Day Camp In The Park — Local services in Town of Clarkstown

Full disclosure, I am a counselor at this camp, so I am a little biased. But I also send my son there, so I will speak of his experience first. My son loves this camp. He literally counts the days from the end of camp until the next summer. He's been going there for 3 years and it really saved him post-Covid. It is on Lake Tiorati in Harriman State Park. The kids are outside all day, doing traditional summer camp activities like swimming (in the pool or in the lake), boating, arts and crafts, sports, etc. There are no phones, no devices (except for an arcade with a few very old-school video games like Pac Man.) They are in the middle of a beautiful forest with nature all around them. They are encouraged to explore themselves and challenge themselves to try new things (whether it's swimming underwater for the first time or performing in the camp talent show) in an environment that is safe and loving. As a counselor, I know all the staff and they are all genuinely lovely people who love the camp and its mission, as well as working with children. Most of the counselors are teachers during the rest of the year. The Junior counselors are generally young men and women who have grown up going to Day Camp in the Park, and I've seldom met a more well-adjusted and kind group of teenagers in my life. I think that speaks volumes about the kind of experience that campers get at the camp and who they can grow up to be. They are surrounded by people who love the place, love the mission and want to make each summer the best it can be for each child who attends. My son already plans to become a CIT, then JC and maybe even a counselor one day, and I...

DCITP means so much to so many... My favorite 2 months of the year. It’s not just a place where kids go to play games and go swimming. It’s a place that helps kids learn valuable, transferable skills. The most perfect example of this from a few summers ago: When a kid tried to pass the deep water test 6 times in 1 summer...and after getting extra lessons for weeks, put her goggles on, with a determined look in her eyes, and said to me “I’m ready.” And then passed?! After trying and failing week after week...Working through all of that anxiety...And the rest of the group is on the dock cheering...And I’m swimming next to her cheering too...And then she passed?! Best. Feeling. Ever. It’s so much more than just swimming. It’s giving kids a space to set a goal, sometimes a really hard one for them... giving them the ability to work hard and achieve that goal with the assistance of the best staff ever. That translates to school, it translates to their self esteem, and their life later on. To know that when something is hard, but you want it bad enough, and put the work in, you can achieve it.... at age 8,9,10 years old....that is so powerful. 5 stars simply isn’t enough to rate how wonderful of a place it is. For the kids of course, but the staff too… we look forward to camp all year. A million stars!!!! Would...

I’ve been part of this camp since my daughter was six years old—now, she’s about to turn sixteen. To say this place has been special to us would be an understatement. It has been our second home, a place where she grew up, where I found purpose, and where both of us built relationships that feel more like family than just friends. As the Sports Director, I might be a little biased, but I’ve seen the heart of this camp up close. It’s in the way the staff shows up every day with love and energy, in the laughter that fills the fields, and in the moments when a child accomplishes something they never thought they could. It’s a place where kids aren’t just campers—they’re seen, heard, and celebrated. Watching my daughter grow here—first as a camper, then as a leader—has been one of the greatest joys of my life. This camp has shaped her into the person she is today, and I know it’s done the same for so many others. If you’re looking for a place where kids feel safe, where they grow, and where summers turn into lifelong memories, this is it. I’m forever grateful for the love, the lessons, and the magic...