About
Steve & Kate's Camp uses a model where campers choose their own activities and plan their own days, and spend their time designing, building, creating, playing, eating, and clowning on their own schedule. 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. The camp model has been in operation since 1980 and has continued to use this same approach since then.
• Ages: 4–13 years old
• Schedule: Long camp hours from 8am–6pm are included in an all-inclusive rate that covers all camp hours, snacks and lunch, and any activities that interest the child.
Steve & Kate's Camp generally accepts children aged 4 to 13 years old, with state-specific exceptions for minimum age, and the summer camp program is designed for children entering PreK through 7th grade. Summer day camps and holiday camps are for kids ages 4–12, and the camp offers mentorship programs for children aged 14 and 15, with availability that may vary by location; if a camper turns 14 while attending summer camp, they may finish out the summer. 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.
Parents can buy any number of day passes to use whenever and wherever they would 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 meals and snacks are included. The organization offers automatic full refunds for unused purchased Day Passes at summer’s end, and if a Summer Pass is underused, it calculates what would have been paid at the daily rate and automatically refunds the difference, with no processing fees charged on refunds. Parents receive a Virtual Orientation link by email before camp starts, and they can attend camp any time and receive automatic refunds for unused passes as described.
The camp was created to address flaws the founders saw in traditional camps, such as activities based on age rather than interests and non-refundable fees, and it allows kids to be in charge of their choices. The organization describes its locations as “glorious islands of freedom” from Manhattan to Manhattan Beach, and notes that there are more than 70 locations on its about page and 90+ locations mentioned on its search result page. The organization’s mailing address is 58 West Portal Ave #800, San Francisco, CA 94127.
Steve & Kate's Camp has been using this camp model since 1980. The founders, Steve and Kate Susskind, no longer work with the organization, and the current leadership team includes VPs Kevin and Mike, who have a combined 55 years of Steve & Kate’s work experience, 47 of those alongside the founders. Mike started as a counselor at Steve & Kate’s in 1998 and now leads the team using the camp’s original philosophy as a north star, and Kevin is a former Steve & Kate’s camper who later joined the operations staff. The organization states that it is staffed top to bottom with people who share a talent for connecting with kids, that it is not about telling kids what to do but about showing them what can be done, and that it celebrates the individual by enabling campers to express themselves freely while staff cheer them on.
Testimonials about Steve & Kate’s Camp include comments 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 states, “If kids ruled the world, it might look something like Steve and Kate’s Camp.” Variety magazine notes that Steve and Kate’s Camp did not set out to cater to the children of people at Pixar and Industrial Light & Magic, but that given the camp’s philosophy, it is not surprising that many of them attend. The Washington Post describes Steve & Kate’s Camp as a place for families seeking a blend of traditional camp experience with a modern, tech-savvy touch, and says it evokes a laid-back aura true to its California roots, with Silicon Valley-inspired innovative approaches to programming and payment. The Chicago Tribune states that “working parents’ worries dissipate as they contemplate Steve & Kate’s model.”
Last updated April 30, 2026.
• Ages: 4–13 years old
• Schedule: Long camp hours from 8am–6pm are included in an all-inclusive rate that covers all camp hours, snacks and lunch, and any activities that interest the child.
Steve & Kate's Camp generally accepts children aged 4 to 13 years old, with state-specific exceptions for minimum age, and the summer camp program is designed for children entering PreK through 7th grade. Summer day camps and holiday camps are for kids ages 4–12, and the camp offers mentorship programs for children aged 14 and 15, with availability that may vary by location; if a camper turns 14 while attending summer camp, they may finish out the summer. 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.
Parents can buy any number of day passes to use whenever and wherever they would 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 meals and snacks are included. The organization offers automatic full refunds for unused purchased Day Passes at summer’s end, and if a Summer Pass is underused, it calculates what would have been paid at the daily rate and automatically refunds the difference, with no processing fees charged on refunds. Parents receive a Virtual Orientation link by email before camp starts, and they can attend camp any time and receive automatic refunds for unused passes as described.
The camp was created to address flaws the founders saw in traditional camps, such as activities based on age rather than interests and non-refundable fees, and it allows kids to be in charge of their choices. The organization describes its locations as “glorious islands of freedom” from Manhattan to Manhattan Beach, and notes that there are more than 70 locations on its about page and 90+ locations mentioned on its search result page. The organization’s mailing address is 58 West Portal Ave #800, San Francisco, CA 94127.
Steve & Kate's Camp has been using this camp model since 1980. The founders, Steve and Kate Susskind, no longer work with the organization, and the current leadership team includes VPs Kevin and Mike, who have a combined 55 years of Steve & Kate’s work experience, 47 of those alongside the founders. Mike started as a counselor at Steve & Kate’s in 1998 and now leads the team using the camp’s original philosophy as a north star, and Kevin is a former Steve & Kate’s camper who later joined the operations staff. The organization states that it is staffed top to bottom with people who share a talent for connecting with kids, that it is not about telling kids what to do but about showing them what can be done, and that it celebrates the individual by enabling campers to express themselves freely while staff cheer them on.
Testimonials about Steve & Kate’s Camp include comments 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 states, “If kids ruled the world, it might look something like Steve and Kate’s Camp.” Variety magazine notes that Steve and Kate’s Camp did not set out to cater to the children of people at Pixar and Industrial Light & Magic, but that given the camp’s philosophy, it is not surprising that many of them attend. The Washington Post describes Steve & Kate’s Camp as a place for families seeking a blend of traditional camp experience with a modern, tech-savvy touch, and says it evokes a laid-back aura true to its California roots, with Silicon Valley-inspired innovative approaches to programming and payment. The Chicago Tribune states that “working parents’ worries dissipate as they contemplate Steve & Kate’s model.”
Last updated April 30, 2026.