How much does summer camp cost in Park Slope?

Full-day day camps in Park Slope generally run about $500 to $700 a week (for example, Amerikick around $600 and Sports & Arts around $550, per their published 2026 rates). Half-day and early-childhood programs like Brooklyn Forest cost less, around $375 a session. Specialty music, STEM, and arts programs are usually priced per week-long session and vary widely. Most offer sibling and multi-week discounts, and the popular ones fill months ahead.

What's the difference between a permitted camp and a 'specialty program'?

NYC's Health Department (DOHMH) regulates a program as a 'children's camp' only if it enrolls 10 or more kids and offers two or more activities including a high-risk, recreational, or sport one. Those camps need a city permit and are inspected each summer. A single-subject program (a music, robotics, or art camp) usually falls below that threshold, so it isn't a permitted camp. That's not a knock, just a different regulatory category. The label on each pick tells you which is which.

How do I check a camp's NYC permit and inspection record?

Use the DOHMH Child Care Connect search and look up the camp by name. A permitted camp shows its permit number, status, and inspection history, including any violations. Permits run June 1 to September 15 and renew each season, so before the season opens a returning camp may show 'in-renewal'. That's the normal pre-season state, not a red flag. A specialty single-subject program won't appear at all, because it falls below the permit threshold.

When should I register for a Park Slope summer camp?

Early. The most popular Park Slope camps open registration in winter and fill the desirable weeks, and the youngest age groups, by early spring. If you have a specific camp, age, or week in mind, sign up by February or March. Many run sibling and early-bird discounts that also reward booking ahead.

Are specialty programs safe even without a camp permit?

Generally yes. They're below NYC's camp-permit threshold, not unregulated, and many are long-established neighborhood institutions. Because they aren't city-inspected as camps, do your own diligence: ask about staff-to-child ratios, background checks, first-aid and CPR coverage, and what a day actually looks like. Those are good questions for any program, permitted or not.

What ages do these camps serve?

Across the guide, roughly age 3.5 through the early teens, but each program's range is narrow. Hootenanny is 4 to 8, Brooklyn Robot Foundry is rising K-5, Park Slope Day Camp spans Pre-K through 10th grade. Check the age line on each card. Matching a camp's core age band to your child matters more than the brand name.

GUIDE · UPDATED MAY 2026 · RE-VERIFIED QUARTERLY

The best summer camps in Park Slope, by what your kid's into

By Victor S. · Founding editor of The Park SloperUpdated May 23, 2026 · ~2,100 words · 9 min read

Registration for Park Slope summer camps opens in winter, and by the time the trees leaf out the good weeks are gone. A robotics builder, a future Olympian, a forest kid, and a budding cellist need four different summers, so this guide is organized by what your kid is actually into, grouped by category, two to four picks per bucket.

What the camp-fair flyers won't tell you: which of these is a NYC-permitted camp, and which isn't. The Health Department (DOHMH) permits and inspects any program that clears the "children's camp" bar (10 or more kids, two or more activities including a high-risk or sport one). Many beloved single-subject programs (music, STEM, art) fall below that line. Neither kind is better than the other, but every permitted camp below carries its real city-permit pill, and the specialty programs are labeled as specialty programs.

Traditional day camp

Best all-rounder for most families

NYC camp permit ✓ 2026

Park Slope Day Camp

Pre-K to Gr 10 · 8 wks (Jun 29 to Aug 21) · multi-activity

The neighborhood's big, established general day camp since 1992. Sports, arts, swim, and trips across eight weeks, with a wide age range and the scale to place almost any kid. The default first call for a traditional Park Slope summer, and a Park Slope Parents staple.

Skip if: Your child wants to go deep on one specialty (a single sport, instrument, or craft) rather than sample a bit of everything.

Address: 241 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (718) 788-7732
Web: parkslopedaycamp.com

Best for swim + traditional camp

Permit renewing · June

Prospect Park YMCA

Full-day · pool on site · register early

The Y's Park Slope camp pairs traditional day-camp activities with in-house swim, the easy pick if pool time is non-negotiable, backed by the YMCA's safety infrastructure and a long run at the Park Slope Armory.

