Steve and Kate’s Camp – San Jose

My sons have been going to Steve and Kate’s camp for the past 4 years. The last two summers at this location. I find it interesting that around May they look forward to coming and couldn’t wait to see the counselors. A part of me was worried that the same ones will not be there. Sure enough the first day for camp they were welcomed with a group of familiar faces. My son’s interests have changed over the years and we have to do more basketball camps but they will always request for Steve and Kate’s on our short weeks.

I was having a conversation with my son about the camp and somehow it came up that while Steve and Kate’s was on the expensive side, one of the cool things was that you could pay for the day.
He said, «I like it so much that if it’s too expensive, I am willing to pay a share.» I think that says it all.
For the record, my son is 8 years old, going into 3^rd grade. He is highly self-​directed. And, he has three favorite camps:
Starting Arts (in San Jose)
Steve and Kate’s
Wizbots
I highly recommend Steve and Kate’s, and if you are going to do it, have them go for at least 2 weeks, if not more. The activities, like badges, game shows, etc that they do build up over time and the kids get to understand the ins and outs and love it.
Great, great camp.

This summer my almost-​eight year old twin boys are going on week seven of Steve and Kate’s Camp and having the time of their lives. They love camp so much that they actually negotiated for a shorter family vacation so they wouldn’t miss too many camp activities. There are so many great things about Steve and Kate’s Camp it would be impossible to list them all, however, here are a few:
–Phenomenal Staff. Sienna (the San Jose Community Director) took the time to meet the boys before camp started. They had a list of questions and she answered every one. From that moment on they were ready for camp to start. The councilors are the most outgoing, friendly, spirited group of young adults that I have had the pleasure to meet. They take the time to get to know the children. When the boys talk about their «camp friend» more than half of the time they are talking about a counselor.
–Entertainment. With so many studios to choose from, there is always something for the boys to do. I have not heard them utter, «I’m bored» once in regard to camp. Here again, the remarkable staff members deserve credit for making these activities so engaging. Under the counselors’ guidance, the boys have learned how to create stop motion animations, bake bread, sew and play new games. The camp emails me all of their animations so we have mini film festivals at night.
–Flexibility. We don’t have to arrive at any particular time so our summer mornings feel very relaxed.
–Safety. There is always a counselor at the entry/​exit gate. The check-​in and check-​out process is very secure. All campers wear wristbands and all guests must carry a pass. The staff communicates with walkie-​talkies and it is incredible how quickly they can locate a camper.
–And so much more. The weekly specials keep them excited for each new week. The daily shows are a lot of fun and there is a game show called ‘Antlers Up!’ every afternoon. The boys even tried, and enjoyed, new foods. I really could go on and on.
I love seeing my boys happy and Steve and Kate’s Camp makes them very happy. We will definitely be back for more fun next year — we’re already counting down the days.

GREAT summer camp! My daughter is 7 years old and this is her first year attending a Steve and Kate’s camp — she LOVES it. She loves the song studio and dance studio the best. Every day I get about 5 recordings from her «recording» sessions and she loves the shows the kids get to put on and so on. The weekly specials that the camp does are great — she has ridden go karts and shot foam darts and this week is the GIANT water slide — which she could NOT be more excited for! The counselors are all super friendly and very caring. They all know the kids names and welcome them every morning by name and a big smile. The drop off is super easy and pick up just as easy. This is a very well run camp — my daughter and her friends have a great time every day — we are for sure doing this next summer!

