Liberty Lake Day Camp

Liberty Lake Day Camp gives all children an opportunity to succeed and welcomes campers with special needs who can benefit from a total inclusion experience. We have had great success with children with a wide range of developmental disabilities including Autism, ADHD, Downs Syndrome, and physical disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, sight/hearing impaired and eating disorders/allergies.  Our goal is for these campers to succeed in our extraordinary and supportive world amongst typical campers- just as they will when they become adults.

Liberty Lake Day Camp is not a Special Needs Camp, but functions under the belief that all children should benefit from the Camp experience.  Campers with Special Needs are placed in groups according to age and gender along with their typical peers.  Groups are supervised by an adult Group Leader and 1 or 2 high school aged counselors.  Many of our campers with special needs require additional one-on-one assistance. We refer to these additional helpers as Advocates. Camp families can secure advocates in the following ways:

■ Some school districts provide advocates if it is part of the student’s summer plan.

■ Some campers qualify with DDD who refer them to an agency that provides advocates (i.e. The Bridges Program at Advancing Opportunities).

■ We can help identify staff who we believe will make great advocates.  Parents would pay the salary of the advocate.

■ Some parents have hired their own advocates.  Often times they have found people who already work with their child during the year and are very familiar with their needs.

Resources For Special Needs Success

■ Our year-round Special Needs Coordinator, Ellyn Kellerman, oversees all program logistics and communicates with parents on an ongoing basis.

■ Specific staff training about working with special needs campers.

■ An "Elective Based Program" that allows campers (with parental assistance) to choose the electives that they are interested in and are able to participate. 

■ A welcoming and accepting culture in which typical children are accustomed, empathetic and appreciative of having a wide variety of children in their group; including diverse cultures, races, religions, and special needs.  We consistently hear from our Camp families how much they appreciate this aspect of Liberty Lake.

Funding Options

Liberty Lake Day Camp is approved through the NJ Department of Health and Human Services for their “Real Life Choices (RLC) Program.” This program provides some funding for DDD and DDS qualified children to attend Camp.  To see if your child qualifies for services from DDD or DDS, please contact the Department of Disability Services at (888) 285-3036.  Liberty Lake also partners with many school districts, county, military and religious organizations who make funding available for families.

CALL TO SCHEDULE A TOUR TODAY ~ 609.499.7820