Read Across America Day Inspires Us To Read Every Day!

From The Cat in the Hat to Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, every American child has grown up with the silly and beloved rhymes of Dr. Seuss. Each year in March we celebrate this wonderful writer’s birthday with Read Across America Day. Here at Frogbridge, we foster children’s life-long love of reading, and believe that it should be appreciated all days of the year, not just on one special day. We encourage the parents of our campers to continue the practice at home, reading with their children each night. Studies show that reading with your children not only improves the bond between parent and child, but also supports cognitive development, language skills, and prepares them for academic success. When children read, they are taken on a magical adventure that excites their imaginations, and also teaches them valuable life lessons in ways they can understand. Books may be giving way to tablets and screens, but the importance of reading stories is still more important than ever.

Need inspiration for your next bedtime story? Here is a quick list of favorite books, perfect for your child’s age:

Preschoolers

1. CAPS FOR SALE, BY ESPHYR SLOBODKINA

2. WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, BY MAURICE SENDAK

3. SWIMMY, BY LEO LIONNI

Kindergarten & First Grade

1. THE COMPLETE TALES AND POEMS OF WINNIE-THE-POOH, BY A.A. MILNE, ERNEST H. SHEPHARD (Illustrator)

2. CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, BY ROALD DAHL

3. WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS, BY SHEL SILVERSTEIN

Elementary Kids

1. HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE, BY J.K. ROWLING

2. I AM MALALA: HOW ONE GIRL STOOD UP FOR EDUCATION AND CHANGED THE WORLD, BY MALALA YOUSAFZAI

3. WONDER, BY J.R. PALACIO

These are just a few suggestions for you and your child to enjoy. Want more ideas? Check out this Goodreads list: The Must-Have Series for Children Ages 6 to 12

Most of our camp counselors are professional teachers, meaning that they understand the value of reading and proper childcare.
Click below to learn more!

Get Ready for the First Day of Camp!

The first day of a child’s camp experience is so exciting but can be a little overwhelming for some children and parents. We are here to share with you everything you need to know to ease your concerns and make that special day a smooth and happy one for all.

What Are the Hours of Camp?

Camp Begins at 9:00 AM- 4:00 PM each day. For those signed up for Extended Care: Before care begins at 7:30 AM Aftercare ends at 6:00 PM

What Does My Child Need to Bring to Camp?

Well, because Frogbridge Day Camp is a full-service facility with a laundry center right here onsite, we will launder your child’s bathing suits each day and also offer poolside towel service every swim period. That’s right, you don’t need to send your child to camp with a towel or bathing suit daily, which, as many moms and dads know, means you don’t need to wash any towels or swimwear all summer long! We also provide campers with lunch in a dining hall and a daily afternoon snack, so no need to pack those either! So as many parents have celebrated for years, you only need to send your children to camp dressed in sneakers, shorts and a shirt! Items that you can have your child bring in on their first day to leave at camp in their cubbies are:

• Four swim suits (will be brought home the last day of camp)
• Flip Flops for the pool
• Sunscreen – SPF 45 or more is recommended

Most importantly, label everything with permanent marker or labels. Put your child’s name or initials and group number on everything you send to camp. We will be giving your child an official summer of 2018 Frogbridge camper bag to carry home their treasures made at camp and for them to bring any items you may choose to send them with as well as the items below. The following items may be brought to camp daily:

• Frogbridge Day Camp Back Pack (Given Out on your child’s First Day of Camp)
• 1 extra shirt
• 1 extra pair of shorts
• 1 hat for sunny days
• 1 pair of sneakers
• 1 sweatshirt or jacket
• A nap or rest blanket (for 3 and 4-year-old campers only).

How Can My Child Take Their Medication?

If your child takes prescription and/or nonprescription medication it will be administered after receipt of written authorization from the camper’s parent, guardian or prescriber and under specific directions only from the licensed prescribing physician. All medication should be labeled with your child’s name, in the original prescription bottle, and sent to the nurse’s office for storage and dispensing. Feel free to drop off the medication during the meet and greet or prior to camp beginning.