My daughter has been at the Steve and Kate’s camp at the Booksin/​san Jose location for 2 summers. She absolutely LOVES it! She’s going into 2^nd grade, so her 2 summers were after K and 1^st. Here are a few of the reasons she loves it:
— She loves the counselors. This is the make or break thing for my daughter (more than any of the activities that are available). There have been different counselors the 2 summers there for the most part and each year, she has found the ones that she has immediately formed a bond with. She’s excited to see them everyday.
— She loves the food. I’ve heard on multiple occasions from her (and other parents say the same thing), that she likes how they make (insert lunch item here) better than I do.
— She loves the activities. The studios, the lounge, the daily/​weekly specials, the game show at the end of the day, the free time in between, there’s always something for her to do
— She loves the flexibility. My greatest satisfaction as a parent is when she turned to me one evening and said that she didn’t feel like waiting in line for a sewing machine, «but that’s ok because I just went and did something else. I like that nobody tells me where I have to go or what I have to do — I can choose for myself.»
What I love: the food (wholesome, varied, healthy), the activities, many of which are focused on making/​creating things using both hands and imagination, the people who have always been cheerful and responsive and focused on the kids, and the flexibility it gives my daughter. the quote from her solidified what I was hoping she would get from Steve and Kate’s — a sense of freedom and independence that I remember so well from my summers of largely unscripted activity. The flexibility it gives me is great too, but that’s more of a nice perk.

(Review of Willow Glen/​San Jose — at Booksin)
We are a family relocating to California from Illinois and have six weeks of «homelessness» to contend with, so I wanted to make sure my 7 year old son had a chance to be around other kids in a fun camp environment. Plus, he wouldn’t be dragged all over the Bay area while I toured houses.
I searched on line and the flexibility of Steve and Kate camp worked well for us. I liked that we could buy a 5-​day pass and use it at any of the locations. Since, when we started, I wasn’t sure if we’d be in the same apartment or hotel for the entire time. As it turns out, he has spent ⁴⁄₅ days at the Booksin location in Willow Glen. (We have one day left.)
He said had trouble making friends, because he had a hard time deciding on what he wanted to do and sticking to it the first few sessions, but I think if we had been dropping him off more frequently, it wouldn’t have been a problem. But he really liked that when he got overwhelmed with the noise at lunch, the staff looked out for him, particularly the director of the camp, Bret, and let him eat his lunch in a quieter environment. (He has a bit of sensory issues when he’s anxious.)
Bret and I exchanged e-​mails a bit because, unlike other camps we’d been to in Illinois, he e-​mailed us after the first day and asked for some feedback. I thought that was terrific. And I appreciated Bret’s patience with my stressed out kiddo.
I also liked the «so you’re ready for camp» e-​mail they sent us after I completed the online registration. It had a couple of videos for us to show my son. He watched them over and over making the transition a bit easier about being in a new place with new kids.
My son said his favorite thing about camp was that he could do whatever he wanted. He said the worst thing was that there were days when camp got very overcrowded and there were long lines to do the recording studio or the animation studio. He made due by doing a lot of outside activities, hanging in the design studio and playing foosball in the lounge, but he never got a chance to
When I picked him up at 4:30 p.m., he was always exhausted. He could barely sit up at dinner, and he went to bed early.
As a parent, I really liked the flexibility of Steve and Kate, but the drawback of a drop-​off camp is that the numbers do go up, and apparently do negatively affect a child’s chances to actually do what he wants in the studios because of overcrowding. I don’t know if I’d sign him up for a whole summer, but from time-​to-​time as a day camp, I think they’re a solid choice.

