Frequently Asked Questions

Classic day camp: Children entering Pre-K through 3rd grade (ages 3-9, typically). Junior Camp serves rising Pre-K and Kindergarten students and Senior Camp serves rising 1-3 graders. Specialty camps vary by program, but generally cater to rising K-4 graders (ages 5-10, typically). Campers must be 4 years old by the program start date to be accepted into camp.

For specialty camps there are generally 12-18 campers. In the classic camp groups there are typically 18-24 children, depending on the age of the campers and the week of camp attended.

Many of our camp head counselors are head teachers or associate teachers at Berkeley Carroll during the academic year. Others work in our after school program or teach at elementary schools or preschools throughout NYC.

The assistant counselors are usually recent college graduates or rising college juniors and seniors (typically 20-25 years old). The junior counselors are current high school students or younger college students (typically 16-19 years old).

The minimum ratio is 1 to 6 for most camp activities. For some specialty camps it is considerably smaller, depending on the size of the group. For swimming and field trips it is typically 1 to 4 for the youngest campers and 1 to 5 for older campers.

Berkeley Carroll’s Children’s Day Camps take place at our lower school buildings on Carroll Street, and at our Athletic Center (for swimming). The addresses of these facilities are 701 and 712 Carroll Street. Generally speaking, camps for PreK and K students take place in 712 Carroll Street, and camps for older children take place in 701 Carroll Street.

Your child’s counselor will send out an email the Friday before his/her camp begins, which will confirm the location of the camp and provide details of drop-off and pick-up. Even if you are unsure of which building your child’s camp will take place in, there will be many counselors and other personnel on hand every Monday morning to help direct you to the right place.

The full camp program runs from June 29 - August 14, 2020. Children may participate on a week-by-week basis for as little as one week, and as many as seven weeks.

8:30 am to 3:30 pm for all campers

Please note that drop-off begins at 8:30 am. Children who arrive prior to 8:30 am must go to extended day childcare, as our counselors are not ready to receive campers earlier than 8:30 am. Likewise, pick-up begins at 3:30 pm, and all campers who are not picked up by 3:45 will be escorted to our extended day program.

Children in all our camps have 30 minutes of swimming and two 30-minute sessions of outdoor play every day, except when they are off campus for a field trip. Children in our classic day camps also usually have movement, music, and/or art every day as special activities. The rest of the day is devoted to projects, activities, lessons, or games designed by their head counselor, which center around a specific theme or topic. For the classic day camp, we have a theme each week to help inform counselors’ decisions about plans and curriculum. Possible themes include animals, the environment, the city, superheroes, etc.

Yes, campers have outdoor playtime at one of our play yards at least twice a day for 35 minutes. Some groups also take trips to Prospect Park on a regular basis, and some of the field trips take place in outdoor settings.

All of the swimming that takes place at the camp is instructional, and each camp group typically spends 30 minutes in the pool four days a week. Red Cross certified Water Safety Instructors teach small groups of children a variety of strokes and skills, based on their age and experience. Children are divided by level and are closely supervised not only by the WSIs, but also by a team of lifeguards, our aquatics directors, and by their counselors.

It isn’t a problem - we expect many of the campers will have limited swimming experience prior to joining the camp. Children who are totally new swimmers (or fairly new swimmers) will start with basic skills, like putting their face in the water, blowing bubbles, etc.

We certainly can’t guarantee that, since every child learns at their own pace, but if the child is participating in multiple weeks of camp, they should be much more comfortable with being in the water and should be well on their way to being a swimmer.

While we do not guarantee any requests, if two (or several) children of the same age are doing the same program, then they can most likely be in a group together. We do try and limit the number of friends in a single camp group to create a more inviting social environment for other campers. Parents should fill out the special request form to indicate any friend or group preferences.

No, definitely not. We have a good mix of Berkeley Carroll children, non-BC children, returning campers, new campers, neighborhood children, children from other parts of Brooklyn and the city, etc. Our counselors also make every effort to create a cohesive, integrated group, so all children feel welcome and included regardless of whether they come to camp with friends or by themselves.

Field trips for 2020 have not been set yet.

In 2019, our field trips and special events were as follows:

Week 1: Brooklyn Grange and Shadow Box Theater
Week 2: Aquarium
Week 3: Brooklyn Children's Museum
Week 4: Probot Artistry and Painted Pot
Week 5: The Nature Company and Urban Park Rangers
Week 6: Bowling
Week 7: Transit Museum and NYFD Visit

For any trip that is too far to walk, we work with Superior Bus Company to provide private bus transportation. All buses have seat belts, and the longest bus ride will only be about 30-45 minutes.

Yes, we offer a morning session for extended day that runs from 7:30 - 8:30 am and an afternoon session that runs from 3:30 pm - 6:00 pm. It is not necessary for students to attend the full extended day session. Instead, families will be billed based on the time the student is present, rounded up to the nearest thirty-minute interval. For example, a student who is dropped off at 8:10 am will be charged for thirty minutes in the morning, and a child who is picked up at 4:25 will be charged for one hour in the afternoon.

