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.
• Ages: 4–13 years old
• Schedule: Camp hours run from 8am–6pm, with long camp hours from 8am–6pm included in the camp fee.
Steve & Kate's Camp has been operating since 1980. The summer camp program is for children entering PreK through 7th grade, and the camp generally accepts children aged 4 to 13 years old. 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. All campers must be at least 4 years old by their first day of camp, except in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia, where campers must be 5 years old. The camp age limit is 13, but if a camper turns 14 while attending summer camp, they may finish out the summer, and at certain locations 13-year-olds must also be entering grade 8 during the registration period. Steve & Kate's Camp also offers mentorship programs for children aged 14 and 15, with availability varying by location, and no paperwork is required for age verification during registration.
The camp’s all-inclusive rates cover all camp hours from 8am–6pm, snacks and lunch, and any activities that interest the child. Parents can buy any number of days to use whenever and wherever they would like throughout the summer, or they can buy a Summer Pass for unlimited use. Parents can drop campers off and pick them up at any time between 8am and 6pm. Automatic full refunds are provided for any unused purchased Day Passes at the end of summer, with no processing fees. If a Summer Pass is purchased and not enough days are used to justify the cost, the camp calculates what would have been paid at the daily rate and automatically refunds the difference.
Steve & Kate’s offers Summer Camps, Fall Break Camps, Winter Break Camps, Mid-Winter Break Camps, Spring Break Camps, Field Trip Camps, and Bright Horizons Virtual Camp. Summer day camps and holiday camps are for kids ages 4–12, and Steve & Kate’s Camp is included as an option for people who have Bright Horizons Back-Up Care benefits. Steve & Kate’s has more than 90 locations, and its about page also describes the camp as having spawned more than 70 locations from Manhattan to Manhattan Beach, which it calls “glorious islands of freedom from Manhattan to Manhattan Beach.”
The organization states that it is staffed with people who share a talent for connecting with kids. The camp’s philosophy is not about telling kids what to do but about showing them what can be done, and it celebrates the individual by enabling campers to express themselves freely while staff cheer them on. Steve and Kate created a camp where kids were in charge of their choices and parents could buy any number of day passes, attend camp any time, and get automatic refunds for any unused passes. The mission statement explains that when kids are empowered to make their own choices and be their own bosses, they discover new reserves of confidence, resiliency, and creativity, and notes that while campers no longer tie dye, the camp remains focused on addressing individuals’ needs.
Even though Steve and Kate no longer work at the camp, their vision is carried out through the VPs, Kevin and Mike. Kevin and Mike have a combined 55 years of Steve & Kate’s work experience, 47 of those 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 staff member.
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 that “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, many of those families attend. The Washington Post describes Steve and Kate’s Camp as offering a blend of traditional camp experience with a modern, tech-savvy touch and a laid-back aura true to its California roots, along with 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: Camp hours run from 8am–6pm, with long camp hours from 8am–6pm included in the camp fee.
Steve & Kate's Camp has been operating since 1980. The summer camp program is for children entering PreK through 7th grade, and the camp generally accepts children aged 4 to 13 years old. 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. All campers must be at least 4 years old by their first day of camp, except in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Utah, and Virginia, where campers must be 5 years old. The camp age limit is 13, but if a camper turns 14 while attending summer camp, they may finish out the summer, and at certain locations 13-year-olds must also be entering grade 8 during the registration period. Steve & Kate's Camp also offers mentorship programs for children aged 14 and 15, with availability varying by location, and no paperwork is required for age verification during registration.
The camp’s all-inclusive rates cover all camp hours from 8am–6pm, snacks and lunch, and any activities that interest the child. Parents can buy any number of days to use whenever and wherever they would like throughout the summer, or they can buy a Summer Pass for unlimited use. Parents can drop campers off and pick them up at any time between 8am and 6pm. Automatic full refunds are provided for any unused purchased Day Passes at the end of summer, with no processing fees. If a Summer Pass is purchased and not enough days are used to justify the cost, the camp calculates what would have been paid at the daily rate and automatically refunds the difference.
Steve & Kate’s offers Summer Camps, Fall Break Camps, Winter Break Camps, Mid-Winter Break Camps, Spring Break Camps, Field Trip Camps, and Bright Horizons Virtual Camp. Summer day camps and holiday camps are for kids ages 4–12, and Steve & Kate’s Camp is included as an option for people who have Bright Horizons Back-Up Care benefits. Steve & Kate’s has more than 90 locations, and its about page also describes the camp as having spawned more than 70 locations from Manhattan to Manhattan Beach, which it calls “glorious islands of freedom from Manhattan to Manhattan Beach.”
The organization states that it is staffed with people who share a talent for connecting with kids. The camp’s philosophy is not about telling kids what to do but about showing them what can be done, and it celebrates the individual by enabling campers to express themselves freely while staff cheer them on. Steve and Kate created a camp where kids were in charge of their choices and parents could buy any number of day passes, attend camp any time, and get automatic refunds for any unused passes. The mission statement explains that when kids are empowered to make their own choices and be their own bosses, they discover new reserves of confidence, resiliency, and creativity, and notes that while campers no longer tie dye, the camp remains focused on addressing individuals’ needs.
Even though Steve and Kate no longer work at the camp, their vision is carried out through the VPs, Kevin and Mike. Kevin and Mike have a combined 55 years of Steve & Kate’s work experience, 47 of those 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 staff member.
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 that “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, many of those families attend. The Washington Post describes Steve and Kate’s Camp as offering a blend of traditional camp experience with a modern, tech-savvy touch and a laid-back aura true to its California roots, along with 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.