At J Camps, we talk about the grade your camper is entering for the upcoming school year. A camp for grades 1 – 2, is available to campers entering grade 1 or grade 2 in the fall of 2025.

All campers should wear comfortable clothes, including sneakers. All clothing and additional items should be clearly labeled with the camper’s first and last name.  Communication will be sent from your camp identifying if your camper should come to camp in their bathing suit.

Unless otherwise specified, your child will need the following daily:

• Sunscreen – Please send your child to camp with sunscreen already applied and a bottle. The camp staff will ensure that sunscreen is reapplied throughout the day.
• Non-perishable lunch and snacks
• Water bottle
• Sneakers – Please no open-toed shoes, flip-flops or Crocs.
  Swimsuit and towel
• For younger campers, please pack an extra pair of clothes in case of accidents.

Please do not send iPods, cell phones, Apple watches, electronic games/toys, trading cards or money to camp with your child. Campers enrolled in travel camps who bring spending money will be responsible for managing their own money and purchases. The Evelyn Rubenstein JCC is not responsible for lost, stolen or traded items.

AM Care 
AM Care begins at 7:30 AM. Your camper will enjoy quiet activities such as coloring and board games until the camp day begins. AM Care is held in the Samuels Family Community Pavilion for all campers in kindergarten through grade 5. Camp Bami AM Care is at the Bertha Alyce School. The J provides transportation for Kaleidoscope campers from the Samuels Family Community Pavilion to the Merfish Teen Center.

PM Care 
The camp day does not need to end at 3:30 PM! Campers can continue to enjoy the excitement of camp until 5:30 PM with arts and crafts, games and other fun activities throughout the afternoon. A kosher afternoon snack is served in PM Care. The J provides transportation from the Merfish Center to the Samuels Family Community Pavilion for campers signed up for PM Care. Kindergarten through grade 5 campers are picked up at the Samuels Family Community Pavilion. Camp Bami campers are picked up at Bertha Alyce.

This program is an alternative to traditional AM/PM Care and allows teen campers in grades 7 through 9 to be on their own before and after camp. This program is free to those enrolled in camp. Below you will find the summer 2025 roamer policy.

Between the hours of 8:30 AM and 3:30 PM, roamers are still campers and must abide by camp policies. Please help us keep everyone safe by communicating early pickup times and packing your patience for PM carpool. Roamers cannot leave before the camp day is done without a parent checking them out.

Rules and expectations:

• Teens and parents must have a signed roamer agreement on file.
• Teens must check in with an assigned camp staff member in the game room if they arrive before 8:30 AM.
• Teens must check out with an assigned camp staff member in the game room between 3:30 PM and 5:00 PM.
• There is a “three strikes and you’re out” policy on forgetting to check in/out.
• On the Monday of each week (or the first day the teen is present), roamers must sit with a staff member for five minutes to go over expectations.
• If a camper cannot handle the responsibilities of being a roamer, they will be asked to leave at 3:30 PM carpool or will be signed up for PM Care with grades 3 though 6.

Friend requests are part of the camper forms. Friend requests are only for Camp Bami, Kinder Camp and Camp Kaleidoscope.

Camp provides a wonderful opportunity to meet NEW friends. However, we understand the importance of friends at this time and do our best to honor up to two friends’ requests, with priority given to mutual requests.

We welcome all children, regardless of religious affiliation, to participate in our camp experience. Both campers and staff come from diverse backgrounds.
Camp programming incorporates Hebrew words and Jewish experiences including Shabbat on Fridays and Israel engagement.

Your family does not need to be a member of the JCC to enroll in camp. All camps have a public rate. Registration for non-members is available beginning Thursday, February 5.

Once the registration process is complete, you will receive an email confirmation. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please call us so we can check your registration status.

If a camp is full, you will be placed on a waitlist in the order you register.  You will not be charged at that time. The camp office will notify you if a space becomes available.

Changes made after May 1, 2025, will incur a $25 administrative fee per camper per camp change.

Families with a balance on their account will not be able to register until the balance has been paid.

We DO NOT prorate camp weeks or sessions for any reason unless your child attends a Jewish sleep-away camp and the dates conflict with J Camps. You must notify the camp office of the dates by May 5, 2025; no exceptions.

Review J Camps refund policy, registration requirements, payment options and scholarship information here. (link to the financial page)

J Camps is excited to share that we are in the accreditation process with the American Camp Association. This means we must meet the highest health and safety standards for our staff and campers. Our official accreditation visit will take place this summer; we are excited to join ACA! You can learn more about what it means for a camp to be accredited HERE.

All campers must have up-to-date immunizations to attend J Camps. The immunization form must include the date of the child’s last tetanus shot and be signed and stamped by their pediatrician.  A list of vaccine requirements can be found HERE. J Camps does not accept immunization waivers.

• J Camps will be closed for Shavuot on Monday, June 2 and Tuesday, June 3.
• J Camps will be closed for Independence Day on Friday, July 4.

The J provides transportation from the Ellen Boniuk School in West Houston to the Main J Campus and Merfish Teen Center. The J provides transportation for any off-site camps.

Camp Bami, Kinder Camp and Kaleidoscope all offer a “Meet the Counselor” day on Sunday, June 8, 2025. More information will be available as the camp date approaches.