Our children have been going every summer to Gan Israel, they enjoy every moment, great staff,…read morefriends. and fun trip and activities!

From the owner: Camp Gan Israel of Central Long Island is a premier summer day camp, dedicated to enriching the…read morelives of children from diverse Jewish backgrounds through a fun, engaging, and meaningful camping experience. Campers enjoy a wide range of exciting activities, including recreational and instructional swimming, sports with professional coaches, horseback riding lessons, arts & crafts, field trips, gymnastics, science, music, archery, martial arts, Challah baking, and much more — all within a nurturing Jewish framework. At Gan Israel Day Camp, each age group enjoys a variety of age-appropriate, thoughtfully designed daily activities and weekly trips. Every program is led by experienced specialists who are experts in their fields and passionate about working with children.

Great getaway in our own back yard. The kids loved it, the swimming pools are well maintained and…read morethe environment is very welcoming.

My kids went there for 3 years and loved it. But this summer (2018) everything changed. We will…read moreNEVER go back. My 3 kids were on the bus an HOUR EACH WAY, and the staff would not budge to help me out. I said an hour in the morning was fine- but reserve the route on the way home... NOPE. The lunch was horrible, they didn't have 1/2 of what was on the "menu" each day. Communion is horrible. Management pretty much ignored me after I handed over $20,000 for my children to have a fun summer. Some of the management changed this year and it was definitely FOR THE WORSE. Really stinks because the grounds are beautiful and it had such great potential. Kevin Gersh would not even speak to me. He's like the guy behind the curtain on Wizard of Oz.

We've been sending our son for two years to the Extreme Teen Travel Program and it's been an…read moreincredible experience. He loves the trips and overnights. The owner and staff are all great people. When we were first interested in the camp they were easy to accommodate us for a tour and meeting. My son instantly wanted to join this camp after the first 5 minutes. While my son spends many days doing trips, the actual camp itself is very impressive. Tucked away at the end of a residential street is a massive sprawling day camp that feels like you're miles away from everything even though you're actually just a few minutes drive away from 110. They have a ton of facilities to offer the campers. Multiple pools, go cart track, zip lines, all the sports you could want, a pond w paddle boats, archery, art & crafts and even a circus performance class! Every day is a party at KENWAL - when you drop off your kids in the morning they have party music blasting away and the super friendly staff are all out in the lot to greet the kids and keep the traffic flowing. You know you're kids are in for a fun day every day! The office staff is flexible with payments, offer different payment options, discounts for early pay and they are just great to work with. We've used other camps on the island and we wish we found Kenwal years ago. Prices are reasonable compared to other camps and they offer a lot more services in my opinion and don't seem to have the staffing issues we've seen elsewhere. Counselors are plentiful and certainly look like they are having fun working here. Highly recommend. Bring on the summer!!!

They pay the counselors under 6 dollars an hour and that's for the whole summer. How is this even…read morelegal?? They are treated like garbage.

Everything is great until it's not…read more Hope no one gets sick on your child's bus. They won't even attempt to clean it up and the windows don't really open. Not surprisingly, my son came home with a stomach virus. Hope no one bullies your kid. A kid was calling my son names. Owner said "kids will be kids." When he began to hit him owner said, in writing, "Why do you believe your son?" Do yourself and your kids a favor and stick to a camp with more experienced administrators who know how to handle these inevitable situations.

My son absolutely loves this place. Definitely worth the money. Plenty of activities and great…read morecounselers. What's really awesome is the fact that he's picked up and dropped off every day on time. Would definitely recommend it!

I spent eight summers at this surreal camp, and I loved every second of it. Unlike other camps, you…read moreget to choose a major and a minor, and are exposed to the fine arts extensively. It is almost like you are preparing for higher educational institutions, regardless of your age. I recommended this facility to a friend of mine, as her son wanted to spread his wings at USDAN, so to speak. The "campus" has changed greatly since I was enrolled, however, it has only been improved. The studios where teaching had taken place, were now solid buildings and not merely the wooden huts that I remembered so fondly. They are probably more sturdy during the occasional heavy summer rain. You still need a map to navigate the heavily wooded grounds. I remember having an assembly on a daily basis, which often featured a well known talented performer. There is a daily swimming class, a lunch hour as well as time to dedicate to both your major and your minor. There was also ice cream served by the friendly staff at the end of every day, as you walked to the bus. The teachers were phenomenal. Each one was incredibly talented and well versed in his or her craft. This definitely contributed to creating an exceptional experience. Highly recommended.

Usdan is a place like no other (well, not that I know of, at least). I was lucky enough to spend…read morethree summers enrolled in various programs here, and it'll forever hold a special place in my heart, so, sorry if this review gets a bit schmaltzy. I promise that I'm not exaggerating. In the most technical sense, it's a day camp. But more like a cross between a college campus and an artists' commune, it's anything but your average day camp. Campers/students, who come from all over Long Island as well as all five boroughs, have total control over their course of studies for the summer and on your typical day at Usdan, nestled within acres of woods you'll find kids (up to age 18) doing everything from welding jewelry, firing kilns, or wielding paint brushes, to singing/playing scales, dancing on pointe, or playing improv games in a acting class. It's a both a place to learn a new craft and to cultivate an already burgeoning talent. Aside from the fab programs (with wonderfully encouraging and professional teachers at their helm), Usdan stands out in its layout and design. Someone made the brilliant decision to take advantage of the sprawling physical environment of the campus, and the result is that none of the "classrooms" at Usdan have both four walls and a roof, allowing art to be entwined with the elements in a really neat way. Many have a distinctly tree-house feel. Trust me when i say that this makes the experience all the more enriching, not to mention fun. There's also a great big swimming pool, an essential part of any summer experience. One of the most exceptional parts of the Usdan experience is the daily mid-day concert that are a daily part of each camper's schedule. For the first half of the summer, campers are treated to performances by acclaimed professionals from all over the performing arts world. It was during such concerts that I enjoyed seeing both Yo Yo Ma and Savion Glover (!!), among many, many others. Trust me when I tell you this is amazing. Concerts during the second half of the summer are dedicated to student performances. Oh, and also, among a nice list of esteemed alumni you'll find Ms. Mariah Carey herself.

I've been taking Spanish classes with Karen for about 5 months now and she is an absolute pleasure…read moreto work with. She tailors classes to fit and focus on my level and she makes the whole experience useful by encouraging us me to learn by speaking and correcting errors along the way. She's very kind and an excellent instructor! 10/10 Highly recommend!

In search of a customized approach to learning Italian I discovered The Language School in…read moreRidgefield CT. My experience has been beyond perfect ! The Director listened to my needs and matched me up perfectly with a native speaking Italian teacher . She was able to determine the perfect pace to help me get off to a great start learning Italian. Who would have thought I would have found this quality of instruction right here in town . If you want to get a great start to learning a new language or improving on a language you are already somewhat acquainted with The Language School is most likely the place to come !