This was one of the best decisions we've made for our son in a long time. I was hesitant to send him to summer camp because we needed busing (and I'm terrified of buses what with the reports of speeding, etc.) and because it was a full day. Honestly, I don't regret it one bit. My son had so much fun during his 4 weeks at the camp! We were on the first session that lasted 4 weeks, and my son went to the beach, to the AMNH on a rainy day, to the movies, to the pool, to LEGOLAND, Funplex, and many other locations. The kids went to the pool almost everyday. The camp provided more entertainment that we could ever dream of as parents. We also received financial assistance to help us offset the costs of the camp, but even with the assistance, the camp is definitely one of the most affordable options in Brooklyn. If I had to add just one suggestion, would be to keep the kids in the pool for longer - I know that it is challenging with so many children on different schedules, but maybe it's a goal that can be worked towards. The camp staff was absolutely great. They provided a thorough orientation to parents and we were able to meet the counselors that evening. We were able to ask questions, too. We downloaded an app (groupme) that kept me posted of my son's whereabouts and the location of his bus every single day. I was able to stay in constant communication with their staff for questions ranging from lost items, to what the kids would be doing everyday. We also got great action pictures of the kids having fun. My son made new friends and was sad to learn that his session was coming to an end. I am one of those helicopter moms (I admit it) and I honestly cannot recommend this camp enough. The staff truly cares. I especially want to give a shoutout to Dylan, our bus counselor. Dylan was kind, attentive, caring, and on top of our pickup and drop-off schedule. He was incredibly polite and a hard-worker, keeping us posted since 7am until the kids were safely dropped off. I cannot thank him enough for always having a pleasant disposition and a kind heart toward our children. Thanks, Dylan! We are looking forward to sending our son next year. It was a wonderful experience overall! read more

This is my daughter's 1st year with Kings Bay Y summer camp. She attends the specialty Swim Camp. Since she attended a different camp for 6 years prior so I really have something to compare it to. First the daily pick-up and drop-off, that was my biggest issue because I have to be at work by a certain time. Angela, Parent Liaison / Youth Services Director, said that will not be a problem and she did not lie. The bus is there every morning at the right time. There is constant communication with the bus counselors through the Group Me app so that in case there are issues parents/caretakers know right away. At the old camp my daughter complained about the food every day, I have not heard one complaint yet, and they also serve breakfast. Shannon, my daughter's head counselor is extremely responsive either via text or Group me. I can tell that she really has the kids best interest at heart. The swim instruction is on point, it is a very intense program where the kids have instruction between 1 and 2 hours per day (depending on the child's level of swim) Michelle the division leader is also very responsive and communicative. My daughter went from the intermediate level to advanced in just a few weeks. The camp also has an off-site facility at the Fort Hamilton Army Base. that facility has everything from pools to bowling. The kids really enjoy it. Once a week there is a trip, all trips are on air-conditioned buses (we all know how important that is in the summer months). There are updates about your children throughout the day (test, video, pictures) so that you kind of know what they are up to. All in all great 1st experience. I would recommend this camp to any parent who needs a recommendation. read more

I can't say that I'm exactly lazy person, but I don't like being on the move much, especially if I don't like it. I'm like one of those lizards from that island, that play world records longest staredown duels. Yeah, I like things go wise and slow. Living just a couple blocks from the Y area it's an ideal spot for me to have a relaxing swim, completely shift my area's of concern and pay some tribute to my spiritual side. But I've noticed a lot of people get irritated with the slow pace in this place, and oh yeah, sometimes it gets ridiculously slow just waiting for your turn in the line (traffic is heavy mostly during daytime). But for myself, this issue wasn't so frequent to become annoying. The real issue for me was my wallet, of course. Because spiritual side cannot pay for itself, I was really hesitant at first. But a single evening shift (9 pm) completely sealed my decision, as a number of kids were close to zero and overall traffic was severely low. Eventually, I got raised at my position and it became very reasonable to invest in a membership and visit this place to have a refreshing swim. There's also a steam room and a sauna even for a greater chill. The real downside, in my opinion, is the training room. I rarely see anyone there for long, because it's small ( or at least looks like it if compared to the pool) and isn't provided with much stuff. Men's shower and locker room are clean and have no downside. Everything is under control of lifeguards and I didn't witness anything inappropriate. read more

