Choosing the Right Camp

Camp Kinneret is:

• A place where creativity and expression are encouraged.
• A program in which teamwork and social interaction are the basics.
• A community where the courage to try is celebrated and the desire to succeed is supported.
• An opportunity for children to grow through accomplishment and respect.

Please visit the “Who We Are” section of our website for additional information.

• Campers are grouped by the grade they are entering in the fall. All groups are gender inclusive.
• Camper groups of children entering preschool & kindergarten have 11-13 campers scheduled each day.
• Camper groups of children entering 1st – 2nd grade have 12-14 campers scheduled each day.
• Camper groups of children entering 3rd grade and above have 12-15 campers scheduled each day.
• Campers participate with the same groups of campers and counselors for the full session of 4 or 5 weeks.
• Each group has both a senior counselor of college age or older (see below) and a high school training intern or co-counselor.

• Year-Round Staff
  • Ryan Rosen, Director, has been with Camp Kinneret since 1995 where he started as a CILT
  • Jamie Porter, Co-Director, has been with Camp Kinneret since 2007
  • Amy Clark Wernick, Enrollment Coordinator, served as Camp Kinneret’s director from 1996 – 1999 and has been the Enrollment Coordinator since 2016
  • Britt Rosen, Leadership Team member, attended Camp Kinneret as a child and has been year-round with Camp Kinneret since 2020
  • Lauren Wald, Leadership Team member, has been with Camp Kinneret since 2017
  • Brian Russo, Leadership Team member, has been with Camp Kinneret since 2015
• Summer Leadership Team
  • 4 or 5 individuals, in addition to our Year-Round team. They are experienced camp and education professionals who supervise all aspects of camp in the summer and serve as resources for campers, staff, and parents.

• All of our senior staff is college-aged or older.
• A minimum of 85% of our staff is at least one year out of high school.
• Co-counselors are a small group (less than 15% of the staff) who have just graduated from high school. These are typically individuals who have completed our high school internship program. As group counselors, they are always paired with another staff member.
• Certain staff members (such as lifeguards) have additional qualifications or certifications.
• We look for staff who are caring, compassionate, fun, patient and mature individuals. They are expected to be positive, supportive role models for our campers. A large percentage of our staff members are pursuing careers in teaching, social work, psychology and other people-focused professions.

• All new applicants participate in small group interviews of approximately 6-10 people. Applicants are required to demonstrate teaching, leadership, communication, and conflict-resolution skills as part of our evaluation process. (Each year, we interview upwards of 100 applicants to fill 20-30 open positions.)
• Successful group interview participants are then individually interviewed by a director.
• At least 3 references are personally called and spoken with at length as part of our evaluation process.
• All returning staff members re-interview each year.
• A background check is conducted on all new and returning staff under final consideration.
• All staff members participate in pre-camp drug testing and a random drug testing program throughout the summer.

• All new and returning staff participate together in five full days of training and orientation prior to the first day of camp. We feel it is important for returning staff members to refresh skills and be role models to new staff during training and throughout the summer.
• The entire staff is required to attend weekly evening staff meetings throughout the summer for ongoing training.

Each staff member is supervised by a member of the camp Leadership Team. Leadership Team members are around camp at all times throughout the day and provide assistance and support whenever needed. When not needed elsewhere, Leadership Team members jump in and play with groups and get to know the campers!

• We believe that safety, supervision, and fun are essential to the bus ride.
• Bus staff members are specifically trained to create a safe, positive bus experience.
• Each Camp Kinneret bus has a minimum of 4 and an average of 6 paid senior staff members who are hired to ride each bus along with the campers and high school interns each day.
• Bus staff members are in constant communication with the camp office and Leadership Team throughout the ride to and from camp.

• Every Camp Kinneret camper is evaluated 1:1 by a certified lifeguard on his/her first day of camp.
• There is a certified lifeguard to camper supervision ratio of 1 certified lifeguard for every 11-12 campers. (Counselors are in the pool playing with the campers or on deck guarding for extra supervision!)
• Campers swim every day at camp and receive a brief group lesson in addition to free swim time.
• Swimmers are assigned color-coded wristbands based on their water safety level and all campers are required to wear a wristband whenever they’re in the pool area to ensure that all staff can easily identify every camper’s water safety level.

• Yes. Camp Kinneret has been an accredited member of the American Camp Association (ACA) since 1959.
• The ACA sets national standards for camp operation. Accreditation requires on-site visits and evaluation by camp professionals trained to evaluate camps in areas such as safety, health, programming, transportation, and training. The American Camp Association collaborates with experts from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Red Cross, and other youth-serving agencies to assure that current practices reflect the most up-to-date, research-based standards in camp operation.
• To learn more about why camp accreditation is an important marker of camp quality, click here.

We will be offering in-person tours of camp this year. We also offer a pre-recorded tour for families that are not able to join us for an in-person tour. During the tours, our director Ryan will be walking around camp discussing our philosophy and facilities and answering any questions you may have. Each tour will include a limited number of participants, so please register early!

To see the tour dates and times, please visit the Tours page.