NPS:Summer Camps

A listing of Summer Camps with some comments on them

Feel free to comment and add to it.

Newton city run camps: http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/parks/ Click the camps link on the left.

Framingham Camp Fair Feburary 13th. (fair is over but the web site still has good info)
http://www.f-sepac.org/f-sepac.org/summer_camp_2011.html

More camps from around MA. See four camp fairs listed on the right:
http://www.spedchildmass.com/camps_2011

Akeela

http://www.campakeela.com/

The Summer, we are going to Camp Akeela, a sleepover Aspy/NVLD camp on the New Hampshire/Vermont border. We've been to a local information session, and drove up to visit the camp last Summer, and loved it! Counselors are college or grad students majoring in special ed (occasionally regular ed looking for SPED training), PT, SLP, OT, and are heavily trained for a week before camp starts about Asperger's and the specific kids for whom they will be responsible. Kid to counselor ratio is better than 1:3. It is a smallish camp of 80 kids per 3.5 week session. They seem to really get it, and we are looking forward to our son developing some independence, confidence, and flexibility.

Auburndale Station

http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/Parks/SummerCamps/auburndale-station/index.htm

Albermarle Acres

http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/Parks/SummerCamps/AlbemarleAcres/AASPMain.htm

Comments from 2008: ABERMARLE ACRES: A traditional camp run at the Mason Rice school next to Abermarle fields for seven weeks, which means more sports than SPACE, but still arts and crafts too. Recent reports from parents indicate that the person in charge is not ASD friendly, and we are warned to choose other options. They had the kids all together in the gym at the start of the day, which was loud, unstructured chaos that set the ASD kids on edge.

Beaver

http://bcdcamp.org/

Comments from 2008: Beaver Day Camp: located in the SE corner of Newton, this traditional day camp has been run by a former SPED teacher, and is especially SPED friendly. They have three swimming pools, tennis courts, and a lovely facility. Kids are divided into groups by age (often within three months of each other) and each group stays together with their staff all day, moving from activitiy to activity (like going to the art room where the art teacher has a specific project for them to do.) Swimming lessons and free swim time daily. Not air conditioned, at least when my NT kids were there. Head counselors almost always licensed teachers ass't by college and high school students. My NT kids had a tough time with some SPED kids who bit, punched, screamed and pulled hair, who were not managed well enough to make the NT kids feel safe. I hope they are doing better now, but they are always SPED friendly, and have lots of us there.

Comment from 2009-2010 summers: My two children attended Beaver for two summers. The younger kids camp was very unstructured and staff seemed very inexperienced. I was called several times during the day to pick up my child with PDD, although when we signed up we fully disclosed his issues. It seemed as if they accept sped kids, but do not manage them well. There were many children with out of control behavior which was not handled by the staff very well.

Comments from summer 2010 and before: My son,who has Pdd..has been very successful at Beaver since the age of 4 and is now 8. He is on the mild side, but the camp was always a great confidence booster for him. I feel they were very supportive of his needs when he was younger and now he knows the routine and still loves it there.

Brimmer and May

http://www.brimmerandmaycamp.org/

Comments from 2008: Brimmer and May School, Chestnut Hill: a tiny school with a tiny pool. Another traditional camp, but its so small that makes it nice for ASD kids. Near Chestnut Hill Mall.

Camp Chickami

http://www.westsuburbanymca.org/main/summer_camps/camp_chickami/
My son went to this camp in 2007 (age 7 at the time) and really liked it. He had some support from an aide at the time but we didn't really interact with them. He had one hard day (90+ heat) but overall he liked it. GS.
Comments from 2008: Newton YMCA, Camp Chickame: They run buses to Hale Reservation for a nature camp with lake swimming. Long relationship with Newton SPED dept. Low prices. Newton YMCA, other camps: they also have camp at the Y facility.

Comment based on summer 2010:
For our family it's an issue of goodness of fit over cost, which is why a few years ago when our team debated the various merits of one of the city camps vs. Chickami we pushed hard for Chickami. We were lucky in that we had a choice, that we could choose to push for (and pay for) the private camp plus supports option, and I realize that not every family is in the same position, and even if they were, not every family would want their child at a private camp anyway.

For us, we wanted Chickami because we would have a shared aide, some Kid Connections (though not enough, if you ask me), swimming twice a day (which is a critical sensory input that helps to regulate our child's mood), and an opportunity to practice social skills with NT peers as well as an opportunity to practice behavioral strategies as she attempts physical and competition-oriented challenges that test her anxiety levels. It also offered a variety of activities on the schedule, it isn't a specialty camp, it's an all-around camp, with art, and nature, and sports, all kinds of activities, so our child wouldn't get stuck in one mode and one mood if the activity wasn't working out for her. We asked our child's aide to help support our child particularly through chaotic and unstructured periods, and we had a very open line of communication with that aide and with the IF, and we had a good summer last year, the best we had had ever, including the years when we were at the preschool and the years of private camps whose well-meaning directors asserted at the beginning of the summer that they were prepared to support our child and then we discovered - to our child's detriment - that they could not give her what she needed. They didn't help her interact socially, they didn't prevent her from being bullied, and they were inexplicably helpless to help her self-regulate when she had a meltdown. I can't speak for every family, but the choice of Chickami was a fit that - at least last year - was just right for our child. She was ready for the challenges of that particular setting and she had supports to prevent her from losing ground. It just worked for us, but it wouldn't be the best fit for every kid, on the spectrum or not.

