Camp Jaycee at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Jacobs Family Campus in La Jolla offers summer youth camps to build memories for kids ages 18 months through 12th grade.
The center at 4126 Executive Drive has ACA-accredited camps for every interest including traditional, sports, Spanish immersion, teen, theater, and more. This year’s summer camp schedule includes satellite locations and virtual camps. A full day of Camp Jaycee is 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with additional hours before and after available through an extended care program. Financial assistance is also available.
“We have engaging, educational, and fun activities for every child: arts and crafts, ceramics, magic, dance, fencing, archery, music, leadership training, sports, computer programming, swimming, music camps, teen travel, LEGO, science, strings, ultimate Frisbee, Hebrew, Spanish, Ga-Ga, Star Wars and more,” states JCC’s website at campjaycee.com. “Our staff is not only trained in providing fun and engaging activities to kids of all ages, they’re also safety experts. CPR-trained lifeguards and camp staff, along with our low staff-to-camper ratio, ensure Camp Jaycee is enjoyable and safe. The JCC is also located next door to the Northern Division of the San Diego Police and Fire Department.”
Gilad Hoffman, a former JCC camp counselor, has a unique story to tell. “As a kid, I went to summer camp there and had a great time,” he said. “Then I started working there and it kick-started my career in the professional world. It started as a summer job and ended up as full-time.”
Of the Jaycee Camp experience, Huffman noted: “They have both traditional camps and a little bit of everything. They also have special camps, like sports, Lego, theater, and art. Now, as a grown-up, my own kids go there. It’s like another home for them.”
Hoffman said camp options include two- or four-week sessions with camp day, drop-off, and pick-up for parents. He added his kids are “exhausted when they come home, with is a good thing. It helps me get them to bed early.”
Of the benefits derived by kids from Jaycee summer camp, Hoffman said: “They get to swim every day, get outside in the fresh air, do something active like going on field trips. They just get exposed to so much.”
And the camp sizes are extremely reasonable, said Hoffman, even though there are some 800 kids circulating through each summer. “Every (camp) group is broken down into smaller groups, usually with a ratio of one counselor to every eight or even five kids,” he said.
Would you advise parents to check out the Jaycee summer camp program for their kids?
“One hundred percent,” answered Hoffman. “The JCC does a lot of things. This is the best thing they do. This is like their bread and butter.”
