Day camps at JCC Indianapolis are the best way to experience new adventures, make new friends, and spend the summer just being a kid! Campers will participate in a combination of day camp activities geared toward their age group.

Help your child build skills in the sports and activities they like best with a JCC Indianapolis sports camp. Campers receive personal attention from experienced instructors, who focus on skill development, teamwork, creativity, and fun!

Help your child build skills in the sports and activities they like best with a JCC Indianapolis specialty camp. Campers receive personal attention from experienced instructors, who focus on skill development, teamwork, creativity, and fun!

Find all the camp forms and documents you’ll need in one place! Includes the online camp registration guide, parent handbook, calendar, registration and medical forms, and more.

These camps are the best way to experience new adventures, make new friends, and spend the summer just being a kid! Campers will participate in a combination of activities geared toward their age group:

• Building friendships through games, nature, and science studies
• Sports
• Music
• Drama
• Swimming
• Arts and crafts
• And much more!

There will also be special theme days and all-day events.

Campers in this age group will embark on a new journey with new and old friends and have more opportunities to explore and play. In addition to the usual camp activities, older campers will participate in a few off-campus adventures, providing aspirations to younger campers on aging in the program.

In addition to the usual camp activities, 4th–5th graders will participate in a few off-campus trips. More specific details will be provided to parents prior to each field trip.

At this age, campers are gaining autonomy and responsibility. Campers in this age group participate daily in the best of summer camp activities: sports, games, arts and crafts, all-camp activities, and daily swimming in the JCC’s Eskenazi Water Park. Campers can also look forward to adventurous trips during camp.

In addition to the usual camp activities, 6th–9th graders will participate in a few off-campus trips. More specific details will be provided to parents prior to each field trip.

In this counselor-in-training program, 15-year-olds learn how to be impactful counselors, gaining hands-on experience with groups of all ages and their counselors. The learning curriculum sets them up to be successful counselors at age 16.

Grades 1-8. Campers will have a summer full of fun and games where they can improve their tennis skills, learn the importance of sportsmanship, and participate in other sports to further improve strength, endurance, and agility. The JCC tennis program is tailored to meet each player’s needs with drills, skill development, demonstrations, and repetition.

Campers should bring a tennis racquet, non-marking tennis shoes, extra shirt, and snacks. In addition, all sports campers will need to bring lunch, bathing suit, towel, sunscreen, and water bottle during camp.

See our Sports Camps page for more information.

Grades 3-8. Campers head to Natural Valley Ranch in Brownsburg to learn all aspects of horsemanship, grooming, tacking, mounting/dismounting, and proper safety techniques. Each camper will have 2-3 hours of hands-on experience with their own horse in addition to plenty of riding time. Closed-toe shoes and long pants are required.

See our Specialty Camps page for more information.

• To have courage and perseverance (the Jewish value of Ometz).
• To show appreciation (Hoda’ah).
• To show respect (Kavod).
• To act with love and kindness (G’milut Chasadim).
• To foster a feeling of community (Kehillah).
• To learn from everyone (Lomed M’Kol Adam).
• To avoid hurtful speech (Lashon Hara).
• To help those in need (Tzedakah).

Jewish tradition teaches us of our obligation to ensure equal access for all people in ways that accentuate the value, dignity, and capabilities of every individual. JCC Indianapolis‘ MESH Initiative supports the mental, emotional, and social health & well-being of children, their families, and staff members who lead youth programs. The JCC is proud to provide this support to make a positive, inclusive, and rewarding experience for everyone we serve.

Our goal is to offer families a safe and nurturing place where their children can simply be themselves, while developing at their own pace and reaching their full potential. In fulfilling that goal, the MESH Initiative offers children and youths with special needs—from children who suffer from mental health issues, autism spectrum disorders (including Asperger’s Syndrome) and ADHD, to vision and hearing impairments—the support they need to fully participate in community life. 

The MESH Initiative also takes into consideration the mental health needs of our staff who work with our youth program participants on a daily basis. Having MESH specialists available for consultation and advice is a great support to our counselors, as they can recommend and model effective behavior management techniques tailored to each individual child’s social, emotional and mental health needs, as well as training staff to build in more intentional inclusion through program differentiation and adaptations.

Learn more about the MESH initiative

Remember that a health form must be completed and on file the Wednesday before your child’s first day of camp. Children are not permitted to attend camp without a health form on file. Please note that registration for a particular camp week closes the Wednesday prior to the first day of camp.

Visit the Camp Forms & Documents page to view and download the health form.