Centre Acres

Comments from 2008: CENTRE ACRES: Same sort of camp as Abermarle, but located at (I think) Mason Rice or another Newton Centre school. Better run, more SPED friendly. Seven weeks.

Looks like a City Camp:
http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/Parks/SummerCamps/CentreAcres/CentreAcres06.htm

Chestnut Hill School

http://www.tchs.org/summer/camp-information
Comments from 2008: Chestnut Hill School, Chestnut Hill: Has a pool and daily swim lessons, but not as good a swim program as Beaver due to less pool space. Is air conditioned, and has an arts bent, plus some science - more indoor oriented though of course they go outside each day. This is a choice camp, where kids put together their own schedule each week, meaning they are with different kids each period - not a good setup for making friends or being part of a team, but a well=loved program that sells out every Summer.

EchoBridge Camp

http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/parks/SummerCamps/CampEchoBridge/CampEchoBridgeMain.htm

Comments from 2008: ECHO BRIDGE: This is a SPED camp run by the City that also takes NT peers, so SPED is a priority here. It was originally created to include children with physical disabilities though, and I've heard that the staff is unclear on how to support children who have social/emotional disabilities like ours. Have also heard good things. Think its housed at Mason Rice. Think they walk to Crystal Lake for swimming. Seven weeks.

Fessenden

Day camp: http://www.fessenden.org/podium/default.aspx?t=127829
All summer programs: http://www.fessenden.org/summer

Comments from 2008: Fessenden Day Camp: Fessenden is a boys school by the Ed Center, with gorgeous athletic facilities, including an ice rink, huge heated pool and multiple gyms. Coed in Summer, very well run, SPED friendly. More of an emphasis on sports than arts/crafts, but has both. Kids are in the same group the whole time; head counselor usually a licensed teacher. One of my NT kids went there for years and loved it.

FUNdamentals

Comments from 2008: FUNdamentals Camp. I recall I heard good things about this, but recall no details.

JCC - Grossman Camp

http://www.jccgb.org/camps-and-summer/grossman/

Comments from 2008: Jewish Community Center: The JCC runs several camp programs, open to Jews and non-Jews alike. The JCC is very SPED supportive in all its programs (in my experience does a better job than the Y.)

Comment based on summer 2008 or 2009 (I forget): My child went here and liked it better than the Y as well. Same location (Hale Reservation) but a different part and different lake. The line was shorter at the water fountain on hot days which was a plus :-) GS

Meadowbrook

http://www.meadowbrook-ma.org/daycamp/default.htm

Comments from 2008: Meadowbrook Day Camp, in Weston near the Newton border (near Marriot Hotel.) Extremely well=run, inclusive traditional day camp with pool, own pond for boating, tennis courts, multiple gyms. My ASD son has been there for two Summers. Stay with same single sex group all day (about 17 kids). Head counselor always a licensed teacher - his was a SPED teacher last year, assisted by 3-4 other adults/teens. A counselor included a college student with CP in a wheelchair; another group had a counselor who was a cancer survivor missing part of her face. NPS sends an aide, and IF support weekly. We love it. Because the neighbors require the camp to offer free bus service, it is one of the most expensive camps.

Second parent - we send our HF child to Meadowbrook. I did extensive research for private camps in the area. Before we put our deposit down, the director met with me and my child, and assessed my child. My child did not need his own aide, and can function in the group (maybe slower in some areas), but nothing that the typical group leader (who is always an adult, and from our past experience, a teacher and parent), a college aged junior leader, and a high school CIT. We have been very pleased with the prgram. Very structured which works well with my child. My child has learned to swim (big focus on that), and he also loves the bus. He also does after care camp. I haven't met a counsellor I haven't liked. Very impressed with the program.

The camp is at the school, so on rainy days there is PLENTY to do inside, and on hot days, there is A/C inside. Not all activities are inside, but enough. I would say a 50/50 split. Lots of different activities - swim, soccer, dance, music, science, leathercraft, ropes, ceramics. Over Days!

Mt Ida

http://www.mountida.edu/sp.cfm?pageid=2137

Comments from 2008: Mt. Ida Camp at Mt. Ida College, south side of Newton: cheaper than most private camps, I found this huge camp less well run than most - had a verbally problematic counselor, which would never happen at other camps. Kids stay in the same groups all day.

NPS pre-school summer program

http://www.newtonpreschool.com/about.html Scroll down for summer info.

