Summer Camp
If a camp session is full: Please use the “Register for Camp” button to make a free waiting list enrollment for any camps and dates you are interested in. There is no cost and no obligation to being on the waiting list. If a space becomes available we will contact the waiting list in order and you can accept or decline an enrollment offer at that point. Space in camp opens anytime we receive a cancellation, and that can happen anytime up until two weeks before a camp session starts.
Basic camp information for summer 2026:
Schedule: TWO WEEK SESSIONS (campers may be enrolled in one or more sessions) as follows:
Camp session 1: June 29 - July 10, 2026
Camp session 2: July 13 - 24, 2026
Camp session 3: July 27 - August 7, 2026
Camp hours: 8:30 AM – 3 PM, with extended day available from 3 – 5:30 PM. Morning care before 8:30 AM is not available.
Bonus camp weeks:
Registration for June 15 - 18 is open now. Information and registration are HERE!
We hope to offer mini-camps between August 10 – 21. We base these on staff availability and will open enrollment in JULY! Mini-camp hours are 8:30 AM – 3 PM and extended day after 3 PM is not available.
Camp fees:
$655 per 2 week session for Adventure Camp, Treehouse Camp, Amazing Animals Camp, and Rangers Camp
$685 per 2 week session for Cooking Camp (including supplemental fee for cooking supplies)
$735 per 2 week session for Sprouts (Sprouts Camp is priced to reflect the staff and facilities costs necessary to take great care of our youngest campers)
$425 per 2 week session for Junior Counselors
Extended day is $250 per 2-week session.
All campers receive a camp water bottle and tshirt. Camp hoodies are available for purchase when you register (optional).
Registration timeline:
Monday, February 9: deadline to apply for financial aid
Thursday and Friday, February 26 & 27: registration opens for returning families (Any family with a child who was enrolled in a drop-off program at Common Ground since summer 2023. Siblings who have not yet participated are also eligible.)
Saturday, February 28: registration opens for all (While some weeks and options might be full, we always have space to welcome new families, too, and we see lots of movement on the waiting lists for about 10 days after registration fills up as families adjust their summer plans!)
Important Camp Links
Camp Frequently Asked Questions
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Location: 358 Springside Ave, New Haven, CT
Phone: (203) 389-4333 ext 1213
Drop off time: 8:30 – 9:00 Pick-up time: 2:45 – 3:00
Latest pick-up time from extended day: 5:30
Email: camp@commongroundct.org
Due date for payments and doctor’s physicals: May 29, 2026 -
Children ages 4 – 15 may be enrolled in camp. Sprouts campers must be 4 by their first day of camp order to be eligible.
Children ages 14+ may be enrolled as Junior Counselors. JC’s are wonderful helpers in our groups for younger children! Please be sure to read the JC program description to see if this role is a good fit for your child.
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Schedule: TWO WEEK SESSIONS (campers may be enrolled in one or more sessions) as follows:
Camp session 1: June 29 - July 10, 2026
Camp session 2: July 13 - 24, 2026
Camp session 3: July 27 - August 7, 2026
Camp hours: 8:30 AM – 3 PM, with extended day available from 3 – 5:30 PM. Morning care before 8:30 AM is not available.
Camp fees:
$655 per 2 week session for Adventure Camp, Treehouse Camp, Amazing Animals Camp, and Rangers Camp
$685 per 2 week session for Cooking Camp (including supplemental fee for cooking supplies)
$735 per 2 week session for Sprouts (Sprouts Camp is priced to reflect the staff and facilities costs necessary to take great care of our youngest campers)
$425 per 2 week session for Junior Counselors
Extended day is $250 per 2-week session.
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Financial aid is available to qualified applicants from any town. Apply online HERE. The application deadline for priority consideration for financial aid is February 9, 2026.
A non-refundable deposit of 20% of camp fees is required at the time of registration.
A payment plan option is available for the balance, with payment in full due by May 29, 2026.
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Your 20% deposit (before financial aid) is never refundable.
If you register and then cancel for any reason up until May 1, 2026 you will receive a refund on all tuition paid beyond the 20% deposit.
Starting May 2, 2026 through two weeks before the start of your camper’s session we will issue a refund for tuition paid beyond the 20% deposit IF we are able to fill your camper’s spot before the start of the camp session you are canceling.
Cancellations with notice of two weeks or less are not eligible for a refund.
No refund will be issued for missed days of camp.
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We do not provide lunch or transportation
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One of the strengths of Common Ground Camp is our amazing staff team! Our camps are staffed by teachers, assistant teachers, counselors, and junior counselors.
