Special Needs Summer Camps – The benefits of a tailored program for your child.
“Camp Lee Mar has been life changing for our family. It is truly the MOST special place. The staff is beyond incredible. Every day my daughter asks when she can go back to camp. When you have a child with special needs, it is hard to imagine them away from you, safe, properly cared for, and thriving. This is the place where you can feel 100% comfortable that your child is in the best possible hands. I cannot say enough wonderful things about Lee Mar.”
– A current Camp Lee Mar parent.
Choosing a camp and making the decision to allow your child to attend an overnight special needs camp is not an easy decision. At Camp Lee Mar we understand this and are here to support you every step of the way.
Most parents hear about Camp Lee Mar from our current camp families or by searching summer camps for children with special needs online. We speak to parents every day who feel our program would be a good fit but are still unsure in their decision for the summer. Is this camp the right fit? Should my child go to a special needs camp? Will my child be understood? Will my child make friends? There are many summer camps for children with special needs, how do I know this is the right one? And the toughest question of all – how do I find the strength to let my child go?
What our prospective parents do know and share with us is that their child needs a full and engaging special needs summer camp experience to reach their true potential and fill those long summer days.
- Our campers don’t need to feel anxious about “fitting in” to make friends. Our staff are there to guide our campers in making those lifelong camp friendships just like those experienced in a traditional camp setting. As a summer camp for children with special needs we are very aware that many of our campers have been left out of social gatherings such as birthday parties or really struggled to maintain friendships in a mainstream inclusive setting. At Camp Lee Mar our children are genuinely included in everything and appreciated for their strengths and talents.
- All of our summer camp special needs programs are tailored to be accessible to all of our campers. At Camp Lee Mar every group does every sport and activity a traditional camp offers.
- Summer camps for children with special needs not only allow our campers the opportunity to be independent and have their own growth-producing experience, but they also allow parents to regroup. Our parents get to relax and reset while their child is having a great time at a summer camp special needs program.
- Special needs summer camps not only serve our campers, but their siblings also. While a camper is at camp we can work on social skills that will carry over into the home environment. This often helps improve sibling relationships. A summer camp for children with special needs can be just as beneficial to our campers’ siblings as it allows them the time to decompress and relax as well.
So what are the benefits of summer camps for children with special needs?
One of our parents shared this with us . . .
“ . . . even though the tag line is A Special Camp for Special Kids, one of the things I really appreciate about Camp Lee Mar is Leora is not really special here at all, and I mean that in the best possible way! Leora is just one of the campers. That has given my husband and me such a great sense of joy for her because Leora can appreciate all that sleepaway camp has to offer.”
At Camp Lee Mar, we couldn’t agree more with this statement! We believe our campers experience a camp for special needs children that meets them at their current level, allows them to have fun with peers that are working on the same skills, provides support, a genuine friendship circle, and a sense of belonging. This is why our program works so well. As a camp for special needs children we can individualize our program to help our campers build on the skills needed for the next school year, regardless of their school placement. A special needs camp can help build and maintain the skills needed for the upcoming school year.
Being a camp for special needs children, especially a sleep away camp, we understand the balance between safety and independence. We teach new skills, and we allow independence, all while providing the supervision and support required by each camper.
“Leora is very safe here at camp but she is not smothered. The counselors give the campers the opportunity to be as independent as possible, but when help is needed, then help is given. That sense of independence has been so wonderful for Leora . . . at home perhaps I do so many things to help Leora. It helps me realize that Leora is capable of doing so much more. Leora coming to camp has allowed me to give her the space needed to show me what she can do.”
At our summer camp special needs children are given the support and space to be as independent as possible. If you are considering Camp Lee Mar for your child please feel free to reach out to us. We can review your child’s I.E.P., talk through any needs or concerns you may have, and help you on your way to an amazing growth-producing experience for your child!
We know each and every one of our campers comes from an amazing family.
Families that knew that they would struggle with personal fears and anxiety about letting their child go to a sleep away camp for special needs kids, but also knew that the emotional and social growth their child would experience would give them the confidence they need going into a new school year.
Families that knew they would miss their child SO MUCH during the summer, but also knew that the independence their child would gain from a camp for special needs kids would be life changing.
Families that love their child so much that they have the strength to let their child experience an amazing summer at Camp Lee Mar!
