Chautauqua Boys’ and Girls’ Club
Chautauqua Boys’ and Girls’ Club at Chautauqua Institution, 1 Ames Ave, Chautauqua, NY 14722
About
Chautauqua Boys’ and Girls’ Club offers a recreational day camp program that includes field activities, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, nature activities, crafts, individual and team sports, music, arts experiences, arts and crafts, juggling, playground time, and field games. Programming consists of a rotation of various activities that is different every day, and some activities such as sailing and swimming are guided by age and/or skill levels. Older groups, including Group 8 and SAC (Senior Athletic Club), may choose afternoon electives.
• Ages: 7–15 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. and 2–4 p.m., during Weeks One to Eight
The Boys’ and Girls’ Club is considered the oldest day camp in the United States and is described as the longest running summer day camp in the United States. Participants are grouped according to the grade they will be entering in the fall and by gender, and the oldest group, called SAC (Senior Athletic Club), serves youth entering 9th and 10th grades. The program offers a diverse, recreational, largely outdoor day camp that combines active play, arts activities, waterfront sports, and special enrichment events, and it stresses the safety and well-being of children and the value of building friendships. All campers need to bring a packed lunch, or families can order a lunch at the Youth Activities Center, and Lunch Bunch takes place at Boys’ and Girls’ Club.
The stated purpose of the Boys’ and Girls’ Club is to provide an opportunity for young people ages 7–15 to actively participate in a safe and supportive recreational day camp, using programs and facilities that allow for a diverse set of activities drawing on Chautauqua’s natural and cultural resources. The mission also notes that the Club encourages personal growth for participants and professional growth for staff, emphasizes the enjoyment and appreciation of lifelong skills, and recognizes and nurtures the importance of Club as a source of lasting Chautauqua relationships.
The Boys’ and Girls’ Club leadership includes Alyssa Porter, Director of Youth and Family Programs, and Greg Prechtl, Boys’ and Girls’ Club Director. Staffing ratios are aligned to New York State regulations for Licensed Children’s Camps. Mr. Prechtl is recently retired as athletic director at the State University of New York at Fredonia, is an experienced camp administrator, and has served as director of the Chautauqua Boys’ and Girls’ Club for nearly 40 years.
The Boys’ and Girls’ Club is described as the oldest day camp in the United States, with most of its buildings dating from the 1890s and the turn of the century. Seaver Gymnasium, built in 1890 to house a gymnastics school, was one of the first gyms to install a basketball court when that sport was invented over 100 years ago. The Beeson Youth Center, built in 1968, replaced the Athletic Club Building from 1905, and the Sharpe Field grandstand was built in 1993 following a fire on July 5, 1991. Extensive renovations to all Club buildings were completed in 2001 as part of the “CHQ 2000” long range plan.
Last updated February 6, 2026.
• Ages: 7–15 years old
• Schedule: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–12 p.m. and 2–4 p.m., during Weeks One to Eight
The Boys’ and Girls’ Club is considered the oldest day camp in the United States and is described as the longest running summer day camp in the United States. Participants are grouped according to the grade they will be entering in the fall and by gender, and the oldest group, called SAC (Senior Athletic Club), serves youth entering 9th and 10th grades. The program offers a diverse, recreational, largely outdoor day camp that combines active play, arts activities, waterfront sports, and special enrichment events, and it stresses the safety and well-being of children and the value of building friendships. All campers need to bring a packed lunch, or families can order a lunch at the Youth Activities Center, and Lunch Bunch takes place at Boys’ and Girls’ Club.
The stated purpose of the Boys’ and Girls’ Club is to provide an opportunity for young people ages 7–15 to actively participate in a safe and supportive recreational day camp, using programs and facilities that allow for a diverse set of activities drawing on Chautauqua’s natural and cultural resources. The mission also notes that the Club encourages personal growth for participants and professional growth for staff, emphasizes the enjoyment and appreciation of lifelong skills, and recognizes and nurtures the importance of Club as a source of lasting Chautauqua relationships.
The Boys’ and Girls’ Club leadership includes Alyssa Porter, Director of Youth and Family Programs, and Greg Prechtl, Boys’ and Girls’ Club Director. Staffing ratios are aligned to New York State regulations for Licensed Children’s Camps. Mr. Prechtl is recently retired as athletic director at the State University of New York at Fredonia, is an experienced camp administrator, and has served as director of the Chautauqua Boys’ and Girls’ Club for nearly 40 years.
The Boys’ and Girls’ Club is described as the oldest day camp in the United States, with most of its buildings dating from the 1890s and the turn of the century. Seaver Gymnasium, built in 1890 to house a gymnastics school, was one of the first gyms to install a basketball court when that sport was invented over 100 years ago. The Beeson Youth Center, built in 1968, replaced the Athletic Club Building from 1905, and the Sharpe Field grandstand was built in 1993 following a fire on July 5, 1991. Extensive renovations to all Club buildings were completed in 2001 as part of the “CHQ 2000” long range plan.
Last updated February 6, 2026.
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