Island Shores Families

Island Shores Day Camp is located on the Knox School campus at 541 Long Beach Road, St. James, New York 11780, in Suffolk County.

Camp runs for 8 weeks from July 1 through August 23 and you are welcome to choose any combination of weeks. There is no camp on Thursday, July 4 and Friday, July 5.

More details can be found on the Dates & Rates page.

Camp groups are organized by the grade that campers are entering. Our camper groups are as follows:

Junior Camp Progression

Tadpoles: Entering Pre-K (4 years old)
Guppies: Entering Kindergarten & 1st Grade
Jelly Fish: Entering 2nd & 3rd Grades
Turtles: Entering 4th & 5th Grades

Senior Camp Progression

Starfish: Entering 6th & 7th Grades
Dolphins: Entering 8th & 9th Grades

Groups range from approximately 10–18 campers.

Our junior camp (grades K–5) typically have a ratio of 5:1 made up of a division leader, counselors and CITs. Our senior camp (grades 6–9) also have a division leader as well as counselors, with a ratio of at least 6:1.

Our leadership team is made up of school educators and administrators who each have between 10–30 years of camp experience. This, coupled with our owner’s 30 years of business experience, ensures that our campers are surrounded by seasoned educators and childcare professionals and that we run an operationally sound summer program.

Our specialty leaders (e.g., dance, art, martial arts, nature, etc.) are experts in their respective fields. Division leaders, counselors and junior counselors are a mix of teachers, college students and high school students. All age groups always have a head counselor or division leader in addition to other counselors and CITs (counselors in training).

We run background and reference checks on all our staff.

Yes! Campers come to us from across all of Suffolk County and Nassau County and this is possible because of the bus transportation option that we have. We know how beneficial it is to enroll your children in a day camp program with bus transportation available.

We offer door-to-door bus transportation to families in neighboring towns and central bus transportation to families in eastern and western Suffolk County and Nassau County.

Central bus transportation is ideal for families who live further away because it means less bus time for campers. Rather than making 10–15 stops, campers meet at a central location and board the bus together. They then ride straight to camp. This saves a significant amount of bus time and gets the kids to camp without feeling car sick and exhausted! We have found that this is also helpful for parents who need to go to work, as they are not waiting at home for the bus to arrive.

Campers participating in central bus transportation will be greeted by one of several bus counselors at their meeting point, which is usually a park and ride, shopping center or church. Campers are checked in and then board the bus and attendance is taken again before departing. Campers are also checked out upon afternoon pick up.

We partner with Suffolk Bus Company, a professional, licensed company that services many camps and schools across Long Island, New York.

Alternatively, families are welcome to drop off and pick up their camper(s). In these cases, your camp tuition will reflect the non-transportation option.

The camp day starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 3:45 p.m. We offer before and after care options for campers who are being driven and picked up. Please read more about before and after care.

For families in Nassau County and Suffolk County, bus transportation is available.

Campers participate in age appropriate activities such as sports, arts and crafts, music, dance, yoga, martial arts, and STEM activities. Campers usually swim two periods per day. Many days have a theme and featured activity, which can always be found on our calendar. We are constantly bringing in new, fun (and educational 🙂)  activities to camp. Our ongoing list of ideas is endless and incredibly exciting. Keep an eye on the calendar as we start to add more activities!

Campers swim 1–2 times a day, weather permitting. We typically have one instructional swim and one free swim. All campers are swim tested on their first day in the pool with us and are grouped accordingly. Our team of certified lifeguards and Water Safety Instructors lead all of our swim instruction and waterfront activities.

The camp fun never stops! We make full use of our indoor space on rainy days. This includes our full size gym, air-conditioned classrooms, all-purpose room, dance studio and arts and crafts space.

Campers are required to wear an Island Shores T-shirt, shorts, socks and sneakers daily. T-shirts will be given out on the first day of camp, if not before.

Campers should bring or wear a bathing suit to camp daily. It is best if younger campers wear their bathing suits to camp and bring a second bathing suit as well as a change of clothes. Campers should also bring a towel daily. We recommend campers bring a water bottle, especially if they are taking the bus to and from camp.

Our camp culture is one of inclusivity. We create space for campers to try new things and stretch their imaginations. If there is something that a camper can’t do or if an activity is making them feel uncomfortable, we have staff on hand to ensure that they have an alternative activity.