Health and Wellness
A Focus On Health & Wellness Makes CYJ One of The Best Jewish Sleepaway Camps in the US
The well being of our campers is our number one priority, yes even before fun. We know you are trusting us with your kids and we do not take that lightly. In addition to the physical health of our campers, we think intentionally about the mental and emotional health of our campers.
Camper Care
The Camper Care team works day and night to ensure all campers receive the support they need to be successful during their time at camp. They are the “moms” when the parents aren’t around. Their job is to give advice and support to our staff as they care for our campers. They also serve as our parent liaison, keeping in touch with parents throughout the summer to ensure parents are informed of anything they need to know while their children are at Camp with us. You are also welcome to reach out to them to check in about your camper!
Sometimes, as you can imagine, we deal with behavior issues at camp. Living in large groups and sharing a bunk with 10-15 other children can be daunting to some kids. We are here to help them adjust and manage their behavior in this new environment.
Mental Health
Camp is a very happy place. Having tons of activities planned, getting exercise, and being surrounded by friends is usually enough to keep anyone feeling positive. Not to mention the lack of screens!
Still, there are several reasons a camper could feel distressed during the summer, including the simple struggle of having a growing body with changing hormones. Other campers may be missing home for the first couple days, or they could be anxious about big changes happening in their home lives.
Our staff training covers these topics and more, preparing our counselors to recognize and resolve all kinds of emotional unrest.
We are excited to have been selected as a recipient of the Foundation for Jewish Camps’ Yedid Nefesh Grant. The growing awareness and evolving complexity of mental health challenges necessitates that camps be equipped with enhanced staffing and training at all levels to ensure proactive support for mental, emotional, and social health. With a visionary gift from The Marcus Foundation, FJC (the Foundation for Jewish Camp) aspires to elevate the field to nurture all in our Jewish camp family. Through these efforts, we can build stronger, more inclusive, and resilient communities year round.
This initiative aims to provide overnight and day camps with financial and programmatic support for camps to address MESH in holistic ways – supporting camps hiring qualified mental health professionals on their staff, enhancing counselor training, integrating wellness programming into activity areas, and develop other ways to create cultural change within their camp communities year-round.
