

  • Leopold By Dr. Ruth Westheimer
  • Rosie Revere, Engineer By Andrea Beaty
  • What Do You Do With A Problem By Kobi Yamada

Nurture:

  • Have you Filled a Bucket Today? By Carol McCloud
  • Maple and Willow Together By Lori Nichols
  • Stick and Stone By Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld

What It’s Like to Work at Camp

It is a true joy spending the summers of my life working at a summer camp. The challenges and rewards of working with children and making lifelong positive impressions and memories on a younger generation are enormous. To this end, there are many layers involved in creating our camp community. Many of these layers include marketing, programming, upgrading our campgrounds, recruiting, and hiring the most talented staff out there. While the summer season is 8 weeks, it takes the other 10 months of the year to plan every day of the summer.

During the off season, I spend a lot of my time recruiting new staff as well as communicating with seasonal staff that will return for another summer. Staff members who are able to return for another summer understand the magical nature of our community and the benefits of working with children in our beautiful shaded outdoor environment. In my interviews with new recruits, who never experienced camp as a child, I always get the same question: “what it is like to work at camp?” I enjoy sharing many of my own fond experiences along with those of my colleagues.

Make no mistake, working at summer camp is a very hard job. At the end of the day, you are often exhausted and sometimes frustrated. In my experience, I’ve learned that if you allow yourself to put everything you have into each day, it doesn’t feel like a job at all. Rather, you come to realize that you have found yourself a second home. You will spend your day with children, co-counselors and experienced supervisors laughing, learning and bonding together. Everyone will enjoy their usual favorite activities, but the reward of exposing the children to new and exciting activities is exhilarating. Helping a child realize they can do something they never believed they could accomplish is an extraordinary feeling.

You are going to get very close with your campers and take on the role of big brother or big sister; you become their role model. If you’re really great, you’ll feel like a rock star, who is greeted daily with much love, excitement, and a million questions. “What are we doing today?” “What is the snack of the day?” “Is Adventure Park on the schedule?!” “Can we go to Arts & Crafts for lanyard?”

During lunch, you will ensure your kids are refueling and hydrating amidst the giggles and chatter. When it’s pool time, you will help them apply suntan lotion and change into bathing suits. For your younger campers, you will tie their shoelaces at least six times a day, singing a catchy tune along the way. You will also find yourself at the “lost and found,” where inevitably your campers have misplaced their precious “things” that you warned them not to bring to camp in the first place. Your patience will be tested multiple times daily! When they excel at an activity, you will cheer their name and celebrate alongside them. At the same token, you will empathize with their hardships and guide them through disappointing moments when they’re struggling.

Friendship is such a significant puzzle piece to the summer camp experience. You will help foster relationships among each of your campers. While some children are born with the gift of making friends easily, others are not and will need your help. A camp friend is priceless and insurmountable to other friendships we have. It has always been my goal to have campers make one meaningful bond that lasts well beyond the two months we are physically together at camp.

You will sing and laugh with your campers and co-counselors as you walk from activity to activity. You’ll find yourself singing these tunes, even when you are alone. You’ll comfort your campers and dry their tears when they scrape their knees or find out they haven’t been chosen to be the lead in the camp play. You will channel your inner patience as you mediate arguments among campers. Most importantly, your job is to create an aura of comradery by sharing the positive values your camp holds dear.

Spending every moment of the day with your co-workers lends itself to discovering the small things that make them who they are. It is only natural to develop these unique bonds at an expedited pace and feel as if you have known your co-counselors for far longer. All of a sudden, you’ll realize that you too have made meaningful relationships that continue long after camp ends. This is the magic of summer camp.

CLICK TO READ A FIRST HAND ACCOUNT OF WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE A MEMBER OF THE SHIBLEY DAY CAMP COMMUNITY

Why We Shibley Shibley All Year Long

We don’t have to live 10 for 2! This popular camp term (Living 10 for 2) references spending the “other” ten months of the year longing for the two months of summer camp. We get it! Nothing is like actual camp…but at Shibley you don’t have to wait ten months to get back to camp each year. We host year-round activities for our families and prospective families nearly every month between each summer.

Earth Day Open Play – Click the link at the bottom for more specifics about our off-season events.

Why do we host these events? Mostly, it’s because we miss our camp friends during the year, and we know that the children and staff do also. It makes us so happy to bring camp friends together during the winter, fall and spring and to watch them reconnect as if they had just seen each other the previous day. It’s also a great way for new campers to get comfortable within our camp environment.

Children who attend our off-season events meet other campers and interact with camp staff.  Having this opportunity eases the anxiety that many young children have when boarding the bus for the first time.  They are familiar with both the physical environment and the friendly faces waiting for them when the bus arrives at camp. It makes a big difference!

These events are also great for new camp parents who may have their own anxiety about putting a child on the bus. Each event provides opportunity for the parent to feel the camp vibe and to make their own friends with other camp parents. We often find that parents will reconnect with old friends and/or make stronger connections with local families who already may be familiar acquaintances but not yet friends.

One of my favorite off-season events takes place outside of camp. Each spring we take a trip to Citi Field for an afternoon at the ballpark.  This is yet another opportunity for families and staff to connect before the summer begins. This outing usually attracts 100-150 participants. Let’s go Mets!

CLICK FOR MORE ABOUT OFF-SEASON EVENTS AND PARTIES

And We’ll Be With You Again, Shibley Camp…

by Alanna Schaefer

It had been fifteen years since I last stepped onto the beautiful green oasis called Shibley Day Camp, home to some of the most special and formative childhood memories I have. Time’s a funny thing: when I returned to interview for a group leader position before last summer, everything felt exactly the same and yet very different at the same time. I parked at 50 Pool Drive, walked up the steps to the summer office, and I was home.

The nursery bunks where I began my camp journey nearly 25 years ago stands tall. The Dining Hall, the Junior Adventure Park where the Golden Gate Bridge once stood, the pools, the fields – it’s all there but somehow better and more beautiful than I ever remembered it. 

In the wake of Camp Jacobson’s abrupt closure after summer 2022, I found myself back at Shibley where I had grown up. I had spent eleven summers away, and so it was a no-brainer that I would come back to Shibley to find comfort, solace; and a home and family for this summer and beyond.

Randi Chase was my group leader in 2002 and so it was fitting for her to be the person who hired me back, and who made my homecoming official. She was our great matriarch during my favorite camp summer going into second grade and now I would have the same privilege as group leader for the second grade boys…21 years later. Shibley, both frozen in time and perfectly contemporary, has a way of transcending the time-space continuum, and it all felt just right. 

There are no words that can accurately capture what it felt like to return to this magical place and there are no words that can accurately capture what it felt like to rejoin this summer family and return to my original summer home…our GREEN galaxy among the trees. Shibley is filled with some of the best humans I’ve met and the rest of the world melts away while we are at camp. Nothing else is as joyous or as important from late June through August.

With some of my very best camp friends in tow, I look forward to continuing this second chapter at Shibley. There is no place like Shibley, and there is no place like home. It is nothing short of magical to be back where my love of camp began and where I found my passion for working with children developed. It is nothing short of magical to be able to do this work alongside the people I love and value most. 

So yes, if it wasn’t abundantly clear, come Summer 2024, I’ll be again with you, Shibley Camp.