GateHill camp is absolutely phenomenal! Three years ago we visited several camps in order to enroll our son and when we Found Gate Hill we knew - IT WAS THE BEST! He has been enjoying summers at Gate Hill day camp for three years in a row. Where do I start? The facilities are neat and modern. The staff is very personable, enthusiastic and cheerful and overall the Camp is run very smoothly and professionally. On a day to day basis the Camp runs like a well oiled machine providing the children with a wide variety of activities and different themes for each day. They add some nice personal touches by providing daily summaries of what the kids did each day and text message updates to let you know if the buses are running behind due to traffic. As parents, we couldn't be happier that our son is growing as a person, learning different sports and games and making great friends in a safe and beautiful environment . read more

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Amazing. My son is 3 1/2 and I needed to find a real camp for him to attend full time. What a great find in Gate Hill!! I cannot say enough. My son had a blast!! Great bus driver, more than amazingly great counselors especially Zach!!! Next year both my boys will go and I might too!!!! read more

I remember going here for the summer as a kid. In 2011, i was so scared of thunderstorms. One time in summer of 2011, I started to cry after a thunderstorm forced us to stop swimming. I got a towel, and cried in the towel to stay dry. And while that was happening, a counsellor said to a bunch of campers, "Why are we stopping?", because they stopped just because I got sad due to the storm. I'll never forget that moment. It was a lot of fun nonetheless. read more

My wife and I went through quite a process in choosing a camp for our 5-year-old son for this summer. I admit that I am spoiled by the incredible experience I had at Camp Kenwal (and its predecessor, Eastern Country Day Camp) in Long Island when I was a kid. I needed the camp that my son attended to be able to provide him with that same feeling. We looked at several candidates, in the form of DVD presentations, visits to the facilities, tours and Q&A sessions, etc. It seemed to us that each option had something not quite right about it- whether the camp looked more like a country club or facility for a corporate retreat, or was unsafe and rife with potential for our child to be seriously injured, or just seemed old and run-down. Then we visited Gate Hill Day Camp. We almost didn't go... the DVD they sent us was rather bare-bones, and it was difficult to get a feel for the place based on what was presented in the video. But once we got there, and saw the grounds and fields and facilities, we knew that we had found the perfect place. Additionally, our son (who has always had a knack for sensing who the "good people" are) immediately gravitiated to the owner/director Josh. Our son took Josh's hand, and let Josh lead him on a personal tour. It was easy to see that Josh was the kind of person who had EVERYTHING under control, at all times. It was obvious that nothing would rattle him. He had the right answer to every question we asked, and you knew he was sincere rather than just telling you what you want to hear. And it was also clear that Josh would be privileged to have our child attend his camp, rather than demanding the same of us. Our son attended for 7 weeks, and loved every second of it. His counselors (Danny and Sammi) were fantastic, and treated him like gold. His group leader (Janet) was outstanding- she answered every call or e-mail within an hour or two, and addressed every question or concern we had quickly, directly and effectively. Even his bus counselor and drivers (Adrian, Juana and Pedro) were phenomenal. We received up-to-the-minute traffic reports from the camp office, to let us know almost to the second what time we could expect the bus. His bathing suits were laundered by the camp, and towels were provided as well. And every Friday evening, we were e-mailed a link to a photo gallery so we could see our son in action. Our son played all the sports he loves (softball, basketball, tennis, soccer, etc.). He participated in new activities, and had a blast with all of them- particularly Gate Hill Games, which helps kids develop athletic skills in a creative, fun way (rather than through repetitive drills). Prior to starting camp, our son had no desire (and quite a lot of terror at the thought) to go on a zip line- by Week 3, he chose zip line as his elective activity. Although our son is a finicky eater, he always had great options for his meals, and never once came home complaining of being hungry. He made a bunch of great new friends, and he can't wait to see them again at the fall and spring reuinions that Gate Hill hosts for its campers. But the best thing of all about Gate Hill is the swim program. For the previous two summers, we sent our son to the YMCA summer camp in Manhattan, which heavily promotes its "wonderful" swimming instruction. In those two summers, the only skill he obtained was blowing bubbles, and he was still afraid to even dunk his head. When the Gate Hill season was over, our son was jumping into the pool, dunking his head, doing the prone and back float, the crawl and the backstroke. His swim instructor, Drew, was indescribably fantastic. He read our son like a book, and knew exactly how to help him overcome his fears and rise to new challenges. Based on his previous progress, I thought that it would be at least 3 more years before I watched my son swim. I could hardly contain my joy when I got a phone call from his head counselor, telling us that our son wanted us to know he had swum across the pool- and then, a few hours later, received a video in my e-mail of his accomplishment, to share with my family. Our son had to miss the last two days of camp due to illness, but he wanted to go back the following Monday (camp is still in session this week) to say goodbye. Not only did they allow him to visit, they even offered to pick him up by bus and attend the full day. They also made sure that he was able to take his final Red Cross swim test (which he had missed), and let him and his sister (who is 4 and will attend next year) have a last ride on the go-carts, even though his group wasn't scheduled for the activity. Whatever our son needed or wanted, Gate Hill Day Camp made it happen. I have tried to think of even one negative comment, and other than their promo video needing to be re-done, I cannot for the life of me think of a single thing. If you want your child to have the best possible summer experience, choose Gate Hill Day Camp. You won't regret it. read more