Kings Bay Y has an wonderful summer camp program. This is my daughter's 3rd year at Kings Bay Y summer camp. This year, she entered Teen Camp and is having an amazing time. Their daily trips are not-your-average school trips (ex. The Beast boat ride, Palisades Climb, Fun Plex, etc. to name a few), which makes my daughter's summer experience like no other. In addition to the trips, they have their 3-day camping getaways. She always look forward to her getaways, getting away from home. Last, the camp has full access to Fort Hamilton Army Base, where the children participates in sporting activities, swimming, bowling, gym, etc., all without the intrusion from other outside camps. At Kings Bay Y, the counselors and staff are wonderful and flexible...keeping the children safe at all time, keeping parents updated regarding the children and their daily activities, making themselves available for questions and concerns, and providing parents with photos of the children in their daily activities. This camp has allowed my daughter to have an adventure for the summer, make long lasting friendships (not just for the summer), become more responsible, and confident (I'm always surprised at the activities she participates in, like zip-lining). She's already talking about attending summer camp next year, and working toward becoming a CIT (counselor in training). Thanks again Kings Bay Y for another amazing summer. read more

My child attended Summer Swim Camp for two consecutive summers. While Summer 2017 I gave an amazing review based on our experience that summer with regards to Summer 2018 unfortunately I am unable to say the same. My child's second summer was cut short after he sustained a serious Concussion (head injury) after an older camper used excessive force on my young child that lead to my child's fall which he fell unconscious. I was alerted of the incident by the camp administration and left with my child in an ambulance to a trauma unit. Staff were very apologetic and contacted me concerning my child's condition. Sadly, after this incident I lost confidence in re-enrolling my child at the Kings Bay Y for Summer Camp or any program of the Kings Bay Y because of this very incident which could have been prevented. In addition, prior to this incident that very summer there was a minor occurrence before in which my child was injured on his way out the building for dismissal while walking and being escorted in the hall by older campers horsing around. Both incidents could have been prevented especially the major incident that left my child incapacitated for a great deal of time. If our Summer 2018 experience was anything like our Summer 2017 experience I would recommend however based on our experience I am saddened to say I do not. Previously this was a place I'd recommend to anyone but sadly no longer. read more

Kings Bay Y annex on avenue W is an amazing program that offers afterschool as well as summer day camp. I have an 8 year old girl and a 5 year old boy who attends both programs. This is their second year. What i love about this program is that it has so many different activities for the children to get into. They have homework assistance, art, dancing, cooking classes and even swimming at least once a week. Dont worry if you're child is a beginner they will teach them (with your consent of course). They also have a show they put on at the end of each program displaying their talents. What i love MOST about the program is the staff. Especially Ms. P, when my kids go to kings bay y annex it's more like sending them to a family member's house because that's how the staff treats them. I've never had an experience where another child is receiving favoritism and all discipline is fair. Let's face it kids will be kids but the staff is very respectful and in tune with the families of the kids who attend. I know I'm rambling but i can go on and on. Did i mention they serve the kids snack and supper during afterschool? That's a load off during the work week unless u have extremely picky eaters like mine. This is the best program for children in my opinion they will definitely be attending next year as well. They even pick the kids up from school and bring them to the afterschool. So awesome read more

My 5 y.o. son is having amazing experience at joining Kings Bay Y Chaverim Summer Program. Everyday kids are excited about the activities. Our Councelors Olga and Katie are marvellous. They simply LOVE kids and display professionalism either in happy moments or in troubleshooting. My son is so picky for adults and he absolutely LOVES his councelloers! No mommy's concern is left without attention. The Summer World of Kings Bay Y is an amazing trip to abundant childhood with lots of diverse physical exercise, including swimming, archery, sports, ropes and obstacle course. Every week the camp organizes outstanding trips to places like Arcades, Water Parks, Lego Land, boating, Zoo and many more. Dress up days, Performances for thee kids, Beach parties with barbeque. Omg! Pity I didn't have such childhood. Another important thing is unity of the Directors and Councelors. "Seniors" are aware where kids are and what they do, they are extremely flexible for such a big organization and make very right and prompt decisions, for example at adjusting the daily activities depending on the weather. Councelors are very chorismatic, concentrated and shiny with smiles. Is the Program pricy? Yes, but it 100% worth money spent. No way we quit from that sequence of fun, positive, activities and creativity! Ready for Session Two! read more

