Dates, rates & affordability - Camp Zeke - Sleepaway Summer Camp

Dates, rates & affordability

Group of young female campers with arms around each other

Start Planning for Summer 2024!

Dear Friends:

Camp Zeke is a small family-like community in which most campers come back summer after summer. Our bunks fill up long before camp starts, so we encourage our families to register early while we still have space.

To encourage early registrations, the price of camp is lower now than it will be next month. If you register before the end of March, you’ll receive $150 off, plus an additional $1000 off through One Happy Camper for new campers that register for 3 weeks or more. One Happy Camper is even more than $1,000 in certain communities.

Do you have questions? Please email futurefamilies@campzeke.org or call 212-913-9783 with any questions. We reply very fast.

Warm regards,
Lisa and Isaac

Enroll now

Scroll down for Dates and Rates for the coming summer.


A Note on Affordability

We recognize that the cost of a traditional overnight camp experience can be discouraging to some families. We are committed to providing a well-funded and confidential financial aid program to support our families. After reviewing our standard tuition below, learn more financial aid and incentive pricing on our Affordability page.

More about affordability

Scroll down for Dates and Rates for the coming summer.

Summer 2024 Dates and Rates

Session

Length

Dates

Tuition

Full Season

6 weeks

June 30-August 11

$10,100

Session 1

3 weeks

June 30-July 21

$5,800

Session 2

3 weeks

July 22-August 11

$5,800

Taste of Zeke

1 week

July 22-July 28

$2,100

Camp tuition includes all in-camp activities and trips. It does not include our totally optional horseback riding program, and it does not include bus transportation to and from camp.

Camp accepts debit cards, checks, and credit cards. We add a 2.9% surcharge for credit cards, which is not greater than our cost of processing cards. We do not impose a surcharge for debit cards or eChecks.

Save $1,000 With One Happy Camper

One Happy Camper is a Foundation for Jewish Camp program that takes $1,000 off in each family’s first summer at Zeke. The funding is guaranteed to every new family.

Email us at futurefamilies@campzeke.org or call 212-913-9783 to learn more.

How to apply for financial aid

We recognize that the cost of a traditional overnight camp experience can be discouraging. We are committed to providing a well-funded, inclusive, and confidential financial aid program to support our families. The application process is simple. Read the details.

What Happens Once We Register?

Once you register for camp, you will receive a confirmation that your spot is reserved. In the lead-up to camp, we will send a parent handbook, which has all the details about preparing for the experience. You can also head over to current families to see our packing list, various articles with advice about camp, and other info for enrolled families.

Not quite ready to decide?

To learn more about the camp experience before registering, request more information. You can also call us anytime at 212-913-9783 or email questions@campzeke.org. We’d be glad to answer your questions and tell you all about camp! Make sure to ask us how to get $1,000 off through One Happy Camper!

Enrollment FAQs

  • What’s the most common session length?

    The vast majority of our campers attend a three or six week session. About 40% of our campers stay for the full season.

  • What are the drawbacks of the one week session?

    Our short answer is that a three week session is a much more complete camp experience, and we recommend the three week option over the one week option. To understand why we make this recommendation, please read on!

    The Challenge of One Week

    The appeal of the one week session is also its challenge: It’s just a week!

    By the time a camper becomes fully comfortable in the camp community, the one-week experience is already nearing its conclusion. Here’s what we mean: For all campers, the first day can be a bit awkward. We organize countless ice-breakers and group bonding activities, but campers still arrive without knowing anyone, and they have to take a big step out of their comfort zones to meet new people and establish their first friendships. Of course, learning to overcome challenges is part of the value of camp!

    By the second day of camp, they start to form bonds with their bunkmates and begin learning the camp routines, such as where things are located, the words to camp songs, our many traditions, and the names of their favorite staff members. It’s only by day three or four that kids get into a rhythm and start to feel truly comfortable in their new environment. Just as things become really fun and campers first glimpse the magic of camp, it’s almost time to go home.

    Three Days of Joy for Every One Day of Transition/Packing

    Three week sessions are often harder on parents, but they are much better for campers. When campers stay for a three week session, they spend a much larger percentage of their time being fully immersed in camp. The first days of transition become distant memories that are replaced by deepening friendships, new experiences, “secret” cookie raids, campfires, and lots of camp songs and traditions. The experience is then capped off with color war, lazy day, many of the most popular all-camp programs, and finally, a beautiful, song-filled banquet as a final send-off for the campers. The kids go home at the same time as everyone else, they immediately engage with friends after camp, and the experience lives on after the summer. Campers who stay for a shorter time tend to be among among the only ones to leave early, which can also be an isolating experience for them.

    As one camp expert, Steve Baskin, puts it: “A camper in a one-week session is only fully integrated for a couple days of the seven (roughly one-fourth) versus 15-16 out of 21 (three-fourths) of three week session.” This is why three week campers are more likely to gain the most from camp; they simply have more fully-integrated days of the camp experience. As Baskin explains, “I like for campers to have three days of joy and comfort for every one day of disorientation/packing, which is essentially assured in a three week session.”

  • How do you ensure a smooth transition for new campers?

    We do a few things before camp starts to make sure new campers feel totally at home once they arrive to camp. In the lead up to camp, parents of new campers can contact us for an introduction to another camper or two in the same bunk. That way kids will already have a familiar face when they arrive to camp.

    Parents can also contact us to schedule a guided tour of our 500-acre summer home. We love showing our new families the special spaces where our campers gain fitness and cooking skills, make amazing memories, and form lifelong friendships in a warm, Jewish community.

    By the time campers meet another person in their bunk, and tour camp, they’ll come fully prepared to dive into the experience!

  • Is the deposit refundable if our plans change?

    Yes! We ask that families let us know of changes in their plans before the first day of March. We’ll gladly refund your deposit if anything changes between now and then.

To read more Frequently Asked Questions, please visit the main FAQs page.

Our campers have made thousands of friendships, millions of memories, and lifelong skills in athletics, cooking, and joyful Judaism. We are proudly supported by:

  • Jewish Camp
  • Jim Joseph Foundation
  • Avi Chai
  • UJA Federation
  • The Jewish Education Project
  • JCamp logo

We are fully accredited by the American Camp Association