A Guide to North Brooklyn Summer Camps

Calling all parents! Signed up for summer camp? It’s time to find a fun and safe environment where your child can spend the summer. Whether your child enjoys art, sports, swimming, science, or even practicing French, North Brooklyn has the perfect summer adventure for them. Check out our guide to summer camps in North Brooklyn and how to apply to each below.

YMCA

The Greenpoint YMCA (99 Meserole Ave.) and the Greenpoint YMCA at St. Stan’s (12 Newell St.) offer two of the more traditional summer day camp experiences in the North Brooklyn area. 

In both locations, campers are divided into different sections by age, separating ages 3-4, 4-5, 6-8, and 9-12. In these groups, campers participate in a variety of camp activities including games, arts and crafts, poetry, science experiments, puzzles, plus music performances.

There are also two other camp options. The first is focused on swimming for ages 7-12, only available at the Meserole location, and the other is a general sports camp for ages 6-12.

Camp hours are from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.. Extended day hours: are 8 a.m. – 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. – 6 p.m. The camp is divided into 4 two-week sessions running from July 3 to August 25.

For younger kids, the YMCA offers “Separation Summer” enrichment classes for ages 2-3 that are available Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. in July only and cost $650. 

The early childhood camp for ages 3 and 4 and kinder camp for ages 4-5 are both $850 for two weeks for YMCA members and $927 for non-members. Both camps for ages 6-8 and 9-12 are $773 for two weeks for YMCA members and $850 for non-members. Swim camp is $876 for members and $953 for non-members, while sports camp is $824 for members and $901 for non-members. 

There is a 10% sibling discount and a 10 % early bird discount with a deadline of April 29. To learn more, there will be YMCA Open Houses on April 29 and May 13.

Register at https://ymcanyc.org/locations/greenpoint-ymca/programs-classes/camps.

New York Society of Play

New York Society of Play (79 West St., #202), which was launched in October 2019 and recently opened its headquarters in Greenpoint, is hosting summer camp from June 26 through September 1 for kids ages 7-12.

The camp takes place both indoors in Society of Play’s game room and outdoors at nearby Transmitter Park. Campers will spend time inside playing Dungeons and Dragons and other board games and spend time outside participating in Fantasy Frontier, a unique program that includes gentle sword fighting, improv theater, orienteering, and collecting to create a collaborative, multiplayer experience.

The camp runs Monday – Friday from 9 a.m – 3:30 p.m. Each week costs $735, but there are discounts if you sign up for multiple weeks. For example, two weeks costs $1200. 

Register at https://nyplays.org/summer-programs/.

PLAY Kids

PLAY Kids (33 Nassau Ave.) is offering 8 weeks of summer camp this year for kids ages 4 – 7 from June 26 through August 18. 

The camp is a daily drop-off program from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. with a variety of activities including arts and crafts, science, soccer, basketball, dance, and nature walks. Most of activities will be outdoors when the weather is nice. 

The camp’s staff is multilingual and speak various languages such as English, French and Polish. Campers can even add French classes to their day. The classes are 90 minutes sessions, 5 days a week in the afternoon, and cost $150 weekly.

The PLAY Kids camp will be divided into two groups of 20 children each. The camp costs $650 per week or $145 per day, and a 10% sibling discount is offered.

Register at https://www.playgreenpoint.com/summer-camp.

The Play Lab

The Play Lab (33 Nassau Ave.), a Montessori-inspired play space for kids, is an extension of Play Kids. The Play Lab is offering summer camp for children ages 2.5 – 4 from July 5 through August 18.

Similar to PLAY Kids, The Play Lab’s camp offers a variety of activities, but these are scaled down for younger kids. Most of the camp takes place in the indoor playspace and includes a variety of classes and activities like Music with JazzBaby Music, Dance with WR Arts!, Little Gym with Fitness Adventure, plus art, science, and nature walks.

There are several options including a 2, 3, and 5 day schedule. The 2 day option is Tuesday and Thursday and costs $220. The 3 day option is Monday, Wednesday, Friday and costs $330. The 5 day option is Monday through Friday and costs $550. The children must be potty-trained. 

