About
LifeCamp offers a daily schedule that includes arts and crafts, aquatics, biking, chess and other strategy games, computer education, dance, drama, nature and science, physical education, a percussion orchestra, reading, recording studio time, a ropes course, and a values program. Older campers have computer time that includes a game design element, simple robotics, and drone programs, and they can use a music studio to create their own recordings. Campers also have chances to swim and ride a bike as part of the regular program.
• Ages: 6–14 years old
• Schedule: Three two-week sessions, Monday to Friday, over six weeks from June 29 to August 7, 2026
Since 1923, LifeCamp’s stated mission has been to combine the experiences available in its rural setting with innovative teaching of life and academic skills to prepare children from greater Newark to excel. The daily program balances arts, athletics, and academic enrichment, as well as personal growth and development, and is organized so campers do not have back-to-back physical or academic classes. The program includes a Nature/Science component that takes place in and around the Lamington River, and environmental education specialists from the Raritan Headwaters Association often work with campers.
LifeCamp is a non-profit organization supported by donations, with fundraising keeping tuition affordable and 94 percent of all dollars raised going directly to services for campers. Campers come from the greater Newark public school system and from Newark charter school programs including KIPP, Philip’s, North Star, Link, Newark Legacy, and New Horizon. LifeCamp provides an enriching summer day camp experience for over 300 Newark area students daily for six weeks during July and August, and many of the young people who attend come from urban backgrounds without other access to such an idyllic setting.
The program notes that LifeCamp is where many campers first learn how to swim and ride a bike. Campers can hone critical thinking skills through chess and other mind-stimulation games that require strategy, problem-solving, and judgment. The camper-to-staff ratio is 6:1, and roughly 25 percent of the summer staff are former LifeCamp campers, which the program describes as reinforcing values such as respect and responsibility and strengthening the LifeCamp legacy between former and current campers.
Staff members are required to have completed their sophomore year in high school, and volunteers must have completed their freshman year of high school. The application process for volunteers opens March 2, 2026, for those who have two consecutive weeks free between 9:00am and 4:15pm during the six-week season from June 29 to August 7. A typical day at LifeCamp begins with breakfast of juice, milk, cereal, and fruit followed by a morning meeting, and lunch is also served every day.
The Life Camp movement began in 1887 with the “Life’s Fresh Air Fund,” and in 1923 James Cox Brady opened the Life Farm in Pottersville, New Jersey, to serve children from Newark. LifeCamp continues to operate on the campus established a century ago, on land now owned by the Johnson family. The program states that it helps campers gain self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment through challenging and enriching new experiences and that it changes lives for the better.
Last updated July 7, 2026.
• Ages: 6–14 years old
• Schedule: Three two-week sessions, Monday to Friday, over six weeks from June 29 to August 7, 2026
Since 1923, LifeCamp’s stated mission has been to combine the experiences available in its rural setting with innovative teaching of life and academic skills to prepare children from greater Newark to excel. The daily program balances arts, athletics, and academic enrichment, as well as personal growth and development, and is organized so campers do not have back-to-back physical or academic classes. The program includes a Nature/Science component that takes place in and around the Lamington River, and environmental education specialists from the Raritan Headwaters Association often work with campers.
LifeCamp is a non-profit organization supported by donations, with fundraising keeping tuition affordable and 94 percent of all dollars raised going directly to services for campers. Campers come from the greater Newark public school system and from Newark charter school programs including KIPP, Philip’s, North Star, Link, Newark Legacy, and New Horizon. LifeCamp provides an enriching summer day camp experience for over 300 Newark area students daily for six weeks during July and August, and many of the young people who attend come from urban backgrounds without other access to such an idyllic setting.
The program notes that LifeCamp is where many campers first learn how to swim and ride a bike. Campers can hone critical thinking skills through chess and other mind-stimulation games that require strategy, problem-solving, and judgment. The camper-to-staff ratio is 6:1, and roughly 25 percent of the summer staff are former LifeCamp campers, which the program describes as reinforcing values such as respect and responsibility and strengthening the LifeCamp legacy between former and current campers.
Staff members are required to have completed their sophomore year in high school, and volunteers must have completed their freshman year of high school. The application process for volunteers opens March 2, 2026, for those who have two consecutive weeks free between 9:00am and 4:15pm during the six-week season from June 29 to August 7. A typical day at LifeCamp begins with breakfast of juice, milk, cereal, and fruit followed by a morning meeting, and lunch is also served every day.
The Life Camp movement began in 1887 with the “Life’s Fresh Air Fund,” and in 1923 James Cox Brady opened the Life Farm in Pottersville, New Jersey, to serve children from Newark. LifeCamp continues to operate on the campus established a century ago, on land now owned by the Johnson family. The program states that it helps campers gain self-confidence and a sense of accomplishment through challenging and enriching new experiences and that it changes lives for the better.
Last updated July 7, 2026.
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