Updated monthly according to local guidelines.
In order to strictly follow all New York State guidelines during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we expect our summer camps to adhere to the following safety measures:
Drop-Off and Pick-Up Policies
- – Students will be dropped off and picked up outside the studio. Guardians who are dropping off or picking students up will remain socially distanced and masked.
- – We ask students do not arrive more than 5-10 minutes early to the program
- – Belongings should be kept to a minimum, as they will all be kept with children in the studio or go home with you.
Daily Camp Safety
- – Families will be asked to complete a screening form daily about symptoms and potential exposures. Parents/guardians will be asked to fill out a simple Covid-19 health assessment form. Campers will not be allowed in camp without having completed the assessment.
- – Masks, covering the nose and mouth, will be worn at all times by students and teachers, except while eating or drinking. Child’s Play NY staff is fully vaccinated, but will wear masks to model behavior for campers.
- – Social distancing measures will be implemented so everyone stays three feet apart. Markers will be placed on the ground and in our studio to maintain healthy space.
- – Students and teachers will wash hands upon arrival, throughout the day, and before dismissal. Additionally, Child’s Play NY will provide hand sanitizer indoors and outdoors.
- – Windows and doors will be kept open and all measures will be taken to ensure spaces are properly ventilated.
- – Temperatures will be taken as children enter the building, via a touchless thermometer. Students with a fever will not be permitted to attend camp.
- – Camps will be capped at 12 students.
Communication
- – Families will be expected to notify us immediately if their child has any symptoms or close contact with anyone who has tested positive.
- – If a contractor/employee tests positive, Child’s Play NY will immediately notify state and health departments and cooperate with contact tracing effort, including notifying potential contacts. This includes families of the children who had close contact with the individual, while maintaining confidentiality required by state and federal law and regulations.
- – If a child in one of the programs tests positive, Child’s Play NY will notify state and health departments and cooperate with contact tracing effort, including notifying potential contacts. This includes families of the children who had close contact with the individual, while maintaining confidentiality required by state and federal law and regulations.
- – Child’s Play NY is adhering to the New York State Travel Advisory. Please review these guidelines. If you travel outside of New York State you must adhere to these guidelines.
In the event of a positive test case in camp, programming will move online and continue as scheduled.
As local COVID-19 policies change between now and the start of our summer camp season, our plans and policies may change. Updates will be posted here and communicated to enrolled families.
All camp sales are final and we will not be able to accommodate any refunds.
For Summer 2021:
Half day programs (ages 3-5) are $400 per week. Sessions meet 9a-12p daily, from Monday-Friday.
Full day programs (ages 4-6 and 7-11) are $700 per week. Camp meets 9a-3p, from Monday-Friday.
Yes! A sibling discount will automatically apply on full-week tuitions for virtual programs. Siblings will receive $50 off a week of tuition.
Scholarship opportunities may be available for families facing hardship. Please contact us to discuss possibilities.
You can see example camp schedules here for Adventure Series (ages 3-5), Players Series (ages 4-6) and Showmakers Series (ages 7-11).
All cancellations must be submitted via email to emily@childsplayny.com. Please state the child’s name and camp session you are cancelling. There will be no refunds.
- If you need to cancel 4 weeks or more before camp starts, a full credit will be added to your account.
- If you cancel between 2 and 4 weeks before camp starts, a 50% credit will be added to your account.
- If you cancel less than 2 weeks before camp starts, no credit will be issued.
In the event that your child has been exposed to Covid and is unable to attend camp, we will make every effort to offer you a full credit.
Credit can be used toward any future program, including camp, class, birthday parties and private coaching.
There is one snack time allotted for every camp, and one lunch time for Players Series (ages 4-6) and Showmakers Series (ages 7-11). There is no lunch for half-day Adventure Series (ages 3-5).
Snack time and lunch time will be conducted outdoors, weather permitting.
All food and drink will be brought from home.
The City of New York does not authorize us to administer any kinds of medications. If your child has a regular prescription medicine, they must be able to administer it themselves. Please write to us directly if you have any questions or concerns about this policy.
Adventure Series (ages 3-5) sessions are meeting at Cobble Hill Playschool, 653 Hicks Street in Carroll Gardens.
Players Series (ages 4-6) sessions are meeting at Cobble Hill Ballet, 232 Carroll Street in Carroll Gardens, and South Oxford Space, 138 South Oxford Street in Fort Greene.
Showmakers Series (ages 7-11) sessions are meeting at the First Unitarian Church, 121 Pierrepont Street in Brooklyn Heights.
Campers are broken into small groups by age. For summer 2021, students will be broken into groups of 6.
Much thought goes into casting and all the faculty of a given session is involved in decisions. We find auditioning at this age too stressful for the children and so roles are assigned in the first few days after the teachers have gotten to know the campers through games, improvisations and a reading. Many factors go into creating the cast: Age and experience are certainly factors but we also look to stretch campers and allow them to experience new characters and roles they might not normally play. Plays are selected with the ensemble in mind and great effort is gone into making sure the company knows that they are to work together as a team. There are no “stars” or “leads” but nor are all parts created equally. When a camper has fewer lines, they will invariably have more stage time, as well as the opportunity to devise their own scenes!
Your child should have turned 3 by February 1 to enroll in summer programs, and must be fully potty trained. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Our goal is that each child find their unique abilities and be honored as an individual. We celebrate inclusivity and individuality and we work together on challenging things. In order for campers and staff to feel respected and safe, we establish Community Agreements at the start of each session.
First, we talk about being Kind and being Brave. From there, the campers add on agreements that they want to uphold. Finally, they create a unique chant to honor to the pact and/or add their signature to the document when appropriate.
While the pacts differ slightly from session to session, we always have a central goals that the children know and agree to. Here are the basic points that groups will speak about as they make their community agreements:
- 1) Participate in camp activities to the best of your abilities: Try things! Be brave!
- 2) Be respectful of teachers and follow directions
- 3) Be kind and inclusive toward fellow campers. Support and celebrate everyone’s efforts.
- 4) Be respectful of the spaces we are in, both outside & in our studios.
- 5) Be safe with your body, including staying with the group outside and adhering to the COVID-19 protocols.
Our goal is to help each camper have a successful session and positive camp experience. If a camper’s behavior is negatively affecting the rest of the group and/or if there is any kind of safety concern, the following consequences will be implemented.
Each incident will be looked at individually and in terms of the degree of seriousness.
- – First Time – Camp staff will talk to the child, write up an incident report to share with camp administration, and an email will be sent home to families.
- – Second Time – Camp administration will have a phone call with families.
- – Third time – The camper will miss at least one day of camp in order to understand that there were better behavioral choices to be made relative to the incident. A second phone call will be had with camp administration to determine if the child can continue.
Thank you for helping us make a safe and nurturing environment for the Child’s Play NY community.
We have a long history of supporting neurodivergent kids in various programming. Should your child have a diagnosis that impacts their ability to participate, please share that with us as soon as possible.
Our staff is comprised of actor-teaching artists. While we have some training around the smoothest ways to transition, and techniques that can help kids with focus and attention, we are not as well equipped as traditional classroom teachers to handle certain neurodivergences.
In a phone call before camp, we can make a decision together about the best ways to support your child in the session, which group is right for them and will be honest if we feel like we need additional staff in the room to assist. If, during camp, we determine that Child’s Play NY is not a good fit or we can not serve the camper (based on their ability to work within the Community Agreements, as discussed in question #12) we will be upfront and communicative and seek a fair recourse together.