FAQ

Oak Crest Day Camp is both licensed by the state of NJ and accredited by the American Camping Association. In addition to all local and state regulations, Oak Crest also adheres to the over 300 national standards established by the American Camping Association for summer camps. During our last accreditation we scored a perfect 100% on every single national standard. ACA Standards cover all facets of camp operation including staffing, safety, facility maintenance, athletics and pool operation.

In addition to reference checks, Oak Crest Day Camp performs a national criminal background check on all staff over the age of 18. This is neither a state nor an ACA requirement, but we feel that the safety of your child is our primary concern; therefore, we go the extra step to perform these checks. Any staff member who is unwilling to sign the release for the check is not eligible for employment. Our new database also allows us to perform an extensive social media check on all applicants.

Camp mission and philosophy are perhaps the most important thing in choosing a summer program for your child. At Oak Crest, our mission is to create a summer experience for our families so exceptional that it makes campers for life and our philosophy is one of uncovering your child’s potential by creating success opportunities for them through our multifaceted camp program. At Oak Crest, our staff follow three basic Prime Directives.

• The physical and emotional safety of all campers
• The understanding that our program exists to create success opportunities for campers. The staff must validate and share in that success. To do that, they MUST be INVOLVED with the campers in very aspect of their camp experience.
• Staff must be positive role models! All staff must be aware of the tremendous responsibility they carry as role models to young children.

Click Here to Learn More about our Mission and Philosophy

In order for everyone to have a safe, successful and happy summer, all campers must follow the basic rules of safety and respect for the feelings of others. At Oak Crest we use a 3-step discipline procedure.

• The counselor is trained to deal with basic behavior issues.
• The Division Head (Supervisor) is called in if the behavior does not improve.
• We partner with the parents to help find ways to get campers to succeed here.

The camp owner, Jonathan Gold, has over 44 years of experience in camping and more than 25 years as a director! In addition, he holds an MBA and PhD. Jonathan did his doctoral dissertation on creating quality management systems for summer camps. He has been the Program Director of the Tri State Camping Conference, the largest professional camp conference in the country, and worked at camps all over the country. The Oak Crest administrative staff is a combination of full-time camping professionals and professional educators who work during the summer to ensure the best possible experience for your child.

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Oak Crest Day Camp offers a delicious hot lunch every day in our covered picnic area. We have a full commercial kitchen right on the premises and we prepare a Hot and Cold Lunch each day. Our kitchen is run by professionals that work with children during the school year and understand the nutritional needs of your child. We are happy to work with you on any dietary restrictions, just call the office and let us know how we can help.

In addition to our Hot Lunch options, we also offer a Fresh Salad Bar, Bagel Bar, a variety of sandwiches and Fresh Fruit every day.

Lunch is served Family Style and our Counselors and Specialists are there to assist campers and to make sure they are getting enough to eat.

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Senior campers (5th & 6th graders) have access to all of the amazing Oak Crest activities and have the privilege of traveling outside of camp on several exciting day trips, including the camper favorite, Dorney Park!

Our 7th, 8th, and 9th Graders participate in our Teen Travel Program. Teen campers have access to all of the amazing Oak Crest activities and have the privilege of traveling outside of camp on many exciting day trips and overnight trips. The 7th Graders spend Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in camp and Tuesdays and Thursdays out on day trips. While the 8th and 9th Graders are in camp on Tuesdays and Thursdays and travel on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Our Teens also have the option of doing 2- or 3-day long overnight trips.

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We only use Professionally-Trained Drivers with Commercial Drivers Licenses in Air-Conditioned Buses. Most of our bus fleet is comprised of 16 to 24 passenger vehicles. Our buses are not only staffed with Oak Crest Drivers but also Bus Counselors to keep your child safe and engaged during the bus ride. The majority of our fleet is equip with GPS tracking devices so that we know the exact location of our buses at any time.

YES! At Oak Crest we have two RN’s (one Pediatric ER Nurse) on site at all times. Our pool and leadership staff are trained in first aid and in the use of our Automatic External Defibrillator.

Absolutely! All campers, Pre-K through 6th grade, participate in morning swim lessons. The campers are grouped into swim classes based on their individual level. We use the Red Cross Learn to Swim Program along with Red Cross certified instructors to ensure that all campers, regardless of their level, improve their swimming ability. One of the many benefits of our facility is that our pools vary in depth and are heated, so all campers can become adjusted to the water in a pool where they can stand, and then, when they are comfortable, progress into deeper water.

Our younger campers under the age of 6 get the full camp program less Archery, Pickleball and Mountain Bikes. There is no nap time for preschoolers, nor do we find one necessary.

Click Here to Learn More about our Munchkin Program

Oak Crest has over 20,000 square feet of indoor space and numerous tents in which we hold activities in the event of rain. During rainy days all campers in 5th grade or older go off site for activities and the younger campers stay at camp. On very hot days we have over 12,000 square feet of pool space and we extend our swim times!

If you will never be home in time to meet the bus, we offer both before- and after-care at camp. We offer beforecare as early as 7:15am and aftercare until 6:00pm. Our transportation system is very flexible. If door to door transportation to your home does not work for you, we can transport to and from your place of employment (if local) or a babysitter’s house (if local).

If one day, you are simply running a little late you can contact your bus driver directly. Prior to the start of the summer, you will receive your bus driver’s and bus counselor’s phone numbers. Campers will not be left home alone unless they have written permission to do so. If the driver is at your house and no one is home, we will try to contact you. In the event that we are unable to reach you, the camper will be returned to camp.

Yes, there are a number of after camp programs. We offer an aftercare program, which allows parents to pick up their campers from camp as late as 6:00pm and provides the campers with numerous activities and an additional snack. We also offer private swim, creative, and athletic lessons, which would give your child one-on-one instruction with one of our qualified instructors.

Campers in the 2nd Grade and above have a period on their schedule called Choice, which enables them to participate in an activity of their choice during that time period for one week at which time they are able to choose a different activity for the following week. In addition, half way through each summer the group’s schedule is completely rewritten, and the group is encouraged to provide feedback on which activities they would like to see in their schedule more often and which they would not.

As per your enrollment contract, refunds are available until April 1st (January 15th for 7th, 8th & 9th grade teens). YOUR DEPOSIT AND TUITION ARE FULLY REFUNDABLE UNTIL APRIL 1st. NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED AFTER APRIL 1st.

 You may change and/or adjust your weeks up until May 1st free of charge. Changes after May 1st will result in a $100 administrative fee.