Best Residential Girls Camp in New York

Surpassing your daughter’s expectations

Camp Schodack is more than just a great summer camp for girls – Schodack is a kind, nurturing summer experience that gives girls personal attention, lots of love, a chance to sparkle, and a myriad of opportunities to make life-long friends in a beautiful setting in upstate New York. For over 50 years Schodack has been the cherished summer home for girls of all ages. The continuity of campers and staff gives our girls the stability, encouragement and inspiration they need to grow and prosper while enjoying all the best summer camp can offer.

At Schodack, we believe in kindness and camaraderie, and imbue all our activities and events with opportunities to develop strong values and good friendships.

We encourage girls of all ages to be active, involved, enthusiastic, and engaged. Whether it’s zipping along our sky-high zip line, shooting a 3- pointer in our state-of-the-art field house, singing their heart out at our sky lit amphitheater or crafting a ceramic mug at arts and crafts, girls at Schodack are encouraged to explore who they want to be and find happiness in the process. Set in a bucolic New York setting, in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, Camp Schodack is the summer camp that lets girls experience camp that way it was meant to be.

Big Sisters to Lead the Way

One of Schodack’s unique offerings is the extraordinarily large number of staff who attended our program as campers and return as counselors. These young women choose to return to lead the way for their younger “sisters” – Schodack campers take pride in the connections they make with their beloved counselors, and many camper-counselor friendships last long after summer camp is done. All of our ‘home-grown” staff complete a two-year training program where they learn about issues relevant to campers – everything from homesickness to skill acquisition to developing friendships and more.

Once their training is complete, they join our staff and continue to learn additional skills important to summer camp, through pre-camp orientation opportunities and on-going summer training. The joy and enthusiasm they bring to our campers is exceptional and something Schodackians cherish. In addition to the much-loved bunk counselors who grew up at camp, girls at Schodack have the opportunity to connect with International staff who join us from countries such as Australia and Great Britain. The interaction with young women from different cultures allows girls to expand their experiences and learn new ways to engage with the world around them.

Choosing Activities Girls Love

Girls at Schodack are encouraged to try all the different activities that we offer. From swimming to hockey to waterskiing and tennis, our campers spend part of their day travelling with a group of girls to each and every activity Schodack offers. Girls who have never tried lacrosse or horseback riding or any of our amazing activities will get a chance to try something new – and if they fall in love with a particular activity, they’ll be able to return to it again and again during our 3 daily choice periods!

Whether it’s gymnastics or archery, arts and crafts or softball, Schodack campers are offered the chance to try overcoming fears, learn new skills, develop new interests while having fun and making friends at each activity area. The unique structure of Schodack’s daily schedule – 6 pre-determined activities with their “bunk” – a group of girls they live, eat and play with – in addition to 3 choice activity periods, gives girls the chance to choose and succeed in the activities they love.

Developing Best Friends For Life At Camp

The opportunity to develop close friendships with other girls their age is part of Schodack’s allure. We spend several months prior to each summer creating each group of 10-14 girls, examining interests, passions, backgrounds and personalities to create the optimal bunk placement for each camper. Once assigned to a group, each new camper is then carefully placed in a particular bed location within the cabin with the goal of creating an inviting, nurturing environment for each child.

Counselors are placed strategically around the cabin so that every girl feels noticed and supported at all times. The careful attention given to each new camper, and, in subsequent years to each returning camper, is unsurpassed in the camping world. Girls who choose Schodack as their summer home can rest assured in the knowledge that they are loved and cared for each and every day of their summer camp experience – and beyond!