Welcome to Gay Parent magazine’s annual listing of gay-friendly day and overnight camps.

The Berkeley Carroll School
Established at the turn of the century, the Berkeley Carroll School is located in gay-friendly Park Slope in Brooklyn, New York. The school has four educational divisions - the Child Care Center, Lower School, Middle School, and Upper School. The Child Care Center provides a supportive, year-round learning environment for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. The Lower School, grades preschool through four, focuses on the fundamentals of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. Middle School, grades five through eight, promotes social and intellectual growth in an atmosphere that respects the emerging adolescent. Their academic program includes language arts and literature, history, French, Spanish, computer, physical education and the arts. Middle school students also participate in community service, student government, team sports and develop leadership skills. The college preparatory objective of the Upper School, grades nine through twelve, is reflected in the academic and co-curricular programs. A foreign exchange program, creative arts electives, independent study, internships, and community service extend opportunities for learning. Upper School students have an excellent record of achievement in Advanced Placement courses; 100 percent of the graduates attend colleges and universities throughout the country. The school has an athletic center and swimming pool at the school's Carroll Street location. The facility has a four lane, 75-foot long swimming pool, a full-size gymnasium, a mezzanine area for fitness and strength training and an open rooftop play yard. At Berkeley Carroll, the performing and visual arts are essential - not peripheral - to the school experience. Every student from preschool through 12th grade has an enriched arts curriculum, and a high percentage of the student body participates in extracurricular or afterschool arts programs. Call 718-768-4873 for admission to their Child Care Center, 718-638-1703 for Lower and Middle school admission, and 718-789-6060 for their Upper School. Visit their web site at www.berkeleycarroll.org.

Berkeley Montessori School
Berkeley Montessori School is an independent school serving about 270 children ages 3 to 14 in Berkeley, California. They have been empowering children since 1963, following the child-centered, peace-based educational philosophy of Dr. Maria Montessori.

They have two beautiful campuses: Preschool-Kindergarten and Elementary-Middle School. They recently opened their new Elementary-Middle School campus-an eco-friendly green school that incorporates solar energy, recycled building materials, organic gardens and more!

Berkeley Montessori School is a vibrant community of educators and families, agreeing with Dr. Maria Montessori that each generation of children has the opportunity to remake the world it inherits. They cultivate and honor children's innate love of learning as they prepare for a life of purpose, integrity, and academic accomplishment. Berkeley Montessori students gain the skills and confidence to meet the challenges of self, family, community, and the world at large.

Each classroom is multi-graded and staffed by two teachers. All of their head teachers are experienced and certified Montessori educators. Their community is diverse, friendly and passionate about learning, working together and having fun! Visit their website at www.bmsonline.org.

Camp Broadway, LLC
Camp  Broadway – Broadway’s original theatre camp!
Camp Broadway is for theatre-loving kids ages 6-17

Five days of training with Broadway Artists featuring workshops and classes in singing, dancing, movement and acting.  The week includes a day in Times Square, a ticket to a Broadway show and a talk-back with the cast.

For more information on our year round programming call 212-575-2929 or visit us at www.campbroadway.com 

Summer Camp at Lansdowne Friends School
Lansdowne Friends Summer Camp is a Day Camp designed for girls and boys, Pre-K to entering 7th grade.  It is located on the Lansdowne Friends School campus.  Camp is divided into four 2-week sessions.  Each session has a different theme; therefore campers are required to register for a minimum of one 2-week session.  Campers will rotate through various specialty classes within the theme.  These specials will include but are not limited to arts and crafts, performance arts, and environmental explorations.  Our experienced teachers provide a program that is fun, safe, and grounded in Quaker values.

Last summer many campers participated in musical theater and were involved in all aspects of the production, including costume creation, stage set, learning stage direction, singing and performing.  This theme was so well received that we plan to offer another musical theater session for the upcoming 2008 summer camp.  To be involved in all levels of the musical production, campers will be required to register for two consecutive 2-week sessions.

