Steve & Kate's Camp - Santa Monica
REALM Learning, 400 Pico Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90405
About
Steve & Kate's Camp gives campers the chance to choose their own activities and plan their own days. During the camp day, campers spend their time designing, building, creating, playing, eating, and clowning on their own schedule. Tasty meals and snacks are included in the camp fee, and all activities that interest the child are included in the all-inclusive rate.
• Ages: 4–15 years old
• Schedule: Long camp hours, 8am–6pm, with all camp hours, snacks, lunch, and activities included in the camp fee
Way back in 1980 in Mill Valley, California, Steve and Kate started the camp after seeing kids’ independence slipping away and noticing that traditional camps often based activities on age rather than interests and charged non-refundable fees. The camp has been operating since 1980 and was created to address those flaws by letting campers choose their own activities and by offering flexible, refundable day-based pricing. Parents can buy any number of days to use whenever and wherever they’d like throughout the summer, or they can buy a Summer Pass for unlimited use. Parents can drop off and pick up whenever they want within camp hours, and they can buy any number of day passes, attend camp any time, and receive automatic full refunds for any unused purchased Day Passes at summer’s end. If a Summer Pass is underused, the difference between the pass and the daily rate is automatically refunded, and there are no processing fees for refunds.
The summer day camps are for kids aged 4–12, and holiday camps are also for kids ages 4–12. The camp generally accepts children aged 4 to 13 years old, and if a camper turns 14 while attending summer camp, they may finish out the summer. Steve & Kate's Camp also offers mentorship programs for children aged 14 and 15, with availability that may vary by location. All campers must be fully toilet trained, able to speak up for their needs, and able to get through the camp day without a nap, and no paperwork is required for age verification during registration.
The mission of Steve & Kate's Camp is to empower kids to make their own choices and be their own bosses, with the belief that this leads them to discover new reserves of confidence, resiliency, and creativity. The summer camp program is designed for children entering PreK through 7th grade. The organization states that it is staffed top to bottom with people who share a talent for connecting with kids, and that it is not about telling kids what to do but about showing them what can be done. The camp celebrates the individual by enabling campers to express themselves freely, while staff cheer them on.
Steve and Kate no longer work with the organization, but their vision is carried out through VPs Kevin and Mike. These two leaders have a combined 55 years of Steve & Kate’s work experience, including 47 years alongside the founders Steve and Kate. Mike started as a counselor at Steve & Kate’s in 1998 and has been there ever since, and Kevin is a former Steve & Kate’s camper who became an operations specialist. The organization reports having more than 70–90 locations from Manhattan to Manhattan Beach.
Testimonials about Steve & Kate’s Camp include a statement from Andrew Stanton, Director of WALL-E, Finding Nemo, and Finding Dory, who says that children at the camp “blossom and discover a freedom of identity” and that “kids find their thumbprint at Steve & Kate’s.” Apple’s Hot News notes that “If kids ruled the world, it might look something like Steve and Kate’s Camp.” Variety magazine comments that the camp did not set out to cater to the children of people at Pixar and Industrial Light & Magic, but that given its philosophy, it is not surprising that many of them attend. The Washington Post describes Steve & Kate’s Camp as a blend of traditional camp with a modern, tech-savvy touch, with a laid-back aura and innovative approaches to programming and payment. The Chicago Tribune states that “Working parents’ worries dissipate as they contemplate Steve & Kate’s model.”
Last updated January 9, 2026.
• Ages: 4–15 years old
• Schedule: Long camp hours, 8am–6pm, with all camp hours, snacks, lunch, and activities included in the camp fee
Way back in 1980 in Mill Valley, California, Steve and Kate started the camp after seeing kids’ independence slipping away and noticing that traditional camps often based activities on age rather than interests and charged non-refundable fees. The camp has been operating since 1980 and was created to address those flaws by letting campers choose their own activities and by offering flexible, refundable day-based pricing. Parents can buy any number of days to use whenever and wherever they’d like throughout the summer, or they can buy a Summer Pass for unlimited use. Parents can drop off and pick up whenever they want within camp hours, and they can buy any number of day passes, attend camp any time, and receive automatic full refunds for any unused purchased Day Passes at summer’s end. If a Summer Pass is underused, the difference between the pass and the daily rate is automatically refunded, and there are no processing fees for refunds.
The summer day camps are for kids aged 4–12, and holiday camps are also for kids ages 4–12. The camp generally accepts children aged 4 to 13 years old, and if a camper turns 14 while attending summer camp, they may finish out the summer. Steve & Kate's Camp also offers mentorship programs for children aged 14 and 15, with availability that may vary by location. All campers must be fully toilet trained, able to speak up for their needs, and able to get through the camp day without a nap, and no paperwork is required for age verification during registration.
The mission of Steve & Kate's Camp is to empower kids to make their own choices and be their own bosses, with the belief that this leads them to discover new reserves of confidence, resiliency, and creativity. The summer camp program is designed for children entering PreK through 7th grade. The organization states that it is staffed top to bottom with people who share a talent for connecting with kids, and that it is not about telling kids what to do but about showing them what can be done. The camp celebrates the individual by enabling campers to express themselves freely, while staff cheer them on.
Steve and Kate no longer work with the organization, but their vision is carried out through VPs Kevin and Mike. These two leaders have a combined 55 years of Steve & Kate’s work experience, including 47 years alongside the founders Steve and Kate. Mike started as a counselor at Steve & Kate’s in 1998 and has been there ever since, and Kevin is a former Steve & Kate’s camper who became an operations specialist. The organization reports having more than 70–90 locations from Manhattan to Manhattan Beach.
Testimonials about Steve & Kate’s Camp include a statement from Andrew Stanton, Director of WALL-E, Finding Nemo, and Finding Dory, who says that children at the camp “blossom and discover a freedom of identity” and that “kids find their thumbprint at Steve & Kate’s.” Apple’s Hot News notes that “If kids ruled the world, it might look something like Steve and Kate’s Camp.” Variety magazine comments that the camp did not set out to cater to the children of people at Pixar and Industrial Light & Magic, but that given its philosophy, it is not surprising that many of them attend. The Washington Post describes Steve & Kate’s Camp as a blend of traditional camp with a modern, tech-savvy touch, with a laid-back aura and innovative approaches to programming and payment. The Chicago Tribune states that “Working parents’ worries dissipate as they contemplate Steve & Kate’s model.”
Last updated January 9, 2026.