• 8–9 am – Drop off at carpool circle and activities at Home Bases
• 9–9:30 am – Boker Tov (“Good Morning”) song session with all campers to celebrate the start of the day
• 9:30–10:45 am – Games, nature study, arts and crafts, swimming, etc.
• 10:45–11:15 am – Morning snack (provided)
• 11:15 am–12:30 pm – Games, nature study, arts and crafts, swimming, etc.
• 12:30–1 pm – Lunch at the Sablosky Camp Pavilion. JCC provides hot dog cookout on Fridays
• 1–2:45 pm – Games, nature study, arts and crafts, swimming, etc.
• 2:45–3:30 pm – Music specialist at the flagpole
• 3:45–4 pm – Afternoon snack (provided), activities at Home Bases and carpool pickup

• Wacky Wednesdays. Days where campers use their creativity to come to camp to celebrate a theme, e.g., Wacky Hair Day or Superhero Day.
• Hot Dog cookout (pizza for tennis camp). We provide lunch every Friday. A camper favorite.
• Leon Mordoh Lip Sync. Camp groups develop dance routines and costumes to perform for their families and each other at Pike Performing Arts Center. This event is a camper, parent, and counselor favorite! The performance is named in memory of Leon Mordoh, a kind and generous benefactor in the community who enjoyed Lip Sync and the joy it brought to campers and their families. 
• Yom Sport. An Olympic-style event that takes place on the Tuesday and Wednesday of the last week of camp. Camp groups will be split into color teams and compete against each other in games and challenges.
• Camp Carnival. Follows Yom Sport on the Thursday of the last week of camp. Fun and games and more fun.
• Israeli Day. A whole day of fun and activities celebrating all things Israeli culture, customs and community.
• Camp Shabbat. Campers celebrate the end of every week with song and dance. Shabbat means a day of rest – no school and no work for most – and offers a time to be with those you love and to reconnect while recharging your batteries.

Campers should be prepared to be outside and active for most of the day. Children should wear closed-toe shoes. Swimming is scheduled for every day. Children should bring a bathing suit, pool shoes, sunscreen, and towel daily. Pool shoes are classified as flip flops, Crocs, or sandals. No other type of shoe will be allowed in the pool area. For easy identification, the JCC asks that you label all campers’ items.

Please pack (and label!) personal items. JCC and its staff will not be held liable for any lost, stolen, or damaged personal property that your child brings to camp. Toys, games, Pokémon cards, electronics, etc. are not permitted at camp. If these items are brought to camp and not put away, they will be taken by CampJCC staff until pick-up.

• Bottle of sunscreen
• Refillable water bottle
• Swimsuit and towel
• Pool shoes
• Closed-toe shoes
• Sack lunch
• Insect repellent
• Camp bag/backpack
• Hat

Pre-Camp

• Grades K-9
• 8 am-6 pm
• Day after Memorial Day through that Friday

Camp weeks

• Grades K-9
• 8 am-4 pm
• 8 weeks: First full week of June through last full week of July

Post Camp

• Grades K-9
• 8 am-6 pm
• 2 weeks: Two weeks immediately following camp (last week of July/first week of August)

Extended Care

• Grades K-5
• 4-6 pm
• Weeks 1-8 of camp except the following closures: 5 pm Jun 11 (Shavuot), no extended care Jun 27 (Leon Mordoh Lip Sync)

View our Camp Forms & Documents page for the camp calendar.

Pre-Camp and Post-Camp are sold by the day. Cost is $85 per day ($65 for JCC members).

Day camp is $360 per week ($275 for JCC members). Trip weeks for Grades 4-5 and 6-9 are $390 per week ($300 for JCC members).

Equestrian camp is $553 per week ($453 for JCC members) and tennis camp is $422 per week ($339 for JCC members).

Extended care is $80 per week ($60 for members).

Please note that registration for each camp week closes the Wednesday prior to the first day of camp. JCC members receive discounts on camp. Summer memberships are eligible for the member discount. Visit our JCC Membership page for more information.
View our Camp Online Registration Guide for step-by-step instructions for registering online.

The JCC is happy to offer need-based scholarships and financial aid to enable as many qualified individuals and families to take advantage of our high quality youth-based programs. The JCC takes into consideration individual circumstances and reviews each application independently.

The goal of the JCC scholarship program is to award financial assistance that provides for a fair and equitable distribution of available funds while also providing for the confidentiality and dignity of the person applying for funds.

Visit our JCC Scholarship page for the form and additional details.

General Notes

Please stay in your vehicle and refrain from cellphone use during drop-off/pickup. Camp staff will be there to help your camper in and out of the car.