Camp was held at the Ed Center, 100 Walnut Street, which looks and feels very much like a school. During the summer of 2010, preschool hours were M-Th only, no camp on Fridays, and it ran for six weeks only. There was one sub seperate room for students with full time 1:1 BT's. There were two other integrated classrooms with 15-18 students in each. Class sizes changed weekly as enrollment changed. Staff was very nice, organized, and responsive to parents. A few students had shared aides. Specialized services were inconsistant, many times SLP or OT was not provided since many of the NPS specialists did not work through the entire summer. The activities included writing and drawing, arts and crafts, swimming at the Gath pool once a week, group games, and time out on the playground. The preschool staff is very good working with special needs kids and they are made to feel welcome and a part of the group. Our sped child enjoyed the preschool camp very much.

NCSC

http://www.ncscweb.org/programs/summercamp/ncscdaycamp

Comments from 2008: Newton Community Service Center, West Newton: This social service agency in Newton runs buses from its office to the Hale Reservation for a nature day camp. Sweet staff, very low prices, swim lessons in the lake at Hale. My NT kids went there too.

My kids all (NT and otherwise) enjoyed this camp in a few years ago as well. Not very structured or as well staffed as some others but lot's of outdoors time. Update: Now that my kids are older, they report that it was actually a much tougher camp than I realized. They say that they had to fend for themselves a lot.

Nobles

http://www.nobles.edu/home/content.asp?id=2083

Comments from 2008: Noble's Day Camp at Noble's and Greenough School, Dedham: Gorgeous athletic facilities, traditional camp with athletics emphasis. Boating on the Charles. My NT kids went a couple years - was a tad competitive for my non-athletes. See website for details.

Pikati

http://www.ymcainnewton.org/main/summer_camps/camp_pikati/ Comments?

SPACE Camp

AKA Summer Program for Academic and Creative Encounters
http://www3.newton.k12.ma.us/node/36
Comments from 2008: SPACE CAMP: Summer Program for Arts and Creative Endeavors. This is the only City program run by NPS and not the Newton Parks n Rec Dept. They take sign ups from the public around April. Your inclusion facilitator should reserve your space long before that. The program supports SPED, but is a regular ed program. It takes place at Day Middle School, which abuts the Abermarle fields and Gath Pool. Due to overcrowding at Gath, younger campers are bussed to Crystal Lake two afternoons per week, where in previous Summers, the kids were only allowed to wade and not swim because of safety concerns. It is a popular optoin for ASD kids because it is so familiar and similar to regular school, since it takes place in a school building, and has a similarly structured day. Camp structure for younger kids differs from that of the older kids, so be sure to get advice on this from a parent of someone in your child's age group. There is some sports, of course, but also music and art. A downside is that it runs only four weeks. Some ASD kids then transfer to another City camp, but transitions for our crowd are not good. My son attended this for first grade, and it was not a good experience (though many ASD kids love SPACE.) Over half the kids and all the boys were on the spectrum, so the room was both crowde with aides, and when my son made appropriate overatures, he did not get an appropriate response. The first 1.5 hours of the day was "teacher choice" where they put out some games and art projects, and the kids did their own unstructured thing. Not good. Also, the NT kids seemed to all leave at noon, at which time the two first grade classes were combined, as well as some staff changes. Again, other ASD parents report a better experience than mine.

Triumph

http://triumphcenter.net/programs/therapeutic-camp/

Attended Camp Triumph in Bedford last summer - an Aspy camp run by the Triumph Center (formerly the Academy North) in Reading - Bedford is the closest to Newton of their three locations. Triumph is a social prags/ASD treatment center, so their camp staff all had a deep understanding of ASD. It was a traditional camp schedule, but with the needs of ASD kids in mind, and was a very easy, stress free, pleasant summer for my high functioning child. I had been worried about sending him to a camp with no NT peers, but the trade off for a program all about his needs was worth it. They take a wide range of ages, up through 17. In the younger ages, up to say, 11 or 112, there were lots of other high functioning kids. The two older groups were less high functioning. The facility was a rented public school - a real beauty, as nice as Newton north but smaller. Four days per week they were bused to a nearby pond for afternoon swimming. Google Camp Triumph in Bedford for more information. Once you sign up for a minimum of consecutive weeks (two?) you can add extra weeks around your vacation plans.

T-Ville

http://www.ci.newton.ma.us/Parks/SummerCamps/t-ville/index.htm

YouthCare

MGH run camp:
http://www2.massgeneral.org/youthcare/camp.html
IMHO MGH is the best at helping kids with ASD. We never used their camp but their staff has always been great.

Don't forget MGH Youthcare, another Aspy camp with a sterling rep, which has a bus (from Newton?) to the Hale reservation (swim lessons in the lake) for a seven week woodsy program infused with social prags and highly trained staff. They can't take all comers, and applications are due in January each year. You must commit to all seven weeks, as they don't like the in/out changes - too unstable. If your Summer plans don't allow all seven weeks, try camp triumph.