I'm a father of a 6y old son - Max and recently I've sent him to Kingsbay Y mini-camp. They listed on the website, that there will be plenty of activities as well as some trips to museums on selected days. They've put up a pretty costly price of 70$ per day, but small groups and individualized attention were promised. But the group my son was in was way too small and consisted of Max and two girls. While everything went well on educational end, and Max told me that he learnt how to play on piano and showed me cute picture of me and him that he has drawn I've noticed that he wasn't really comfortable in this group with girls. I've asked staff to find a replacement group for my son, and it took more than a week for them to do it. And Max is yet to receive a promised ride to a Plaster galaxy, however, he really enjoyed swimming in the pool. While my son was in total security, I still think that there should've been more activities. And yeah, you've got to provide your sibling with food, as the mini-camp involves only kosher breakfast and insignificant snacks! A unique thing about this mini-camp is learning Jewish ways, as it isn't really provided elsewhere. read more

This is our second year at KBY summer camp. The way my daughter feels about herself, her friendships, her counselors is indicative of how much care goes into the program. If she is happy then I am happy and boy does she love going to this camp every day! The counselors, whether they are her bus counselors or regular camp counselors have proven themselves to be incredibly attentive to my child both with regard to her feelings and her safety. Not only that , I can feel free to ask them ANYTHING and they ALWAYS get back to me in a timely fashion. Kings Bay Y has set up GroupMe with counselors and parents as well as administrative staff so that parents can easily communicate their questions/ concerns and delights about what is going on with their children. Also the counselors keep us posted about any changes during the daily schedule and they submit photos to GroupMe so we can get cool snapshots of our kiddos in action! My daughter goes TO camp and returns FROM camp with a smile pretty much every day. So, thanks to her AWESOME, FABULOUS, CARING, SWEET and THOUGHTFUL counselors she is feeling this way! read more

This place is a terrible place to work and send your kids. I was a staff member the pay was shit and so was the treatment. This placed heavily showed favoritism to those who didn't do their jobs and they keep hiring the lazy assholes who don't do their jobs and only care about sexual relationships there. The staff are all young so they only care about sleeping with each other and having fun. This place doesn't care about the kids. The food is Shit and the higher ups are even more shit. They don't know how to do their jobs and blame those beneath them. If you don't have summer youth then they pay you like 1k which isn't nearly enough. There have been multiple staff who don't revive the amount of money that was promised to them. They promised a 200-300 dollar bonus for early/late stay and alot of staff only got 50 dollars. This place is also racist, most of the specialist hate black people and black kids get bullied and they don't do anything about it. They make working there feel like hell for those who actually wanted to work. This place only creates drama so if that's what you into apply now !! read more

My 5-year-old daughter is enrolled in Kings Bay Y. This is her first year at summer camp and thus far it has been an absolute amazing experience. There are so many trips and activities, which leaves no time for the children to become bored. As any parent, safety can be a major concern. I will say, my mind has been put to ease; the counselors are both diligent and attentive. They offer an app called Group me, which allows you to stay in connect with the counselors throughout the day; they also send pictures in the group chat from their daily activities with the children. From the very beginning my daughter bonded with several of the counselors. Every morning at drop off and the same at pick-up, you are greeted with enthusiasm and it is truly a pleasurable experience, for both the parent and child. Also, administration is alway encouraging parents to ask questions and voice any concerns. A special thanks to Ilan, Jude, and Kate, you have been wonderful, professional, and devoted. You all rock and thank you for an amazing summer so far! -Linda, Jessica, & Ava read more

Well, this is my opinion about visiting King's Bay Summer Camp. First all this one was the closest possible reach in the region and as the result the first to pay a visit into. As it was turned out later, there sort was not only the closest but also a high quality one. Inspire of the fact camp inspired by Jewish values and ideas, which can be a little bit off the limit, due to the special working schedule, camping resort is really makes it's effort. The swimming pool is included which is great, with depths range from 3 feet to 12 feet. Together with that are the special programs for the kids swimming lessons, outside activities and much more to keep your children busy and happy. To be honest, the system for pick-up is a little slow and disorganized, but that make sense only if you are in a real hurry. That's it I think, this was a good experience and I would for sure repeat that next year. read more