Skip if: You need confirmed 2026 dates locked in today. The Y's permit is mid-renewal and exact session dates aren't posted yet, so call to pin down the weeks before you commit.

Address: Park Slope Armory, 361 15th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (718) 768-7100
Web: ymcanyc.org/locations/prospect-park-ymca

Best for flexible, choice-based days

Permit renewing · June

Steve & Kate's Camp (Cobble Hill)

Ages 4 to 12 · 8am to 6pm · buy-the-day passes

Campers choose their own activities each day (coding, music, arts, sports, makerspace) at their own pace, with famously flexible day-pass pricing and long 8-to-6 hours. A short hop from Park Slope in Cobble Hill.

Skip if: You want a camp inside Park Slope proper, or a structured single-focus program. This is Cobble Hill, and deliberately unstructured.

Address: 185 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Phone: (347) 768-8865
Web: steveandkatescamp.com/brooklyn-cobble-hill

Sports

Best sports-led day camp

NYC camp permit ✓ 2026

Kids in the Game

Ages 3.5 to 12 · half & full day · 8 wks

A sports-forward day camp at St. Saviour with the range (sports, theme weeks, art, STEM) to keep a 3.5-to-12-year-old busy, plus half-day options for the littlest and after-care to 5:30. The verified sports anchor for the neighborhood.

Skip if: Your child wants elite single-sport training. This is a broad, fun, sample-everything athletic camp, not a specialist academy.

Address: Saint Saviour HS, 588 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (212) 634-7262
Web: www.kidsinthegame.com/summer-camps/park-slope

Best for a martial-arts focus

Amerikick Martial Arts

Ages 5 to 12 · 8:30 to 3 (care to 6) · ~$600/wk

A full-day martial-arts camp on 5th Avenue that blends karate training with outdoor adventures and Friday trips. The pick for a kid who wants discipline and structure with a single-sport spine, running July 6 to August 26.

Skip if: You want a multi-sport sampler, or a NYC-permitted, city-inspected camp. This is a single-subject martial-arts program, so you'll want to vet its staffing and safety yourself.

Address: 529 5th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (718) 768-8200
Web: brooklynmartialarts.net/summer-camp-amerikick-brooklyn

Best multi-sport sampler

Sports & Arts

~$550/wk · soccer, tennis, basketball, baseball + art

Rotates young athletes across five-plus sports (soccer, tennis, flag football, basketball, baseball) with dance and art mixed in. Built for kids who'd rather try everything than specialize, on 3rd Avenue in Park Slope.

Skip if: You want published ages and hours up front (they aren't), or a single-sport deep dive.

Address: 303 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (646) 977-4477
Web: www.sports-and-arts.com

Nature & outdoors

Best full-day outdoors camp

Permit renewing · June

Trail Blazers

Pre-K to Gr 5 · full day · runs in Prospect Park

An almost-entirely-outdoors day camp that runs inside Prospect Park, with a Park Slope bus stop and a nature-immersion program decades in the making. The full-day outdoor pick for a kid who'd rather be in the woods than a gym.

Skip if: Your child wilts without AC and indoor downtime. This camp is outside, rain or shine.

Area: Day camp in Prospect Park · buses from Park Slope (office: 495a Flatbush Ave, 11225)
Phone: (212) 529-5113
Web: trailblazers.org/summer-day-camp

Best for little nature lovers

Brooklyn Forest

Early childhood · half-day · Prospect Park

Half-day 'forest classroom' sessions in Prospect Park aimed at the youngest kids and parent-child pairs. Outdoor, play-based, and gentle: a first taste of nature camp rather than a full day of coverage, running July 8 to August 28.

Skip if: You need full-day coverage or a school-age program. This is short, early-childhood outdoor play.

Area: Long Meadow & Grand Army Plaza, Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Web: brooklynforest.org/summer-season-prospect-park

STEM

Best for builders & robotics

Brooklyn Robot Foundry

Rising K-5 · 9 to 4 · screen-free · Jun 29 to Aug 28

Screen-free, hands-on robot-building and tinkering, running its Park Slope summer at St. Saviour. Full-day, gleefully nerdy, and ideal for a kid who wants to make things move and light up.

