The Meadowlands YMCA is teaming up with Field Station: Dinosaurs for an all-new summer camp. This new four-week camp will allow campers to explore dinosaur-themed experiences including fossil digs and a paleontology laboratory in addition to Field Station: Dinosaur’s live music and shows including 30 life-sized animatronic dinosaurs.
“Adding Field Station Dinosaurs as a summer camp partner as well as other offsites was not only a response to the increase in demand, but also our commitment to providing a wide array of enrichment programs to help children learn in a fun way during the summer months away from school,” said Andrea Fernandez, Senior Child Care Director at the Meadowlands YMCA. “Our camps provide opportunities for kids to make lifelong memories, build self-confidence, independence and friendships that will last a lifetime.”
With space for 60 campers, the YMCA’s Field Station: Dinosaurs camp will run from July 24 to August 18. This camp will offer a new type of summer camp for children ages 5 to 8.
“As the dad of a kindergartner, I know how hard it is to find a great camp you can trust,” says Guy Gsell, Executive Producer at Field Station: Dinosaurs. “To combine the experience of the YMCA with the fun and learning of Field Station: Dinosaurs is every parent’s dream. We’re taking campers 65 million years back in time to play, laugh and, most importantly, to learn from the dinosaurs. “
Part of the reason to establish this new camp was due to a large amount of sign-ups for YMCA summer camps. As of Feb. 21, 286 of the YMCA 400 summer camp spots are already filled. In addition to the offsite Field Station: Dinosaur camp, the YMCA is also running offsite camps in Moonachie and Hudson County to help accommodate more kids.
“Last year parents were scrambling trying to find quality camps that still had availability and a lot of them were left without many options. This year we opened registration on January 1st in anticipation of another rush,” said David Kisselback, CEO of the Meadowlands Area YMCA. “In responding to the community by opening registration early, combined with expanding our programming in education and activities, we’ve never seen such high demand for our summer camps. We are filling up faster than ever before and if the trend continues, we will be completely booked within the next few weeks.
The Meadowlands Y offers several programs for children during the summer including travel camp, sports camp and Summer Seedlings for preschool-aged children. Each of these camps offers something entirely different and new for each camper. The travel camp features trips to Dorney Park, Liberty Science Center and the Jersey Shore while other academic enrichment camps provide children with experiences revolving around literacy, science, technology, engineering, math, art and music.
The Meadowlands YMCA serves 50,000 households and 300,000 guests yearly with an 83,200 sq. ft. facility and 30+ offsite locations. The Meadowlands Y is home to programs that benefit all ages and focus on health and wellness, academic enrichment, childcare and food insecurity.
As of Feb. 21, YMCA’s new Field Station: Dinosaur was more than two-thirds booked. To secure a spot, click here.