Camp Pinebrook, a Reform Jewish summer day camp located in New Rochelle, will open for its first season this summer. The day camp is for kids ages 4-8, and the inaugural season will run June 25-Aug. 17.
Jesse Gallop, the camp’s director, say camp was created because there was a need for a Reform Jewish day camp in the New York metro area. “It is a traditional camp experience,” he says. “The idea is to create a special environment that nurtures our campers, but also gives them room to experience camp at it’s best and to grow and gain independence.”
Daily activities will include sports and games, arts and crafts, drama, music, science, cooking, nature classes, swimming, and Jewish experiences. Activities will be held in the camp’s brand-new facilities, including two pools, an amphitheater, a gaga pit, indoor and outdoor activity spaces, as well as a basketball court and soccer field. Indoor activities will take place in the Temple Israel of New Rochelle.
“Our swimming program includes daily instructional swim and daily free swim,” Gallop says. “We want our campers to develop and grow as swimmers.” The instructional swimming sessions will have a 3-to-1 camper-to-instructor ratio, he adds.
On select Fridays throughout the summer, the camp will celebrate Shabbat with a barbecue, activities, and a service, which parents and other family members may attend.
In addition to myriad activities for campers, parents will benefit from the camp’s other offerings. “We are really focusing on high-level customer service for our families,” Gallop says. “We have door-to-door transportation, towel service, and lunch for all of our campers.”
Main image: Children at Camp Pinebrook will participate in a variety of activities daily, including arts and crafts.
Courtesy Camp Pinebrook