Opportunities are available throughout the entire summer program for children to learn and practice tennis, badminton and volley ball.  Water play is included on a daily basis.  Campers also enjoy various field trips that are offered at different times during the 8-week period.  Amongst the various themes and activities mentioned above, time is devoted for reading, math games and cooking for the homeless.  We are located about 10 miles west of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.  Please visit our website at www.lansdownefriendsschool.org or call us directly at (610) 623-2548 to learn more.

The Summer Center at Nashoba Brooks School
Concord, Massachusetts
June 23- July 25 2008
The Summer Center at Nashoba Brooks School is a day camp program dedicated to enrichment in Academics, The Arts and Athletics, for girls and boys ages 3-14.  A dedicated Pre School program for our three and four year olds provides a nurturing environment for our youngest campers.  Child to adult ratios in our primary classes is 6:1.  Older children are able to participate in courses such as Science Enrichment, Engineering, World Languages, Writers Workshop, Art, Drama and Music as well as instructional courses in Lacrosse, Basketball, Hockey and Soccer.  Class size remains small and the focus remains on community. 

The schedule is family friendly and offers full and half-day options. Campers may register for 1 week or multiple weeks. The 20 acre campus includes outdoor and indoor play areas, classrooms, libraries, 3 computer labs, art studios and 2 gyms.  An experienced adult faculty will welcome your child and your family to our special day program committed to creativity, tolerance, learning and fun.  Visit our web site for program and tuition information at:  www.nbsc.org

Park Day School
Located in Oakland, Park Day School, founded in 1976 by group of teachers and parents, is a school for children in grades kindergarten through sixth. Park Day School is proud of its success in developing a diverse student body. Differences in ethnicity, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic position are they encourage.

Park Day School offers a strong curriculum in math, social studies, science, language arts, and Spanish. Teaching materials are culled from many sources, often times created by the teachers, specifically geared to the learning styles and levels of their students. Park Day School community service projects include a long-standing relationship with the retired women of the Matilda Brown Home located next to the school. At the home, children visit the ladies to sing for them once a month, to participate in their ice cream socials, and to present them with Valentine's Day cards. Park Day School also believes that establishing connections with Oakland public schools will benefit and enrich the community and has built a connection with Emerson Elementary School, a public school two blocks away.

Park Day School helps children develop their social conscience and helps them learn to recognize and confront issues of race, class, and gender. The school wants students to be able to recognize the biases that exist in society and for them to develop and articulate their own values. Students are taught how to live in a diverse society and to be comfortable with the ways in which they are alike and different from others. Contact Flo Hodes, Park Day School, 370 43rd Street, Oakland. CA 94609-2223, 510-653-0317 ex. 101, flo@parkdayschool.org. Visit www.parkdayschool.org.

San Francisco Day School
In 1977, Sally and Toby Rosenblatt gathered a small group of friends in their living room to talk about Sally's dream-an independent, coeducational elementary school in San Francisco. Today, San Francisco Day School is highly regarded and continues to advance the goals articulated by the founders. The school offers an academic program designed to take full advantage of the City's resources, a desire to create a diverse and inclusive community, a commitment to attract and retain an outstanding faculty, tuition assistance for 10 to 25 percent of the students, and an extended day-care program. Diversity is an important component of the academic excellence of the school. San Francisco Day School recruits, welcomes and celebrates children, families, faculty and staff that reflect the broad range of diversity in The Bay Area.

In a school committed to a diverse student body, students learn life lessons of understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of differences. Learning occurs both within and outside the confines the school. Students learn to cooperate within the school community and the City of San Francisco provides an important learning laboratory for the school. Students in all grades participate in age-appropriate service learning programs that educates the children about the challenges of urban life while providing an opportunity to become active contributors to organizations and individuals in the community. It opens its doors to neighborhood groups and forges alliances with other schools and organizations to work for the good of the community and its children. For more information contact San Francisco Day School, 350 Masonic Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118, 415-931-2422 ext. 123, visit www.sfds.net.

Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts
631-643-7900
www.usdan.com
Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts is a nationally recognized not-for-profit summer arts school chartered by the New York Board of Regents.  Students, ages 6-18 travel daily to Usdan to explore and develop their talents in music, art, drama, dance, writing or chess. Located on a beautiful, 250-acre woodland campus in Huntington, New York, Usdan has a student body of 1,600 and an artist faculty of 200.

Children study two hours each day in a major of their choice, one hour in an elective class and one hour at swim. All students attend the Usdan Festival Concert Series held in the center’s 1,000-seat Andrew McKinley Amphitheater.  In recent seasons, the series has presented such celebrated artists as Emanuel Ax, Billy Taylor, The Tokyo String Quartet, Canadian Brass, Yo-Yo Ma, Broadway’s Savion Glover and stars of the New York City Ballet, among many others. Students of diverse ethnic and economic  backgrounds commute to Usdan on air-conditioned buses leaving from most towns in the New York City metropolitan  area; approximately one quarter of all students receive financial assistance. The center is an agency of UJA-Federation.

OVERNIGHT CAMPS

Bethel Camp for the Arts
Bethel Camp for the Arts is a non-traditional overnight camp offering 2-4 week sessions for boys and girls 8-15 years old. Rick Mades founded the camp to fill a void in the summer camp industry and meet the needs of many of the families he's spoken to during more than a decade of running Camp Finders referral service. His mission is to provide a non-competitive, caring environment in which children can explore and enjoy a balance of creative enrichment activities, individual lifetime sports and the natural beauty of Maine. Bethel Camp for the Arts welcomes each child to celebrate being a unique individual without the social and academic pressures they face throughout the year.

Bethel Camp for the Arts is located on Gould Academy's beautiful campus in the charming town of Bethel, Maine. Campers live in comfortable dormitories, enjoy the same delicious food that Gould students eat throughout the year, and benefit from utilizing ideal facilities for the activities offered at the camp. Before arriving at camp, each camper chooses from an extensive list of activities to create a schedule that meets his or her needs and interests. Activities include theater, dance, music, drawing & painting, pottery, animal care, photography, robotics, rocketry, culinary arts, tennis, golf, kayaking/canoeing, mountain biking, racquetball, martial arts and yoga/fitness.

Because Bethel Camp for the Arts limits enrollment and hires selectively, campers receive unsurpassed personal attention from high quality, compassionate professional instructors and dorm counselors. In addition, camp director, Rick Mades and assistant director, Candy Cohn-Glider play an active role in the day-to-day operations of camp, getting to know each camper family and addressing issues on an ongoing basis.

For more information, contact Bethel Camp for the Arts, P.O. Box 812076, Boca Raton, FL 33481, (561) 865-4330, www.maineartscamp.com.

Camp Ballibay
Camp Ballibay is an arts summer camp for boys and girls ages 6 through 16. We offer a wide range of non-competitive fine and performing arts activities in a fun, friendly traditional summer camp setting. We are located on an exquisitely beautiful 200-acre mountaintop campus in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Our sessions range from 2 to 9 weeks in length.

We offer exciting programs in theater, the visual arts, music, dance, video, radio, and rock-n-roll music. We have an excellent horseback riding program, swimming instruction, and daily sports activities.

Our program is completely individual choice: campers can focus on a single activity all day, pick several to focus on, or try a little of everything!

Every year we are strengthening our international program offerings; We introduced Capoeira (Brazil) in 2007, and plan to add programs in Tai Chi Chuan (China) and Freerunning/Parkour (France) for 2008.

Camp Ballibay was established 1964, and is American Camping 
Association accredited.

Visit our website to learn more, request information, or register for 
camp: www.ballibay.com. We are opening five new “sister camps” of Ballibay, four of them in 2008; see www.artscamps.us for more information.

