When I was growing up, I never went to camp. I’m sure it was for many reasons. First, I grew up in the suburbs down the street from a tennis court, swimming pool and walking trails. My dad’s response to my wanting to go to camp was, “Go outside, play and take advantage of my tax dollars at work.” That said, I am also sure it’s also because no one else I knew went to camp and my mom was a stay at home mom.
Well, that is not the case living in New York City. Everyone goes to day camp because most couples and in my case, single mom, works. I would love to take the summer off but alas, that is not happening so summer day camp is a must.
And like every thing in New York, there are numerous day camp choices. Now, I heard of Oasis Day Camp from parents at my daughter’s school who were definitely gung ho about it. Oasis Day Camp in New York City has two locations; Lower East Side and Central Park.
I spoke to an Oasis parent, Amy S. and Bernie Tessler, CEO of Oasis Children’s Services to gain more clarity about Oasis Day Camp and why it’s a fit for my family.
Choosing Oasis Day Camp:
Traditional Summer Day Camp Experience – What l love about the Oasis Day Camp offering’s is that it does provide my daughter the opportunity to engage in a variety of traditional day camp activities from sports and swimming (her favorite) but also offers the choice of performing arts and going on numerous field trips.
A question parents have to ask when choosing a summer camp is what is your child interested in? Now thinking that through, it’s summer and kids really should be outside as much as possible and Oasis provides that choice plus extras for my daughter.
Oasis Day Camp Staff Counselors – In talking to Amy S.. I was struck at her enthusiasm for how well her kids loved the camp and especially her comment that the camp counselors made her children feel special and treated them like they were the only children in the world. Quite an endorsement. And that is something important to consider when choosing a camp is, are the camp counselors and how they interact with you child.
No Bullying Policy – Given my daughter’s age (she is going to be nine when summer camp begins), I am concerned about teasing from other kids. I asked Bernie about how Oasis handles bullying and/or behavioral issues. Bernie’s response, “Of course, we talk to the child and parent about the incident but if we find that it continues, the child will be “asked” to leave the camp for the rest of the summer.” Wow, that is pretty committed. And as Bernie told me, “we even refund the parent’s money.” Just in case, you are wondering what happened to that family, the family had two children, which they kept the remaining child in camp and the “expelled” child came back the next summer.
Flexibility – Flexibility is a word that I heard from both Amy and Bernie Tessler. There are numerous options for parents from having your child at Oasis for 2 weeks or the entire summer of 8 weeks or if you want them to be there from 9am -5pm (with early drop off and late pick) which is great for working parents or from 9am-3pm for parents with more flexible schedules, there is an option for you. And if you want to pick your child earlier than the pick up time because you have an appointment or want to leave early for the weekend, no problem. That is not an option for camps that are outside the city.
Convenient Bus Pick Up – If you are like me and the mornings are just chaos, just add on the additional stress of trying to make the bus pick up every morning. No worries, if you miss the bus pick up, you can always take them directly to camp, again not an option if you miss the bus for non-Manhattan camps. Summer is supposed to be about less pressure not more.
Hot Lunches – Another amenity that I love at Oasis Day is that there is an option for hot lunches if you so choose to pay the extra cost. How fantastic that parents don’t have to worry about packing a lunch if they don’t want to and I don’t.
Cost: The cost to attend the camp for 8 weeks (9-5pm) is $2,895 which I think is darn reasonable and certainly less than a majority of the camps in the city. Note that price I mentioned excludes additional costs like hot lunches, bus pick up and early drop/late pick up.
Financial Aid Availability: I have updated this post based on a reader question on being able to afford Oasis Camp. Yes, there is financial aid available. And not like other camps, I have gone to, there is a formal application process. Please contact Oasis directly if you have questions and the website for an application.
I will admit that I am pretty old school when it comes to summer fun, and I think that Oasis Day Camp will provide my daughter with good, clean wholesome fun summer camp experience and probably more importantly, a safe environment in which to enjoy her summer.
Camp Dates: July 02 – August 24, 2012. Online registration is open through June 29, 2012
Ages: 4-12
And if you don’t live in Manhattan, Oasis Day Camp is located in throughout the New York area (Brooklyn, Bayside, Dobbs Ferry, Point Lookout, Tully Park and Long Island); New Jersey (Madison) and Massachusetts (Northhampton and Worcester.)
Information Sessions for Oasis Day Camp Downtown: February 29, March 20, April 17 and May 15
Website: Oasis Day Camp for contact, informational session, dates for your area.
Disclosure: Level 1 compensation. Click here for NYC Single Mom’s disclosure policy.
Bernie Tessler who runs the camp, as CEO or the “boss” is the most dishonest and most morally corrupt human being I have dealt with in my ENTIRE life. Avoid this camp like the plague-!!!!