Skip if: You want a NYC-permitted, city-inspected camp or a broad multi-activity day. This is a single-subject build program, so check its staffing and safety yourself.

Area: Summer camp at St. Saviour, Park Slope (11215)
Phone: (646) 389-0774
Web: brooklynrobotfoundry.com/brownstone-brooklyn

Best for design & 'futures' thinking

Into the Future

Rising Gr 2-5 · 8:30 to 3 · Jul 6 to Aug 28

A 'lab for play' on 7th Avenue where kids design and build their vision of a future New York. Hands-on, imaginative, and unlike anything else in the neighborhood. Founded by a futurist, and long-recommended on Park Slope Parents.

Skip if: Your child isn't into independent, sustained building and design, or you need a permitted multi-activity camp.

Address: 477 7th Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Web: www.intothefuture.nyc/summer2026
Email: info@intothefuture.nyc

Music

Best for the youngest music lovers

Hootenanny

Ages 4 to 8 · full-day 9 to 3 · weekly musical themes

A small, homey music day camp with a backyard vibe near Prospect Park West, each week built around a different musical theme: guitar, drums, songwriting, and play. A beloved Park Slope Parents name for the littlest music lovers.

Skip if: You have an older child or want serious instrument instruction. This is joyful early-childhood music, not a conservatory.

Address: 271 Prospect Park West, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Web: hootenannybrooklyn.com/camps

Best for real musical training

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music

Dated camps Jul to Aug · jazz, band, Suzuki, piano

The neighborhood's serious music school runs a full slate of dated 2026 summer camps on 7th Avenue (jazz, band, Suzuki strings, piano, chamber workshop) for kids who want to actually develop as musicians.

Skip if: You want all-day general camp coverage. BKCM's camps are music-intensive week blocks, not a traditional day camp.

Address: 58 Seventh Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: (718) 622-3300
Web: www.bkcm.org/summer

Dance & arts

Best multi-arts day camp

Spoke the Hub (Camp Gowanee)

Multi-arts · dance, film, crafts · Park Slope

Park Slope's 40-year-old dance-and-arts institution runs Camp Gowanee, a multi-arts summer mix of dance, music, film, writing, and crafts on Union Street. The well-rounded creative-kid pick.

Skip if: You want a single discipline taken seriously, or a sports/outdoor focus.

Address: 748 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (718) 408-3234
Web: spokethehub.org

Best for serious young dancers

Mark Morris Dance Center

Ages 6 to 12 · full-day 9:15 to 2:45 · 2-wk sessions

Conservatory-grade, multi-genre dance camp (ballet, modern, tap, hip-hop, jazz with live music) at the Mark Morris center near BAM, full-day and inclusive of dancers with disabilities. For a kid who wants to really dance.

Skip if: You want a Park-Slope-proper location or a casual sampler. This is committed dance training, a short trip away in Fort Greene.

Address: 3 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Phone: (718) 624-8400
Web: markmorrisdancegroup.org/dance-center/the-school/dance-camps/summer-camps

Best for hands-on makers

Textile Arts Center

Ages 5 to 13 · week-long · weaving, sewing, dyeing

A fiber-arts studio on the Park Slope/Gowanus border running week-long camps in weaving, sewing, printing, and felting, plus field trips, for the kid who'd rather make something with their hands than perform.

Skip if: Your child wants performance, sports, or screens. This is quiet, tactile craft.

Address: 505 Carroll St, Brooklyn, NY 11215
Phone: (718) 369-0222
Web: www.textileartscenter.com