Register at https://www.theplaylabny.com/summercamp.

The Painted Cloud

The Painted Cloud (54 South 2nd St.) is hosting a summer camp where each week, campers complete a week-long project along with multiple one-off projects. Young artists work on process-based, community-minded projects, along with choice time, snack, lunch, and outdoor play in The Painted Cloud’s private back yard. 

The camp runs from June 19 – August 4 for children in kindergarten through second grade in one group and those in grades 3 through 5 in another group. 

The regular camp day is from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. and costs $525 for a full week. Extending to 5:30pm costs an additional $45 per day. There is a 10% sibling discount.

Register at thepaintedcloud.com. 

Ms. J’s Gymnastics

Ms. J’s Gymnastics in Greenpoint (71 India St.) and in Williamsburg (43 South 1st. St.) are both offering summer camps that run July 10 through September 1. 

Both camps offer a mixture of gymnastics and dance, plus other activities. The Williamsburg camp is for children ages 3.9 – 12, while the Greenpoint camp is for ages 3.6 – 8. All kids must be potty-trained. 

Both camps run Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Each week there will be a different theme like “super hero training” or “under the sea.”

There is an early bird special until April 28 which costs $700 per week for full week enrollments. After that, each week costs $760 and each day costs $152. There is a 10% sibling discount. 

Register for Greenpoint at https://app.iclasspro.com/portal/msjsgreenpoint/camps/16.

Register for Williamsburg at https://app.iclasspro.com/portal/msjsgymnastics/camps/16.

Kids in the Game

Kids in the Game hosts summer camp at The Post (100 Dobbin St.) in Greenpoint for kids ages 3.5 – 12 running July 10 until August 25. 

At The Post, the basketball court, turf field and classrooms are used for indoor activities, but campers will spend a lot of time outside at McCarren Park for sports and outdoor camp games. Plus, each week will have a theme like “Olympics” and “World Cup Week.”

The camp is divided into six age groups starting with kids entering Pre-K in the Fall, then kids entering kindergarten, entering first grade, entering second grade, and then kids entering 3rd-5th grades and those entering 6th-7th grades.

Kids in grade 1 and above will participate in open swim sessions. Swim lessons are available to all at an additional cost.

Early drop off is 8:15 a.m. – 9 a.m. and is included in the cost of camp. Camp hours for those in kindergarten through 7th grades is 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Pre-K gets picked up at 2:30 p.m. Aftercare is available until 5:30 p.m. for an additional cost.

Campers must sign up for two weeks which cost $665 per week. There are discounts for each additional week. For example, 4 weeks costs $635 per week. There is also a 10% sibling discount. 

Register at https://www.kidsinthegame.com/summer-camps/greenpoint/#prices_block.

St. Nick’s Alliance

St. Nick’s Alliance, a nonprofit organization that helps low-income North Brooklyn residents, hosts several summer camp programs in a variety of locations throughout the neighborhood. 

The programs include both educational and fun activities including STEM, movement, literacy, and social and emotional learning, according to the website. There are field trips to fun spots like the Bronx Zoo, and a swimming program in partnership with McCarren Pool, with each group visiting the pool up to seven times during the summer.

The camp locations for elementary school age children include PS 18 (101 Maujer St.), PS 34 (131 Norman Ave.), PS 147 (325 Bushwick Ave.), PS 150 (364 Sackman St.), PS 250 (108 Montrose Ave.), Brooklyn Arbor (325 S 3rd St.), and School Settlement Association (120 Jackson St.).

The camp locations for middle school age children include Greenpoint Beacon Center (424 Leonard St.), Williamsburg Beacon Center (850 Grand St.), M.S. 577 (208 N 5th St.), and Sumner Community Center (862 Park Ave.).

To inquire about pricing and dates, parents are asked to email each site directly. Emails are included on the St. Nick’s Alliance website at https://www.stnicksalliance.org/summer-camp.