Dates, Fees & FAQs

In the hussle-bussle of our lives there are very few ‘traditions’ we can offer our children; attending the same camp summer after summer is one of them. Each camper that starts Jeff Lakes as a pre-schooler soon feels JLC is their summer ‘home away from home’. With longevity comes a sense of belonging to a community.

Our Freshman Campus offers a small nurturing campus with its own soccer, basketball, and baseball fields, cabins and bathroom facilities. We are acutely aware of the developmental needs of pre-schoolers – feeling secure at camp and having strong self-esteem. Our Freshman staff, consisting of certified teachers, are focused on that goal. A 4 to 1 camper/counselor ratio allows for the hands on care necessary at that age.

We are often asked if our pre-schoolers take advantage of the wonderful facilities at Jeff Lake. The answer to that question is absolutely yes! Your camper will boat on our lake, hit a tennis ball, climb a mini-climbing wall, and make a pot in pottery. Our program director will ensure that your pre-schooler will utilize our facilities with the most efficient use of their energy. For example, if your camper is scheduled for project adventure period one then second period will be next door at gymnastics.

Swim instruction is scheduled daily. Our pre-school swim program is designed to focus on each camper’s individual skill development. At the pre-school level, we have campers ready to learn to rhythmic breath and others reluctant to dunk their heads. Each camper is taught at his/her skill level. Jeff Lake Camp is known for its swim instruction progress and our pre-schoolers are no exception!

Camp begins the moment a camper enters his/her JLC vehicle. Our well- trained bus counselors ensure that your child is safely buckled in the seat and well supervised during the ride. But what our bus counselors are most loved for is…FUN! Each day a different activity is scheduled on the bus so that the ride to Jeff Lake becomes an event. Crazy Sock Day, Dress as Your Parent, Breakfast on the Bus, Bingo, Trivia, Pass It Up, and Halloween Day make each ride special. Campers decorate their bus and create songs and cheers to promote spirit. Start collecting buttons for Button Day and don’t throw away that ridiculous man’s tie – it may win your child a blue ribbon on Crazy Tie Day!

We leave the driving to professionals. Neither parents nor counselors drive Jeff Lake vehicles. Our bus drivers drive for school systems during the school year and become our camp drivers during the camp season. Professional drivers coupled with efficient routing make the ride to JLC as short as possible. Air- conditioned buses keep our campers comfortable as they transition from home to camp.

We emphasize skill development by teaching the fundamentals of each sport. One-on-one sports instruction is available with our Athletic Director or a qualified senior counselor. We believe that even the most reluctant camper becomes a participant if he/she feels successful, that is why Jeff Lake Campers do not sit on the sidelines!

All games are played with enthusiasm, good sportsmanship, and counselor participation. Teams are always picked by the counselor to ensure that teams are evenly matched. No camper is consistently picked first or last.
Yes, sometimes one team wins and another loses however there is always an emphasis on sportsmanship.

Many of our sporting activities are individual sports such as swimming, boating, archery, and karate where competition is not a factor. In addition, we have an extensive Arts department that balances our athletic facilities. The same camper who is shooting baskets in the morning is likely to be throwing a pot on the potter’s wheel in the afternoon.

The size of Jeff Lake allows us to maintain a carefully selected and trained staff of approximately 275, a 50-acre lake with two water-trampolines, a water climbing wall, an extensive fishing program, a boating waterfront comparable to most over-night camps, miles of mountain biking trails and numerous sports and art activities over our extensive shaded acreage. We never feel ‘crowded’ and there is plenty of land and water room for the development of new activities. Your child will never out-grow our camp. Your senior camper will continue to be challenged. Our CIT/Teen program will provide the necessary transition between senior camper and junior staff.

But for our campers, Jeff Lake is only as large as the number of campers in their specific group. We foster group cohesiveness and spirit. For each child the summer revolves around the 15-18 campers and Senior and Junior
counselors that lead his/her group.

Ask a Jeff Lake camper if JLC is ‘big’ and they will say “big in spirit” and “big in fun”.

Jeff Lakes is best suited to the active child but not necessarily the athlete. On a typical day, sports (basketball, archery, volleyball, etc) games (4-squares, running bases, gaga) and art activities (pottery, Native American crafts, music, dance) will be programmed. From first grade on, our campers can individualize one period per day. If you are interested in less athletics and more art activities, then you can use Hobby Hour to select photo, arts & crafts, cooking, etc. By fourth grade, our campers have two choice periods per day and can further individualize their schedule.

Athletic activities will always be part of a child’s life be it physical education at school or swimming on family vacations. Many of our campers who come to JLC feeling that they are not ‘athletes’ are in fact lacking confidence in their athletic skills but not lacking potential. Our expectation is not to make an athlete out of each camper but to make a camper a comfortable participator. Through developmentally appropriate skill development coupled with lots of positive reinforcement, many ‘non-athletes’ leave the summer feeling ready for the challenges of the ‘physical’ world. On the other hand, many of our strong athletes develop an appreciation of the artistic side of themselves. We want each child to learn and grow. Risk taking, on the ball field, in the art studio, or during social interaction, is a behavior reinforced through successful experiences. Jeff Lake Camp is the perfect environment to ‘take a risk’.

Our talented staff of junior, senior, and specialty counselors live in the same communities as our campers. Many of the 75% returning staff each year were JLC campers and CITs. They bring back to our camp community the ‘traditions’ that make Jeff Lake so strong. Our counselors are thoroughly interviewed and background checks are done on any camp member not familiar to JLC. Our staff undergoes 18 hours of training and orientation so that they are well prepared from the moment your child begins our program. A 4:1 ratio of camper to counselor ensures that each camper has the necessary supervision. Our counselors are mentored by a Division Head who provides guidance to the staff and keeps the lines of communication between parent and camp flowing.

Staff is the backbone of any camp. We pride ourselves in the quality of our counselors and in the extremely high percentage of returning staff each year. Each staff member is dedicated to providing the quality of experience you expect from Jeff Lake Camp.

Absolutely! Check out Jeff Lake Picnics for more information.