Both of my kids attended two days of camp. I really like the flexibiity of the pay as you need day camp. You can drop off as early as 7:30 AM and as late as 6 PM. They also provide very delicious morning and afternoon snacks and many choices for lunch, including some gluten free choices. All for $ 75/​day. Whatever days you don’t use at the end of the summer, they refund you.
Overall my kids really liked the camp. They said the food was fabulous. Each day, they offer chicken or tofu hot dogs (gluten free buns on request), pizza, spaghetti with marinara or pesto, wok fried brown rice (gluten free soy sauce), daily salads and soups. They raved about the strawberry banana smoothie for dessert. Morning snack included gluten free oatmeal with dried cranberry, raisins, bananas, brown sugar and fresh fruit and veggies. Afternoon snacks focaccia bread, fresh fruit and veggies.
There are numerous activities to choose from including cooking, film making, sewing, knitting, music recording, and performance arts. My kids tried some of the activities but they were frustrated with not getting enough help. For example, my son wanted to try sewing and he asked the counselor to help him but she was helping another child. He waited and waited but eventually left the sewing room without being able to learn how to sew. He said he was disappointed. They tried film making, but they needed more assistance with the camera. With other kids trying to use the equipment and not much assistance, they ended up not being able to complete their movie. My son did some reading and played foosball with other kids.
It sounds like there weren’t enough counselors for some of those studios. I think sending the kids to a more focused camp to actually learn those skills would be better, such as a focused sewing class or film making camp.
Each week, there were special activities such as ice skating and during one of the days my kids were there, they brought in a parrot show. My kids were very impressed with the show.
My son also made a new friend at camp and the boy exchanged contact info. It’s great to hear that he met someone from a different school in which they share similar interests.
Overall, I am thrilled that Steve and Kate’s Camp has a location in Evergreen. It’s a wonderful concept of a camp and I wished it existed when I was a kid. It is unstructured where they let the kids pick and choose what they want, so it may not be a good fit for very young kids or kids who need more structured activities or extra attention.
There are some counselor led activities throughout the day so my kids tried volleyball. There is also a video game room and foosball. Since there are so many activities to choose from, your child should be able to find something to do, even if it’s the same thing the entire day.

My opinion of any summer camp really depends on what I think my child got out of it and whether or not she enjoyed it. And some kids are better suited to certain types of camp experiences than others. So read this review with a grain of salt and do your homework if you are still curious as to whether this camp will work for your family or not.
PROS:
— I love how I can «pay as you go» or in one lump sum. Best of all, I love if my child doesn’t go to every single day I paid for, I will get a refund at the end of the summer. This definitely sweetened the deal for my family.
— I love that Steve and Kate’s provides all snacks, drinks, and lunch. And that the food is organic and healthy. How nice not to have to stress about packing lunches/​snacks every day during the summer months!
— I love the huge number of activities and entertainment available to kids… cooking, sewing, singing, acting, filming, pottery, team activities, magic shows, jump houses, African drumming… you name it!
— The setting. Hillbrook is a lovely campus and hard to beat as a setting for a day camp experience!
CONS:
— The camp counselors were a mixed bag. Some seemed very engaged and dedicated to the kids, some seemed stressed or worn out, and some simply seemed bored. My overall sense was these young adults weren’t all on the same page in terms of how best to manage kids. My daughter also attended Camp Galileo and the difference between that camp’s counselors and this one is HUGE (with Camp G far ahead of the game).
— If you are looking for a camp for a younger child (age 5 — 6 years), this might not be the best fit. Unless your child is extremely outgoing and comfortable with a more open ended experience. S and K’s camp felt, at times, like Lord of the Flies or Peter Pan… the ratio of kids to camp counselors isn’t great and because the camp tends to take a very hands-​off approach, many of the kids simply roam around in packs and interact with minimal direction or supervision from the young adults in charge. This can lead to the little guys being overwhelmed or trying desperately to glom on to anyone who will give them direction.
— Unless you have an older child, I feel the days are VERY long. Kids can be dropped off as early as 7:30am and picked up as late as 6:00pm. I realize many kids spend as long in a daycare/​preschool environment (or even in before/​after school care in elementary school). But in those environments, kids are almost always given some downtime to nap, rest, read a book. At camp, older kids might know when to take a break… and Steve and Kate’s does provide a place to chill if kids want to do just that. But the younger guys don’t always know that they’re tired and won’t stop playing to relax for ten minutes. This is a LOOOOOOONG day for a five-​year old and I think the camp should help set parent expectations and let parents know they can get their kid at any time… they don’t have to wait until 4:00pm or 5:00pm or even 6:00pm.
All in all, I think this camp has the right ideas in place… I’d just love to see more cohesion among the camp counselors and a strong program in place to assist with younger campers. I would NOT recommend this camp for an entire summer… but if you need a place for a few weeks or somewhere you can drop off Johnny when he’s bored once in a while, this is a safe bet.