Our campers spend the summer engaged in experiential art, planting and tasting in the garden, developing self-help skills, building lifelong friendships, and so much more. They have the support of our amazing preschool educators and summer staff. Each session of camp features a different Jewish value focus with fun weekly themes woven in to enhance learning. Session 1 will focus on Kehillah (community), Session 2 will focus on B'tzelem Elohim (uniqueness), and Session 3 will focus on Tikkun Olam (repairing the world).
Throughout the week campers have special activities built into their schedule. These include Movement with Suzi, process art in our outdoor atelier, and a "Messy Monday" sensory play opportunity on the naturescape. We also bring in a special guest each Friday to bring some joy and magic to our non-swim days. Some of our past (and anticipated future) guests include The Creature Teacher, Dallas Public Library, puppet shows, BubbleVibez, and more.
Our campers spend the summer engaged in experiential art, planting and tasting in the garden, developing self-help skills, building lifelong friendships, and so much more. They have the support of our amazing preschool educators and summer staff.
Swimming for potty-trained 3 and 4-year-olds
Water play on the NatureScape
Art and Movement
Special Guests each week
Emmaline is the director of JNurture here at J Dallas as well as a member of the preschool pedagogical team during the school year. This is her 3rd year directing Camp Simchah. She has a Bachelor's of Science in Child Development and has been in the field for 16 years. Emmaline is also a camp parent and will have campers at both Lil Chai and Camp Chai this year. She has a passion for summer camp and making the most of these hot, yet exciting summer months!
Danielle is the new to the J, joining the preschool pedagogical team in September 2024. She has a Bachelor’s in Speech Language Pathology, and a Master’s in Developmental Psychology, as well as over a decade of experience working with preschool aged children. Though she is not a camp mom, she is a camp auntie! Her niece will be in Camp Simchah and her nephew will be in Lil’ Chai. This will be her first summer with Camp Simchah and she can’t wait to join in on all the fun and memory making!
Unfortunately, many of the spaces and programs that provide enrichment during the school year are running school-age camps and are unable to offer preschool-age classes to our campers. It is likely that we will have a dance enrichment that happens each session. You can also sign your child up for private swim lessons with the Lenny Krayzelburg Swim Academy (LKSA)
When the heat index crosses 100 degrees, we stay inside. This does mean that often late in the summer, we are indoors in the afternoon. Luckily on those days, we still get lots of time on our shady NatureScape and in the water in the mornings!
Many of our staff teach during the school year at the Goldberg Early Childhood Center. We also have a lot of summer staff that return each year to serve as counselors while they are on break from college or teaching in other schools. Some of our classrooms have junior counselors from local high schools. They love playing with the children, but do not have the same responsibilities as the counselors and are not counted on to supervise the children.
We love to get messy, so please have several changes of clothes at camp. Your child will need a lunch each day, swim clothes most days, towels most days, and their nap mat if they’re staying all day. If you want us to apply sunscreen or bug spray we’ll need that too and you can fill out a form online giving us permission to apply.
Our 3s and 4s go swimming 4 times a week. They are never in the water without an adult within arms reach and are working 1:1 with swim instructors. When they’re not in the pool they are waiting for their turn sitting on the wall.
Unfortunately the bus is only for campers entering kindergarten and up.
Our full-day program is open from 7:45 AM – 5:45 PM. Our half-day program is open from 8:45 AM – 1:00 PM.
Yes, there is a state-required nap and rest time from 1 - 3 pm each day for all full-day campers.
We ask you to send this already on your child when they arrive first thing in the morning. If you have filled out a topical ointment form, we are happy to reapply throughout the day as needed!
We provide a morning and afternoon snack, along with milk or water to drink. Our snacks typically include things like, fresh seasonal fruit, pretzels and hummus, yogurt and granola, crackers and cream cheese, and veggies and dip.
Our counselors use a platform called Storypark to provide near-daily photos and recaps of what the different groups were up to each day. It is easy to send messages to your counselors through Storypark.
Not yet. Our two-year-olds engage in regular water play on our Naturescape in addition to their outdoor playtime.
For campers that are not fully potty trained, we do have water play in the splash pool and sprinklers. The children have a blast in these spaces!
Yes, families are able to request up to two friends to be paired with. We try our very best to accommodate at least one of these requests as long as age groups and schedules (full-day vs. half-day, which sessions they’re signed up for) allow it.
Yes. We have an early morning carpool from 7:45 – 8:00 AM. We also have carpools for drop-off between 8:40 – 9:00 AM and pickup from 12:40 – 1:00 PM.