Transportation to Camp/Dropping My Camper Off

Here’s what to expect depending on which method of transportation you have chosen:

• Door to Door Transportation – Our campers that have chosen door to door transportation receive a hang tag the week prior with the time the bus will be picking up and dropping off your child. A bus monitor will help your child (if they need assistance) to get on the bus and make sure they’re securely fastened. Children will be picked up between 7:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m., depending on the distance from camp. Please have your child ready in advance of their pickup time if you are utilizing our door-to-door service. Someone must be at home to greet the camper in the afternoon when he/she is brought home at the end of the camp day. Dismissal is at 4:00 p.m., daily. We may not leave a child unattended at a home without a greeting by a parent or guardian unless a written letter of permission to do so.
• Central Express Transportation – If you have chosen a central express bus option please arrive at your bus stop 10 minutes prior to your busses AM departure time and PM arrival time each day.
• Extended Care – Campers joining us at extended care will participate in pre-and post-camp activities such as games, crafts and more, led by teachers and counselors each day. (Fee schedule is the same rate as our door-to-door option). Morning hours begin at 7:30 a.m. and conclude at 8:50 a.m. Afternoon hours begin at 4:00 p.m. and conclude at 6:00 p.m.
• Parent Drive Option – By choosing this option, parents drive their children to and from camp each day, but only at a specified time. Campers are dropped off in the morning between 9:05 a.m.-9:15 a.m. and picked up in the afternoon between 3:55 p.m.-4:05 p.m. Campers using this option do not take part in our extended care activities.

Parent Manual

For everything you need to know and more check out our Parent Manual. Be sure your child gets a good night’s rest the day before camp begins and have them bring a big smile, because they’re about to have the time of their lives at Frogbridge! If you have any questions or concerns always feel free to give us a call at 609-208-9050. We look forward to having your children with us as we celebrate our 20th summer and we’ll see you at our parent barbecue, Thursday, August 2nd from 5:30 PM-8:00 PM.

We’re excited for you to be part of the Frogbridge Family!

What are Some Benefits of Summer Camp Programs?

As a parent, you’re probably curious about the care and supervision of your child while they spend their days here. For children, sometimes being away from parents can bring some butterflies to his or her stomach. There are various benefits to sending your child to  the best summer day camp in NJ. We’ve compiled some statistics to create an infographic of some of the reasons why your child should attend summer camp!

Lunch at Frogbridge Day Camp: A Nutritious Experience For All Campers

As a parent, I’m always thinking about what my children eat everyday. For younger campers, it’s especially important that they receive the right nutrients to help them grow from “tadpoles” to “senior” campers. Frogbridge Day Camp prides itself in quality when it comes to the food your children enjoy at camp everyday. Here’s a little bit more information about the people “behind the scenes” creating a delicious and nutritious lunch, along with how we’re able to accommodate food allergies. Continue reading “What’s For Lunch? A Look at Camper Nutrition” →

Comparing summer camps might seem difficult at first, but a closer look at some of the most important factors that we as parents must strongly consider, can make the decision much easier for most of us. As parents, we are often faced with important decisions regarding the care of our children. When considering summer camps, for example, some of the most vital factors many of us concern ourselves with are care and supervision, the camp’s facility, the camp’s programs and the lunch program. While I am sure many of you will have a laundry list of other factors to consider, the four mentioned above represent the most commonly asked questions and concerns that I, as a Director, are often asked about.

Experienced & Enthusiastic Staff

The camp’s staff is the most important factor to consider when choosing the right summer camp for your child. Look at age, experience, energy and enthusiasm of the staff members, along with the group sizes and camper to staff member ratios, which at Frogbridge are unparalleled. The individuals that you are trusting with the care and supervision of your children can make all the difference in the world. Did you know that the average age of a staff member at summer camps across the country is approximately 18 years old? Most summer camps in NJ staff the majority of their camp with high school juniors and seniors, along with college freshman and sophomores. At Frogbridge, the average age of our team members is 32 years old. The average group size is 15 children (less than 12 in pre k and kindergarten). The camper to staff member ratio is 2:1. The difference? EVERY group of campers’ between ages 3 and 8 are led by an adult teacher, not a counselor. Each teacher has been finger printed and drug tested, and has previous camp experience. Each of them is hired based on the energy and enthusiasm they posses, along with the highest recommendations from their local districts, and years of experience in the summer camp industry. Our travel programs for all 8th through 10th graders, as well as our camp activities are also led by licensed teachers and experienced coaches, further establishing Frogbridge as the summer camp with the oldest, most experienced, energetic and mature staff in the industry. If your child is in the 4th through 7th grades, college students, most of which are studying elementary education in college, will lead him or her. Once our college students graduate, they can typically move into a teacher’s role here. This further proves that Frogbridge retains its staff members longer than any other camp you might consider. Each of your child’s teachers/division leaders are a call away should you need anything!

