camp at the Yard

registration for 2025 camps will be ready in early January!

What is camp like?
play:groundNYC camp programs take place at The Yard, located on Governors Island - NYC’s only adventure playground. Our programs are guided by playwork. To see pictures of the space, check out our Instagram. To read more about our organization’s history and approach, please click here.

Play
People often ask what happens at camp. The answer is “play!”. Our camp programs are self-directed. Much of your child’s day will be (wonderfully) up to them! They will have opportunities to play with others, spend time alone, build things, take apart things, paint, splash, imagine, dig, read a book, relax; anything they can come up with! Campers also have the option, accompanied by playworkers, to walk around, explore other programs and areas of Governors Island.

Ages
play:groundNYC advocates for, and practices, age-mixing at our camp programs, where children of various ages have the opportunity to play together. We recommend camp for children ages 6-12+ years old. For children over 12.5 years old, we offer a Playworker-in-Training option, details below.

Mini Camps
Mini camps are one-day camps that take place during NYC public school closures between April and November, within the school year. We also operate a week-long camp during NYC public school’s Spring Break.

Summer Camp
Our summer camp is available from June 17, 2024 to August 30, 2024 (please note! Not all schools have the same calendar; please check your child’s calendar before enrolling your child in June). Sessions are Monday through Friday. The week of July 1st is only 3 days.

Time & Place
Our Camps run from 8:30am to 3:15pm. Please note these times are subject to change, should the Governors Island ferry schedule change. For all camp programs, drop off and pick up (excluding after-care) takes place at the Citi Bike station near the Battery Maritime Building (downtown Manhattan), unless otherwise indicated by our team.

After-care
*We are unable to offer After-care at Mini Camps*

For an additional fee, after-care is available until 5pm for our Summer Camp program. Please note after-care does NOT take place at The Yard, but at a public playground in Manhattan (Typically the Battery Playscape or, in inclement weather, the National Museum of the American Indian, both near the ferry terminal).

Mandatory Registration Paperwork
Families must submit a camp waiver (included in registration) and a recent health form for each participant at least two weeks before the first day of camp attended by your child. Children must be immunized according to DOH guidelines with supporting documents. We reserve the right to delay your child’s first day, with no reimbursement, if these documents are not submitted in time. Thank you for understanding! 

Capacity & Support
We maintain a ratio of at least 1 playworker to 6 children at The Yard for all camp programs. Our Summer Camp is capped at 25-30 children per day (depending on staffing). Our summer camp follows the DOH requirements for CPR and first aid training; Governors Island also has EMT professionals who respond to any major injury. 

Clothing
Your child will get dirty and/or wet and may get small bumps, bruises, or scratches, as is the nature of play. We recommend packing clothes you don’t mind getting dirty, and a change of clothes. Closed-toe shoes are mandatory inside The Yard, and you will receive an updated packing list before the start of camp.

Outdoors/Safety Considerations
Our goal is to hold camp entirely outdoors. For the safety and well-being of our team and campers, we reserve the right to move operations indoors when onsite with campers, and we reserve the right to cancel camp when modifications are not possible. See Cancellation Policy Below

Food Information
We do NOT provide food or snacks but we DO keep drinking water onsite. Please note that we allow children the freedom to choose when to eat, and while we will give reminders about lunchtime and offer to eat together, it is not a mandate.

Bathroom Access
Your child must be potty-trained to attend. There are both gendered options and unisex bathrooms next to The Yard.  

Sickness
If your child is sick, we ask that you please keep them at home to protect our team and fellow campers. If your child is at camp and visibly unwell, we may call to ask you to come pick them up.

🔨 “Smash The Patriarchy” Week 🔨
formerly known as Girls Week
By popular demand, we offer one week of Summer Camp which provides space for campers who self-identify as female, trans, non-binary and gender non-conforming to create, explore and play. In 2024, this will be the week of July 22, 2024. 