Frequently asked questions

How much does summer camp cost in Park Slope?: Full-day day camps in Park Slope generally run about $500 to $700 a week (for example, Amerikick around $600 and Sports & Arts around $550, per their published 2026 rates). Half-day and early-childhood programs like Brooklyn Forest cost less, around $375 a session. Specialty music, STEM, and arts programs are usually priced per week-long session and vary widely. Most offer sibling and multi-week discounts, and the popular ones fill months ahead.
What's the difference between a permitted camp and a 'specialty program'?: NYC's Health Department (DOHMH) regulates a program as a 'children's camp' only if it enrolls 10 or more kids and offers two or more activities including a high-risk, recreational, or sport one. Those camps need a city permit and are inspected each summer. A single-subject program (a music, robotics, or art camp) usually falls below that threshold, so it isn't a permitted camp. That's not a knock, just a different regulatory category. The label on each pick tells you which is which.
How do I check a camp's NYC permit and inspection record?: Use the DOHMH Child Care Connect search and look up the camp by name. A permitted camp shows its permit number, status, and inspection history, including any violations. Permits run June 1 to September 15 and renew each season, so before the season opens a returning camp may show 'in-renewal'. That's the normal pre-season state, not a red flag. A specialty single-subject program won't appear at all, because it falls below the permit threshold.
When should I register for a Park Slope summer camp?: Early. The most popular Park Slope camps open registration in winter and fill the desirable weeks, and the youngest age groups, by early spring. If you have a specific camp, age, or week in mind, sign up by February or March. Many run sibling and early-bird discounts that also reward booking ahead.
Are specialty programs safe even without a camp permit?: Generally yes. They're below NYC's camp-permit threshold, not unregulated, and many are long-established neighborhood institutions. Because they aren't city-inspected as camps, do your own diligence: ask about staff-to-child ratios, background checks, first-aid and CPR coverage, and what a day actually looks like. Those are good questions for any program, permitted or not.
What ages do these camps serve?: Across the guide, roughly age 3.5 through the early teens, but each program's range is narrow. Hootenanny is 4 to 8, Brooklyn Robot Foundry is rising K-5, Park Slope Day Camp spans Pre-K through 10th grade. Check the age line on each card. Matching a camp's core age band to your child matters more than the brand name.

How do you check a camp's permit and safety record?

For any camp that should be permitted, you can check it yourself in about two minutes. NYC's DOHMH Child Care Connect lets you search a permitted children's camp by name and pull up its permit number, status, and inspection history, including any violations and whether they were fixed. Permitted camps are inspected at least twice each summer.

Two things to keep in mind. Permits renew at the start of each season (June 1), so a returning camp may read "in-renewal" in the spring, which is expected, not a problem. And a specialty single-subject program won't show up at all, because it sits below NYC's camp threshold. The one to ask about: a program that bills itself as a full day camp, clearly clears the threshold, and still turns up with no permit on file. That's worth a direct question before you pay.

Five questions sort a good fit from a stressful summer, and they matter for permitted camps and specialty programs alike:

What are the staff-to-child ratios, and how are counselors screened?
What are the exact hours, and is there before/after care?
Does my child's age land in the camp's core group (not the edge of the range)?
What's the refund or credit policy if plans change?
For a specialty program: is it a NYC-permitted camp, and if not, how do you handle safety, allergies, and emergencies?

How did we vet these camps?

We sorted Park Slope's many camps by what kids are actually into, then checked each one against the city's own records. We didn't attend them or grade the programming, so lean on this for the homework you'd rather not do at 11 p.m. and trust your gut on whether a place feels right for your kid.

Every permitted camp was run through NYC's DOHMH Child Care Connect, and each label reflects its real status: green for an active 2026 permit, amber for a permit renewing for the June 1 season start. Specialty programs (most single-subject music, STEM, and arts camps) sit below NYC's camp-permit threshold, so they carry no permit label and are named for what they are. If a program billed itself as a day camp but we couldn't find the permit it should have, it isn't here.

No camp pays to be on this list. Written by Victor S., founding editor of The Park Sloper. Park Slope is our neighborhood and the only one we cover. Last refreshed May 23, 2026; next re-verification ahead of the 2027 camp-search season.

Traditional day camp

Park Slope Day Camp

Prospect Park YMCA

Steve & Kate's Camp (Cobble Hill)

Sports

Kids in the Game

Amerikick Martial Arts

Sports & Arts

Nature & outdoors

Trail Blazers

Brooklyn Forest

STEM

Brooklyn Robot Foundry

Into the Future

Music

Hootenanny

Brooklyn Conservatory of Music

Dance & arts

Spoke the Hub (Camp Gowanee)

Mark Morris Dance Center

Textile Arts Center

Frequently asked questions

How do you check a camp's permit and safety record?

What should you ask before you sign up?

How did we vet these camps?