Camp Common Ground
Come to Common Ground Center this summer for a weeklong or weekend family camp vacation in beautiful Vermont.

CCG, now in its 15th year, welcomes people of all ages, lifestyles, ethnicities, abilities and economic backgrounds.  In addition to our traditional family camps which emphasize fun, the arts and community, we offer family camps focused on Chinese culture, families affected by autism, homeschoolers, and African dancing and drumming,

Our camps offer fabulous adult programs in the morning focusing on the arts, wellness, and nature taught by experts in their craft while kids are entertained by counselors in traditional camp fun. Afternoons are for mixed age activities including arts, music, swimming and exploring 700 acres of fields, mountains and the creek. Intermingled are 3 delicious vegetarian meals.  Special diets can be accommodated. Nights include more multi age activities such as African dancing, camp fires and games.

Anya, a previous board member, states, "Plenty of spaces simply claim to be open to gay and lesbian families, but Camp Common Ground truly achieves the integrated, open and affirming community so many of us hope to create."

Site rental is available for your own programs, weddings, reunions, meetings or other events.

Check out our website today at www.cgcvt.org. We look forward to seeing you this summer!

CampOUT
CampOUT provides a safe supportive environment for young people from Queer families and Queer Youth ages 8-18. Through farm work and activities we will create a sense of community where difference and diversity are celebrated and children can be themselves.

CampOUT at the Farm School: July 31-August 4. The Farm School in Athol, is ridge top dairy farm in north central Massachusetts. Check it out at www.farmschool.org.
 
CampOUT at Open View Farm: August 8-12. Open View Farm, in Conway is a Fiber Farm in the hills of western Massachusetts. Check out CampOUT at www.openviewfarm.org.

Contact Emmy Howe at 413-369-0240 or emmyhowe@aol.com  

Camp Kinder Ring
Camp Kinder Ring, located 70 miles north of NYC, has been offering a traditional full complement of activities and events for children ages 7-16 since 1927.  Our waterfront is second to none including a heated, Olympic-size pool for swim instruction by Red Cross instructors, lake activities ranging from canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, sailing, waterskiing, to trampoline, iceberg climbing apparatus, and leisure water sports such as fishing and snorkeling.  Our Arts and Crafts pavilion offers woodworking, ceramics, glass making and fine arts and crafts projects in which all our children take pride. Our sports program is comprehensive combining instruction and free play with inter camp tournaments and intra camp friendly competitions. Our indoor and lighted, outdoor facilities and fields are state-of-the-art and include 3 basketball courts, 5 softball fields, 3 soccer fields, an archery range, computer center, dance studio, weight room, adventure center, hockey rink, 10 tennis courts, 8 volleyball courts including beach volleyball.  An all-camp production is performed each summer with spots for all interested campers and staff.  Kinder Ring offers comprehensive, secular, Jewish cultural programs.  There is something at which every child can excel at Camp Kinder Ring. For more information visit www.campkr.com. 

Camp Tawonga
Building the Community Where You Belong
As a mission-driven leader in Jewish camping since 1925, Camp Tawonga creates a welcoming community for all. An American Camping Association accredited camp with a staff to camper ratio of 1:1.5, we offer summer camp sessions for campers ranging from 2nd to 10th grades; teen leadership, service learning and adventure travel programs for 7th through 12th graders; and Weekend Programs for individuals, couples and families.

On the middle fork of the Tuolumne River, just outside Yosemite National Park, on 160 beautiful acres in the middle of the Stanislaus National Forest, Tawonga is a great place to relax, a great place to explore nature, a great place to celebrate, a great place to find yourself and a great place play.

Call 415.543.2267 or visit www.tawonga.org for more information about Camp Tawonga. We’d love for you to join our community.

Camp Onas
Ottsville, Pennsylvania

Crowden Center for Music in the Community
Crowden Center for Music in the Community (CCMC) makes music accessible for everyone, year-round! Our private lessons, weekly classes, and summer programs are appropriate for beginning and advanced musicians alike. Tuition is moderate and financial aid is available. CCMC is committed to reaching out toward children for whom music education would be otherwise unavailable.