If you have any concerns or questions, please park your car and walk over to the designated area to speak to the respective Camp Director, camp management team, or counselors.

Please inform the respective Camp Director of any changes in who is allowed to pick up your camper. Please make sure that anyone picking up your child is prepared to show photo ID upon request by a JCC staff person.

Drop-Off Procedures

•For day camp, morning carpool is from 8–9 am. For late drop-off between 9– 10 am, please park in the lot nearby and walk to Sablosky Camp Pavilion. A staff member will take your camper to the appropriate group. After 10 am, please drop your camper off at the Welcome Desk and a counselor will be notified to pick them up.
•For tennis camp, morning carpool is from 8–9 am. For late drop-off after 9 am, please drop your camper off at the Welcome Desk and a counselor will be notified to pick them up.
•For equestrian camp, campers go to the ranch from the JCC. Campers must be at the JCC by 8:30 am.

Pickup Procedures

Carpool for pickup is from 3:45–4 pm. Any camper not picked up by 4 pm will be sent to extended care and your account will be charged accordingly.

Extended Care Pick-Up Procedures:
•For grades K–1, pick-up is always indoors in the Kraft Youth Wing. For grades 2–5, pick-up is generally outdoors at the Sablosky Camp Pavilion (if the weather is bad, pick-up will also be indoors in the Kraft Youth Wing). $5 per minute per child will be charged for late pick-up.

Gate

The gate to the road circling campus will open at 7:45 am and close at 9 am. There will be no drive-thru traffic during camp hours. The gate will reopen between 3:30 and 4 pm. and then remain closed until 7:45 am the next day.

All camp groups will swim and be given a swim test daily. The swim test includes swimming 30 feet without stopping AND treading water for 30 seconds without stopping. Those who are not able to meet the above criteria must wear a Coast Guard-approved lifejacket that will be provided to them during their free swim time.

• Day campers in grades K–3 are given swim lessons twice a week. Grades 4–9 and sports campers do not receive lessons.
• Sports camps will have one hour of free swim.
• Campers must pass the swim test and meet all height requirements to utilize the Lazy River and water slides.
• Kindergarten will be restricted to the zero-depth pool and is the only camp group permitted in that area.
• If a pool closure is to happen, campers will be provided with water games to take swimming’s place.
• Please pack a towel, bathing suit, and sunscreen every day with labels.

Goggles are optional but may not be worn in the Lazy River or on the slides. If a camper does not have a swimsuit, they will sit in the shade during their scheduled swim time.

• Please note that sunscreen can’t be shared at camp. JCC Staff will reach out if your child doesn’t have any sunscreen in their camp bag.

For a comprehensive guide to CampJCC, including pickup and drop-off procedures, communicating with camp staff during the day, last-minute changes, celebrating your child’s birthday, discipline policies and procedures, cell phone policy, health information, safety policies and procedures, dress policy, and lost and found, please Camp Forms & Documents page to view and download the Parent Handbook.

CampJCC Director Myranda Tetzlaff has a passion for CampJCC, taking on increasing responsibilities and leadership roles since she came to the J eight years ago. The J holds a special place in her heart; she met Hamilton Hensel, her now-fiancé, when they were both working as CampJCC counselors. And it was during CampJCC years later when he proposed. He now completes the leadership team as Assistant Camp Director. Together, they eat, sleep, and breathe CampJCC.

Contact Myranda at mtetzlaff@jccindy.org or 317-715-9246.
Contact Hamilton at hhensel@jccindy.org or 317-715-9254.

For Sports and Specialty Camps, tennis director Kim Shippy is a USTPR-certified Tennis Pro who builds and leads a team of skilled tennis professionals, coaches, and camp counselors with a single mission: making camp fun for players so they get exercise and learn tennis skills in the process. Her approach to teaching kids is based on her own experience of having access and having someone believe in you. With energy and enthusiasm, she nurtures, inspires, and celebrates the best in the kiddos in her programs, including her counselors who are mostly former students that she has developed.
Contact Kim at kshippy@jccindy.org or 317-715-9244.

Our secret ingredient to having the best summer camp is our counselors and specialists. They include our professional early childhood staff, teachers, college graduates, college students, and high school students. The health and safety of the campers is always our top priority. Our staff members participate in a thorough training program prior to the camp season, where they receive training on such topics as child development, program planning, leadership, and health and safety. CampJCC is nationally accredited in the Darkness to Light Stewards of Children Training Program and staff are First Aid and CPR certified. Swimming pool staff receive extensive programmatic and safety training in their area.