Extended day care costs $15/hour, but we do offer discounted tuition for families who use the service more extensively. Here is a list of pricing (which reflects total usage for the whole summer, and not for each week):

0-10 hours: $15/hour
11-20 hours: $14/hour
21-30 hours: $13/hour
31-40 hours: $12/hour
41-50 hours: $11/hour
50+ hours: $10/hour

The prices listed above will only apply to families who pre-pay for extended day. Families who use the service on an as-needed basis will be charged $15/hour and will be invoiced accordingly. Please only purchase the number of hours you are certain you will use, as we are not able to refund families for hours they do not end up needing.

Information about Extended Day will be sent out in late May/early June.

Yes, we have a full-time nurse working at the camp to handle all medical situations. She will have carefully reviewed all health forms before the start of the summer and might be in touch with families directly if she has any questions about their child’s medical history.

Many of our counselors also have advanced first-aid and CPR training and are able to assist in a medical emergency.

Yes, we have many students with serious allergies, and our staff receives training in how to identify anaphylaxis and how to use an EpiPen.

We ask that parents provide two EpiPens for camp: one to be kept with the camper at all times (including swim time and any outings) and one that can be kept with the nurse as back up. Please label these EpiPens with your child’s names, and please be sure they have not expired.

Berkeley Carroll is an allergen-aware school, and we do not allow anyone to bring peanuts, tree nuts or sesame into the building.

Many of the specialty camps will have a performance on the final day of the program, and parents and other family/friends will be invited to join. The classic day camp groups may also have special projects and performances to which parents will be invited. If there is ever a special occasion, like a birthday, when you would like to be able to visit your child’s camp group, please contact their head counselor to make those arrangements.

Yes, we are more than happy to work with you to make your child’s birthday special. Please be in touch with your child’s head counselor the week before the birthday to arrange for any specific plans you have in mind.

Healthy, allergen aware snacks will be provided by the camp each morning. If your child has any dietary restrictions, please be sure to let us know. Parents need to send lunch with their campers each day. Please be aware that Berkeley Carroll is a peanut, tree nut and sesame free environment, and parents should not send these foods in their children’s lunches.

Campers will be provided with a t-shirt to wear on the days that they leave campus on field trips. Otherwise, there is no strict dress code, but we recommend that campers wear light, summer clothing and sturdy footwear that allow them to move freely both indoors and outdoors. We also recommend that parents send a clean, dry change of clothes to keep in their children’s cubbies for the week.

Campers should also bring at least one, and preferably two bathing suits and a towel. If your child has swim in the morning, his/her counselor might recommend that you send your child to camp wearing his/her suit. If you are unsure about the scheduling of your child’s swim lesson, please ask his/her counselor on the first day of the week. Parents can leave towels at camp for the week, and take them home to be laundered on Fridays. We will provide swim caps, but if you would like your child to wear goggles or ear plugs, you must provide them yourself. Children should also have a pair of flip-flops, water shoes, or other shoes that can get wet to wear to the pool.

We also recommend that children bring their own tube of sunscreen, which can stay in their cubbies for the duration of camp. While we recommend that you send your child to camp wearing sunscreen. Our counselors typically reapply sunscreen when going outside for recess or field trips.

Junior campers usually take a nap or rest time every day after lunch. Parents can send a favorite stuffed animal or blanket for this rest period, but it is not necessary.

We ask that parents clearly label all clothes, toys and accessories that your child wears/brings to camp.

There is only street parking in front of Berkeley Carroll, so the chances of finding a legal spot are slim, especially in the mornings. While many parents choose to double park while they drop off their child, we discourage this whenever possible, since the police frequently ticket on our block, and double parked cars can sometimes block traffic from getting through.

No, unfortunately due to fire code restrictions, families cannot bring strollers or scooters into the school buildings. We have secure areas in front of both 701 and 712 Carroll Street where you can store your stroller and scooter during drop-off and pick-up. We understand this can be very inconvenient for parents with younger children, but we do ask that you respect our stroller/scooter policy.

The phone number for the summer camp office is 718-534-6538. Please use this number if you need to reach someone during the camp day. You can also reach the camp by email at summer@berkeleycarroll.org.

Your child’s counselor will send out a welcome email the week before each camp session begins. That email will typically go out Friday afternoon, but it may be earlier in the week in some cases. You may also hear from your child’s counselor via email or phone during the week if he/she has any questions, comments or concerns to share with you. The counselors also often send photos to parents at the end of the summer.

We require a health form, a permission form for field trips, and a dismissal form, so we know who can pick up your child from camp. The health form must be less than a year old, per Department of Health regulations. Your child may not attend camp if he/she does not have a health form on file. Children who do not have a permission slip on file will not be able to attend field trips.

Berkeley Carroll will issue a full refund of tuition paid, minus a $25 processing fee, if notification of withdrawal is given in writing on or before April 1. Between April 1st and April 30th, families who need to cancel will lose their 20% deposit. Starting on May 1, there will be no refunds.