I don't normally write reviews, but the staff asked me to share my thoughts on camp. I have to say, my children were never shown more love or been treated better by the wonderful staff at the Kings Bay Y camps than they have this past summer. They were not only shown care and support, but they actually learned new skills and a new language. Yes, the program did have some issues. The staff won't skirt around the details, I admire their resilience in taking constructive criticism and making things right. There were some communication issues that have been solved in time for the new season. The directors are always extending their hands to come meet with them in parent committee groups so that they may do good by our kids. I am excited to send my children there again, not just for the fun and unique activities, but even more so for the transparency and the heart of the staff. read more

I registered my son for summer camp at the YMCA for 8 weeks on nostrand and so far his and my experience has been fantastic. My son is almost 9 and he is happy at camp. They do multiple activities with the kids. They keep close contact with the parents via an app and send pics throughout the day. Their trips are phenomenal. They go to fort Hamilton twice a week, to Manhattan beach on Fridays and a trip every Thursday. I love the fact that if it rains in Fridays they have trips planned regardless. Last week they went to the U.A to see Minions 3 and the week before to the museum of natural history. Best decision I made as far as keeping my son occupied throughout the summer. I couldn't be more pleased with my son's camp counslors Jason and Nicole. They have been very helpful in making our camp experience a good one. Definitely going to send him in Summer 2018. read more

This is my daughter's 6 years in this summer camp. This year she is in Teen Travel Camp. The parents happy when their children happy. The camp has amazing dedicated and kind counselors (Erica, Mike and the others), professional and helpful division supervisor (Veronica) and director (Angela). My daughter went on many trips such as to Governors island, the Funplex, Manhattan Graffiti Tour, Adventureland, Long Island Aquarium and many more with the travel camp. Every year the administrators are adding more and more interesting trips for the campers. This year they added 3 days trip to Club Getaway where the kids had amazing time swimming in the lake, had activities such as zip line, bungy jumping, trampoline jumping, hiking, and evening bonfire. My daughter enjoys to go to Kings Bay Y summer camp. I am highly recommended it. read more

My Grandchildren are having the time of their lives. This is a new camp for them, they went elsewhere in the past, but this is the first time I've heard my eldest express how caring the staff is. From my perspective this is a very well rounded program. Kasheena, the head counselor of division one, along with her supervisors Jude and Katie do a marvelous job. They are on top of everything, are always looking out for the kids' best interest. Aaliyah McNair, the head counselor for Division 2 along with her staff, are also exceptional. I have felt so involved in the day to day happenings because the camp chooses to keep the family involved. The trips are great, the swimming program is exceptional. I could go on and on, but to sum it up - My grandchildren love it - and if they're happy I'm over the moon. read more

Me & my Husband are the parents of 6 yo son who happily attends Kings Bay Y during summer and any school recess. We love Kings Bay Y as the staff is careful and responsive. The program is entertaining and intensive and totally worth the money paid. Finally, when a child is grown, when he is a parent himself, what he will remember from his childhood? He will not remember the toys or gadgets that he had, or cloths he wore. But he will remember happy camp days, camp friends, responsive councilors, pool time, field trips and all the positive emotions that he had out of that. Thank you Kings Bay Y Team! Your job is great as you create life-long memories for the little ones and help them to build friends and connections within Kings Bay Y Family. read more

This year is my son's first year in the swim camp and he is really enjoying it. The camp staff is incredible. They are so attentive and make themselves accessible and responds to questions or inquiries in a timely manner. They provide updates throughout the day. I think my son is really learning to swim. He has been taking lessons weekly throughout the year but really needed to be able to take lessons daily with good instruction so he can go beyond just being comfortable in the pool but really learn the strokes. This was the perfect solution. I think he is really starting to grasp this concept since joining the camp. I'm looking forward to continue to see the progress in swim but in the meantime he will continue to fun. read more

I have worked at the Y both as an after school counselor and as a summer camp counselor for the last 3 years while I am finishing my BA. There is no better environment for any child than the Y during the summer time. The directors spend months planning an incredible program that I envy I couldn't have as a kid. From fencing to archery, to swimming to the trips, no detail is left to chance. We have had a mishap in the past (as any camp does) that has swiftly been resolved. The agency truly cares and loves the children and families and invests countless hours in trying to hear what parents would like for their kids. I am excited to work here another summer and to welcome all my little friends back for another season of fun. read more