To be clear, play:groundNYC values diversity, inclusion, and sensitivity towards all individuals, regardless of gender identity or expression, for every week of summer camp and in every program; and nothing in the way this week is operated differs from other weeks, so it is entirely up to families to discuss and choose which setting is best for the child enrolled.

new in 2024

A Two Week Summer Camp Session!
This summer, between July 8th and July 19th, we are introducing a new two-week session. This will give families and campers an opportunity for more time together with a consistent group.

Following playwork philosophy and based on suggestions from you and our team, we’re going to take a risk and try it this year. If the timing doesn’t work for enough families to fill the spaces, we may adjust to allow people to register for each week individually.

🔨Playworker-in-Training (PIT)🔨
Be a Playworker-in-Training (PIT) during summer camp! Ages 12.5+ will have the opportunity for camp fun while diving deeper into the philosophy of playwork. Help out with activities, reflect on your day with a playworker, and join mid-day team meetings. 2-3 PIT spots will be available each week of summer camp. A training session will be required prior to the start of the summer season. 

We recommend the PIT program for young people already familiar with The Yard and its programs, but if you’re new to playwork and camp at The Yard, reach out before registering.

Tuition and payment options

Tuition
We offer tiered pricing for our camps to reflect household income levels. Please remember that your tuition helps make it possible for play:groundNYC to provide free access to The Yard every weekend for thousands of children, and to organize play pop-ups all over the city - thank you! In 2024, we are happy to continue to offer scholarship options as well for our Summer Camp! We may ask for proof of income.

Payment Choices
We are a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, and every dollar counts. If you can possibly pay with the eCheck option rather than a credit card, it would help us significantly to reduce fees. Thank you in advance! If you would prefer to pay by check or cash, please reach out to us directly.

Payment Plan Option
For 2024 summer camp, we are offering a Payment Plan option for families who register before March 1st. An initial installment of 40% will hold your spot. Two additional payments of 30% each will be automatically charged to you on March 31st and April 30th.

Scholarship*
*All Scholarships for Summer 2024 have been claimed. Please email us to join the waitlist.
We are proud to once again offer scholarships to low-income families for our Summer Camp. We have limited availability and are only able to accommodate one camp week per qualifying family. Qualifying families are those who receive SNAP benefits. A registration fee of $25 will be collected, and we will need qualifying families to confirm plans to attend one month in advance.
Feel free to reach out with questions: play@play-ground.nyc

Contact & Questions
For any questions, please email: play@play-ground.nyc.
We look forward to seeing you and playing together!

our Cancellation policy

Mini Camps/Spring Recess
Mini Camp and Spring Recess registrations are non-refundable.

Cancellation Policy
We do our best to operate camp in all conditions, rain and shine. However, if we deem the conditions to be hazardous or unsafe for the young people or our staff, and we are unable to provide an alternative solution, we will notify you as soon as possible and cancel. Sadly we are not in a position to offer a refund in whole or in part as we are committed to paying our staff.

Transfers
We will consider requests to change sessions depending on space available. Thank you for your understanding.

Summer Camp
If you choose to cancel your child's Summer Camp session prior to April 1, you will receive a full refund (minus a 5% processing fee) so long as we can fill your child's spot. If you choose to cancel prior to June 1, you will receive a 50% refund (minus a 5% processing fee) so long as we can fill your child's spot. After June 1, the camp fee is nonrefundable.

We reserve the right to cancel registration for any camper who does not submit required paperwork or any camper who does not meet the minimum age requirement for camp.

ACTIVE Refund
Please note, our cancellation policy is distinct from Active's payment protection plan: ACTIVE REFUND, which you can purchase at an additional charge directly from Active during registration. play:groundNYC does not receive funds from ACTIVE Refund, but will honor all cancellations made using this plan.

COVID Information

Our goal is to offer a safe and exciting week of camp for everyone. Our camp activities are facilitated almost exclusively outdoors. All playworkers are vaccinated. Masks are recommended for all. Our COVID-19 protocols for Camp at The Yard may can be found here; they may change, based on updated guidance from the NYS Department of Health and the CDC.

Can’t wait for Camp? The Yard is open every weekend, for free, from April into November.
Join us!