During the summer semester, CCMC offers private lessons, suzuki strings instruction, and various day camps, including Scrape, Squawk, and Bang!, Meet the Orchestra, Summer Music & Opera, Farallon Brass Camp, and more. For more information and complete descriptions of programs, visit us online at http://www.crowden.org or contact us at 510.559.2841 or ccmc@crowden.org. 

The Farm Arts Camp
The Farm Arts Camp is a summer camp for boys and girls ages 6 through 16, located on an exquisitely beautiful 200-acre mountaintop campus in Northeastern Pennsylvania.  We offer a wide range of non-competitive activities in a fun, friendly traditional camp setting.

The Farm focuses on a love of the arts and the outdoors, with a strong emphasis on the visual arts (painting, drawing, photography, printmaking, & ceramics) and traditional camp activities such as horseback riding, boating, outdoor cooking and camping, hiking, and nature study.  Campers at The Farm also have access to programs at The Farm’s sister camp, Camp Ballibay, including a full music program (instrumental, vocal, and rock/folk/pop music instruction), a camp radio station, sports programs (tennis instruction, team sports, swimming, lake activities), and movement programs (including the movement styles Capoeira, Tai Chi Chuan, and Parkour/Freerunning, as available).  Sessions range from 2 to 6 weeks in length. Visit www.thefarmartscamp.com  

Friends Music Camp
Friends Music Camp offers a four-week  summer music program for 10-18 year olds. Younger campers (10-12) may opt for attending only the first two weeks.  We meet on the campus of Olney Friends School in Barnesville, Ohio.

Campers receive two private lessons weekly, in any band/orchestra instrument, piano, voice or guitar. They participate in ensembles small and large.  All campers sing in chorus and take part in a musical theater production. Cooperation and mutual support is encouraged, while competition is downplayed.

A wide range of musical ability and experience is present at camp.  There is the expectation that musical growth will occur.  An often-made camper comment: "I learned as much in one month as I do all year at home."

Equally important as the music is the creation of a caring, supportive community experience for campers and staff together.  Each individual is respected and
cared for.  Days start and end with a time of singing, quiet meditation, and sometimes speaking out of the the silence.  We call this time "Collection"; it has
become an important part of our time together.

Also: Recreational activities, outdoor games, swimming, canoe trip, much more!

Hidden Valley Camp
While many summer children’s camps today are market driven, replicating the glitz, glamour and gadgets associated with contemporary life, other camps, like Maine’s Hidden Valley, strive to maintain long-standing traditions, offering child centered communities rich in deep-rooted values and Thoreau-inspired natural environments.

Hidden Valley, a co-ed camp for children ages 8-13, offers an alternative because the mission-driven directors, Peter and Meg Kassen, believe their style of camp helps children grow into caring and creative adults.

Hidden Valley has no rifles, uniforms or color war. Campers don’t play to win, they’re encouraged to perform their very best. The camp’s non-competitive, non-sectarian community provides individualized attention to all campers in a structured yet relaxed atmosphere.

While Hidden Valley is far cry from the country club environment found at other camps, its cabins have electricity, flush toilets and showers, and there is a recent addition of an outdoor heated pool to complement the pristine Maine lake where swimming, kayaking and wind-surfing are popular activities. A modern dining hall caters to all tastes and dietary needs.

Despite these amenities, the Kassens, giving a nod to creature comforts without sacrificing their ideals, have maintained a place where children and community come first. Their mission is for Hidden Valley to instill in young people a feeling of independence, enhanced self-awareness, and a greater capacity to live happily and work constructively with others.

"Some parents boast about the 20 tennis courts, hockey arena, or Olympic indoor heated pool at their child’s summer camp," says Peter. "Whereas Hidden Valley parents are more likely to comment that camp has changed their children’s’ lives."