Our teachers are professionals who have significant experience with children and lots of enthusiasm for outdoor play and exploration. Our teachers represent a diverse range of ages and backgrounds, and they all share a love of child-centered adventure and learning.
Assistant teachers are often folks who are exploring the possibility of a career in teaching or environmental education. The assistant teacher helps with activities and may lead their own activity with the mentoring of one of the teachers.
Counselors are high school students who have earned a job working in camp by volunteering with children’s programs during the school year and/or by being an amazing Junior Counselor or counselor in a previous summer. Many of our counselors are Common Ground High School Students. Counselors assist teachers with activities, sing songs, play games, help make sure that hands are washed and water bottles are filled, and bring lots of fun to each camp day. They are learning about child development and are not primarily in charge of leading activities, guiding behavior, or caring for first aid needs (the camp teachers are responsible for these roles).
Junior counselors are our hard working volunteers! They are former campers, ages 14 and up, who love working with young children and may be interested in earning a counselor position in the future. They primarily help in camps for ages 4 – 10. Junior counselors are great friends – they read stories, tie shoes, fill water bottles, and hold hands on challenging hikes!
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Our address is 358 Springside Avenue in New Haven.
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Campers should come prepared for the weather. We will be outside in any weather as long as it is safe (including rain). Campers usually love rainy days – it is not so hot, and they are allowed to get all wet!
During thunderstorms, campers will be indoors in their assigned classrooms.
When it is very hot we take frequent water breaks and make sure that all campers have a filled water bottle. We also turn on the sprinklers for campers (and staff!) who want to cool off in the water. We may also take short indoor breaks to cool off in the air conditioning on exceptionally hot days, but will not spend all or most of a day indoors.
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Registration is available until all spaces are filled. We are usually full within a few days of opening registration, and in recent years we have filled the same day that registration opens. There is no cost and no obligation to joining the waiting list if a session you are interested in is full.
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Over the course of their 2-week session, camp groups will enjoy time in all of our activity areas as well as hikes and adventures in West Rock Park and time for unstructured free play time.
Activity areas include:
Woodshop
Wetland
Honey bees
Children’s garden
Mud kitchen and sandbox
Field games
Fort building
Campfire cooking
Chickens, ducks, and turkeys
Sheep and goats
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Extended day is supervised recreational time with activity choices including outdoor play (including garden and animal time), field games, and an activity tent with art supplies and games.
Day-by-day scheduling may be available on a space-available basis. Single day slots are opened at the beginning of each session if space remains and are $30 per child, per day.
We do NOT have a nurse on campus during extended day, but extended day staff are trained in first aid and CPR as well as any needed emergency medication administration procedures.
You may pick-up anytime from 3 – 5:30. Tuition is $250 per 2-week session. Refunds or credits are not available for days not attended.
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We will be almost fully outside. We prioritize outdoor activities and each group has an air conditioned classroom they can use for cool down breaks on especially hot days, and as an activity space during thunderstorms.
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Each group has 24 - 26 campers with 4 staff. Some groups are also joined by Junior Counselor volunteers who are ages 14 and up.
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We need an Authorization for Administration of Emergency Medication Form that is signed by the parent and the child’s doctor. Medication must be in its original container, in a clear plastic bag with the camper’s name on the outside. It is most likely the same paperwork and packaging that you are required to do for your child’s school.
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We welcome children with many different kinds of needs. All children with a need that requires support beyond what is typical for a child of their age have a Special Care Plan that is developed in collaboration with the parent and is shared with our nurse and your child’s camp teachers so that we can have a shared plan to help your child have fun and be safe. Our groups have one staff person for every 6 campers. Our planned staffing accounts for children being able to share attention and direction from staff according to that ratio. Campers are safest when they are able to stay within physical space boundaries in a large, unfenced campus (with age appropriate orientation and supervision around boundaries given to all children). Campers are happiest when they enjoy a mix of structured and unstructured time, as each camp day includes time for free play and child choice as well as times that campers are asked to join their groups planned activities. Please contact us at camp@commongroundct.org if you would like to discuss your child’s needs.
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Please send a lunch each day for your camper and use an insulated lunch bag and an icepack if your child’s lunch needs to be kept cold (refrigeration is not available).
You may pack any foods you wish in your child’s lunch – we do not restrict any specific foods. If your child has a food allergy that could be triggered by being in the presence of a specific food, please contact us so we can discuss how to best provide for your child.
We have many children with food allergies and take their safety seriously! We do not believe it is enforceable to truly have a “nut free” campus, for nuts or other common allergens. We practice allergy awareness and good surface and hand hygiene as one of several strategies for keeping all kids safe.