Our Facility

The Frogbridge facility is unmatched nationwide, and has been recognized as the premier summer camp in New Jersey. Our completely private, gated facility features a security guard at the front entrance, allowing only Frogbridge Family members onto the property on camp days. We are proud to offer our campers amenities not found elsewhere such as a lakeside air conditioned dining hall, a dedicated fully air conditioned preschool facility for preschool through first grade campers, a state of the art infirmary with two registered nurses on site at all times, 18 air conditioned craft and activity studios each led by it’s own adult instructor, an onsite laundry facility where campers bathing suits are washed and dried daily, poolside towel service, four heated swimming pools, three lakes for boating, fishing and tube rides, and much, much more. Activities not found elsewhere include The Octagon, our covered championship gaga stadium, Little Fenway Park wiffle ball stadium, Spin Zone Bumper Cars, a professional go kart raceway, Hops and Bops Studios, our dedicated dance and theater center, Ribbit’s ice cream parlor, and Frogarita’s frozen island oasis. Remember, each of these activities is led by licensed teachers, coaches, and experienced camping professionals!

Our Programs

Our programs are dedicated to teaching our campers based on age, experience, and ability. Each camper’s unique personality and experience is considered, and all lessons are based on those assessments. Campers at Frogbridge are placed into groups based on gender as well as the grade they recently completed in school. These groups will stay together throughout the summer following an exciting schedule with both indoor and outdoor activities. Campers are also given several personal elective choices each week, offering them the ability to choose their own activities and experience more of the activities they like most, or gain more insight into the activities they have become more interested in throughout the summer. The Frogbridge program also features Red Cross Certified swim lessons daily in our heated swimming pool complex. We also offer various exciting offsite travel programs for campers in the 7th through 10th grades, including overnight excursions to incredible venues such as Hershey Park, Boston, Virginia, Baltimore and more! Finally, we are the only camp to extend it’s warm welcome to our campers and their families year-round. We offer exciting seasonal camp reunions at iPlay America with unlimited ride passes for all camp families, a camper/parent BBQ night when parents can join their children and participate in many camp activities, and best of all, an annual fall Halloween event and toy drive called the Frogtoberfest, which features a haunted house, hayrides, pumpkin picking, magic shows, unlimited dinner buffet, carnival rides and much, much more. These unmatched events offer our campers the ability to stay in touch with their camp friends throughout the year, thus deepening the camp bonds and relationships made while here with us each summer.

An Amazing Lunch…Everyday!

Frogbridge prides itself on having the finest dining facility in any camp across the country, along with the most experienced and professional culinary team in the camp industry. Our executive chef and his team of 12 dedicated individuals create a camp menu that consists of camper favorites as well as many lunch items not offered elsewhere. Our “International days” offer campers the unique ability to try foods they may never have tired before. All lunches are freshly prepared on site in our 3,500 sq ft. kitchen. Daily alternatives, including a sandwich bar, cereal bar and salad bar are always available. Upon request, our chefs will kindly prepare favorites not offered on the day’s menu such as grilled cheese, pasta, chicken fingers and more for any campers that may not prefer a particular day’s featured entree. Most importantly, Frogbridge has quickly become known as the camp of choice when it comes to camper food allergies. We are nut aware, so parents have the piece of mind knowing that we take the utmost time and energy to eliminate any foods or ingredients containing nuts of any kind. We also have separate menu items for those campers that are gluten free, dairy free, lactose intolerant or have any allergies to items such as egg, yellow dye, red dye and more. We will go to great lengths to make sure that every child has eaten a healthy, full meal each day. As you can see, we pride ourselves on offering our campers an unmatched camp experience that simply cannot be found elsewhere. Since seeing is believing, feel free to contact our main office at 609-208-9050 to set up a private tour with our Director. We look forward to meeting you and answering any further questions or concerns you may have.