"Hidden Valley is more than a summer camp for children," adds Meg. "It’s a community of young people learning to live together co-operatively."

While the camp offers more than 50 activity choices, featuring the performing and visual arts, sports, and animal care, including llamas and horses, the emphasis is for every child to have a fulfilling camp experience. Counselors are trained in group dynamics and meet regularly with the Kassens throughout the summer. Meg and the counselors personally keep in touch with the parents. The directors know all the childrens’ names.

Both Peter and Meg Kassen have spent nearly 30 summers at camps in Maine, and have been directors/owners of Hidden Valley since 1988. They live at camp year round with their two daughters. Hidden Valley Camp, 1-800-922-6737, www.hiddenvalleycamp.com.

Shire Village Camp
Founded in 1972, Shire Village Camp was described by The Boston Globe as a camp that "...espouses liberal values; it's nonprofit, nonsexist, nonracist, nonhomophobic, nonsectarian, and noncompetitive." A coeducational residential summer camp for 7 to 13 year olds, it also offers vegetarian meals and has a policy to avoid chemical additives and preservatives in their food. Shire Village Camp is located on 96 acres of beautiful hills and woodland in Cummington, Massachusetts. On the grounds are two riding rings, a tennis court, athletic fields, a filtered pool and a large brook which flows into a private pond and into the Westfield River which flows through the campgrounds. Traditional activities offered are theatre, music and dance, arts and crafts, film and photography, swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, gymnastics, field trips, and nature exploration. In addition, the camp offers tai chi, shiatsu, meditation, yoga and emphasizes a nonsexist, noncompetitive approach to sports activities which include archery, soccer, tennis, softball, volleyball, basketball and Frisbee. This approach has created a more relaxed atmosphere and according to a camp counselor, more girls are playing sports and more boys are trying to motivate them.

Many Shire village campers return year after year and former campers have sent their children. Some return to work as counselors, support staff and administrators. The camp boasts a popular teen staff training program and several former campers are now serving on the Board of Directors. Sessions begin the first week of July through the end of August and introductory two-week sessions are available for children 7 to 9 years of age. Discounts are available for siblings and early tuition payment. To receive a brochure and enrollment information contact Beth Schneider, 175 Eastern Parkway, Apt. 6J, Brooklyn, New York 11238, telephone 718-622-8204. Summer contact information: Shire village Camp, Mellor Road, Cummington, Massachusetts 01026, 413-634-2281. Visit www.shirevillage.org.

Young Actors' Theatre Camp
Mailing Address:  P.O. Box 461324, West Hollywood, CA 90046
Camp Physical Address: YMCA Camp Loma Mar, Loma Mar, CA in the Santa Cruz Mountains (summer session)
YMCA Camp Arroyo, Livermore, CA in the San Francisco Bay Area (winter session)
Tel:  (925) 858-3548
E-mail:  info@youngactorstheatrecamp.org
Website:  www.YoungActorsTheatreCamp.org
Contact:  Shawn Ryan or John Ainsworth, Program Directors
Ages:  8-18 yrs.
 
The Young Actors' Theatre Camp is a week-long overnight theatre camp designed to discover and develop the artist within!  Held twice a year, YATC is the SF Bay Area's premiere drama camp for kids ages 8-18. All levels encouraged.  Learn from professionals from LA and NYC who work in Television, Film and on Broadway.  Daily classes in acting, voice, dance and musical theatre.  Master Classes with Hollywood Actors and Casting Directors.  Upcoming Master Class Instructors include Lucas Grabeel, Ryan from "High School Musical", Valerie Azlynn, from CBS's "Welcome to the Captain", Woody Schultz from "Beowulf" and NBC Casting Director Josh Einsohn.
 
Summer Camp, June 22, 2008 - July 2, 2008.
Winter Camp, December 27, 2008 - January 2, 2009.
 
Cost:  $695-895 per week, scholarships and family multi-child discounts available.