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Snack is not provided. Packing one or two small snack options in addition to lunch is helpful so that your camper has the option for a quick snack if needed before or after lunch. Campers who are staying for afternoon extended day will need a snack, too, so please send an additional item in your child’s bag if they will be staying past 3 PM. Sprouts Campers always need a snack – a pause for an afternoon snack from home is built into the Sprouts Camp day.
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Backpack (with camper’s NAME on the OUTSIDE is helpful!). We often take our lunches with us on the trail, so a backpack your child can comfortably carry is important.
A full water bottle (32 oz size is highly recommended) with your child’s name on it. You may use the provided camp water bottle (we will label it with their name and group!) or a different water bottle if preferred.
INSIDE the BACKPACK:
Packed lunch, in an insulated bag if necessary. Lunches are not refrigerated.
A small snack or two that your camper is welcome to eat before or after lunch if they are hungry
a change of clothes in a plastic bag (in case of serious messes or uncomfortable wet clothes)
Wearing sneakers, boots, or closed toes sandals (no flip flops or slides/open backed shoes)
Dressed for mess and for the weather
Long-lasting bug-spray and sunscreen applied (optional)
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Please do NOT send your child with:
A cell phone, smart watch, or any other form of electronics (tablets, hand held gaming devices, cameras, etc). We regularly contact families about camper needs and find that campers who are texting their parent rather than expressing their needs to staff have lower success in actually having their needs cared for promptly!
Do not send whittling knives, matches, lighters, or other “outdoor equipment”. We provide these things if they are part of an activity!
No sports equipment of any kind. We have limited places where it is appropriate to use bats, balls, gloves, etc and we will provide this equipment when needed.
Camp Options
Sprouts campers must be 4 years old by the first day the child attends camp.
Our Sprouts Campers will spend their days enjoying a combination of teacher led activities and unstructured, creative playtime. We will hold chickens, feed weeds to the sheep, pick cherry tomatoes in the garden, and dig for worms. Sprouts campers will go on short hikes in West Rock Park, wade in the stream, picnic under shady trees, make nature art projects, mix up potions in the mud kitchen, and learn silly camp songs. Just like the older camp groups, Sprouts Campers will also build forts in the woods, cook with food from the farm, enjoy campfires and campfire cooking, and catch frogs and other creatures at the wetland.
Specific activities follow the cycles of farm and forest, and each week is a unique adventure, so Sprouts campers may be signed up for any number and combination of sessions.
Our Sprouts Camp teachers are professionals who have lots of experience with early childhood education.
Which camp option is best for a 5 or 6 year old?
Sprouts Campers do all the activities that the older groups do, they are just staffed and structured to be enjoyed by our youngest campers! Sprouts Camp is our only camp choice for 4 year olds, and it is usually the best choice for 5 and 6 year olds who have never attended a summer camp before, who have not yet started Kindergarten, or who are shy about warming up to new situations. Each week typically sees mixed enrollment from children ages 4 – 6 and it is not likely that a child will feel “too young” or “too old” for the group – we have enough staff to diversify activities to make sure all children are engaged, challenged, and having fun! Please inquire if you’d like to talk about which camp might be best for your child.
Adventure Campers are divided into groups by age and we have six groups per session. Age groups are approximately 5 – 7, 8 – 10, and 9 – 12. Exact age groupings depend on actual registrations received. If your child wants to be placed with a friend/sibling in Adventure Camp, please be sure to note the name in the “Friend Request” field when you register)
Creative play and active exploration are the starting point for each week of Adventure Camp. Fort building, nature arts, wading in the stream, and caring for farm animals are typical weekly activities. Camper favorites also include making pizza from the farm, picking blueberries, silly songs at Morning Meeting, and day-long adventures in the woods with a picnic lunch by Lake Wintergreen! Special themed days will follow seasonal events of the farm and forest and can include making snacks from the garden, hiking in West Rock and climbing through Judge’s Cave, seeking and learning about bugs, following wildlife signs in the woods, or a day full of chicken themed activities!
Our Adventure Camp teachers are professionals who have lots of experience with children and enthusiasm for outdoor play and exploration. Teachers are joined by assistant teachers and high school student counselors.
Treehouse Camp is a MIXED AGE group with 24 campers ages 5 - 12 in the same group.
The mixed age group in Treehouse Camp allows siblings/cousins/friends of different ages to register for a camp together! Not all of our Treehouse Campers will register with a friend or family member – this camp is also a great choice for any child who enjoys playing with a wide age range of peers. At Common Ground we love mixed age groups – they offer leadership opportunities for older children, a range of peers to play with for younger children, and often see lower social conflict and more collaborative play than groups made up entirely of same-age peers.
Home base for our Treehouse Campers is at our “treehouse cabin” in the woods! This special gathering place is the launching point for daily adventures. Our Treehouse Campers explore all the favorite activities at Common Ground Camp: visiting the farm animals, nibbling in the children’s garden, digging in the mud kitchen, going on hikes, wading in the stream, building forts, hanging out at the campfire, and playing with friends.
Our Treehouse Camp teachers are professionals who have lots of experience with children and boundless enthusiasm for outdoor play and exploration! Teachers are assisted by high school student counselors. The group is also joined by junior counselors (14+ year old volunteers), so we have lots of helpers available.
Amazing Animals Camp is perfect for animal lovers, young naturalists, and aspiring zoologists and wildlife biologists who want to learn about and interact with animals of all sorts! Learn about domestic and wild animals as we use the farm and forest to get up close and personal with the animals we share the earth with.
On the farm, help with chores, adopt a chicken, collect eggs from the chicken coop, or brush a goat. In the forest, seek salamanders, track animal signs in the woods, or make your own fishing pole to use at Lake Wintergreen!
Amazing Animals Campers will also go on hikes, play games, nibble in the garden, sing songs, build forts, and have time for unstructured, creative play. Activities vary each session, so children may do one or more sessions of Amazing Animals Camp.
The Amazing Animals Camp teachers love science and facilitating learning through exploration!
Kid chefs in our Farm to Feast Cooking Camp will use farm fresh foods to cook up daily feasts! Build your own pizza from scratch, create your own salsa recipe, and collect fresh eggs from the chicken coop to cook a hearty farm breakfast. Campers harvest fresh ingredients from the farm and garden to gather the basic ingredients for each day’s culinary adventures.
Our goal in Cooking Camp is to have lots of fun while introducing campers to cooking and eating food right from the farm. All campers will harvest from the farm, chop, measure, mix, and prepare food, follow recipes, and try new foods over the course of their session. Campers rotate through cooking activities in small groups, so no camper spends all day cooking – we have lots of different activities to enjoy! Cooking campers will also visit the farm animals, play games, make new friends, go on hikes and adventures in the forest, build forts, and enjoy music and art projects.
The Farm to Feast Cooking Camp classroom is a very popular spot on campus – staff and campers are always peeking in to see what smells so good! While our camps are primarily outside, cooking campers will spend more time inside than other groups when they are in the teaching kitchen (we also enjoy campfire cooking and use picnic tables outside for recipes that do not need indoor equipment!).
Our recipes may include eggs, dairy, and gluten but we can adapt most recipes to avoid common allergens when needed. We do NOT cook with any nut products or with any meat.
In each adventure-filled session, Rangers Campers will make new friends and favorite memories as they hike and explore West Rock, conquer the Big Rock Challenge, learn to build and cook over a campfire, use clues to hunt for hidden treasure, visit the farm animals, help with animal and garden care, play games, get wet in Wintergreen Brook, eat a picnic lunch in the woods, create a giant fort, and harvest and cook with food from the farm!
Rangers have a special spot as the oldest kids on campus – children who have come to Common Ground for many years can look forward to Rangers as a special way to end their years as campers, and children who are new to Common Ground will find that Rangers camp is a great way to jump into a small group of new friends!
Rangers campers help shape their weekly activities through conversations with their teachers about what they are most excited to learn and explore. Teachers develop each week’s schedule based on what the campers are excited to do. Every session is a new adventure, so Rangers can join us for any number and combination of sessions.
Our Rangers Camp staff are experienced with the social and emotional needs of middle school aged campers and focus on teamwork and relationship building as an important part of the camp experience.
Our Junior Counselors are enthusiastic, energetic volunteers who learn about responsibility and working on a team as they partner with camp counselors and camp teachers to lead activities, play games, and participate in all aspects of camp. Most JC’s are 14 – 16 years old, but we are also happy to have older Junior Counselors who love children and nature.
Junior Counselors must have attended Common Ground for a minimum of one summer camp session or one academic year program before joining us a Junior Counselor.
Mentoring and supervision is part of the JC program, however we ask that JC’s have the motivation and maturity to participate as role models for campers ages 4 – 10 years old. It is important that the JC feel ready and excited to take on this role and be able to follow and model camp rules. Please call the camp director at 203-389-4333 x 1213 if you have questions about whether or not this might be a good fit for your child.
We typically do NOT place Junior Counselors in the same group as their friend – JC’s are joining us to focus on being helpers in camp, not to be with their JC friend, and we usually find that placing friends together means they have a harder time fully participating in camp.
Documentation of community service hours is available for Junior Counselors if needed.
All Junior Counselors will receive a camp hoodie as a thank-you for their participation (hoodies are included free with JC registration)!