What Parents Need to Know

Essential Information for Parents

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Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey is committed to making sure more girls benefit from the Girl Scout Leadership Experience and offers household income-based sliding scale financial assistance for summer day camp.

Financial Assistance for Summer Camp Application

Financial Assistance may be granted for all camp programs. A committee of staff and volunteers will review requests and determine awards on a rolling basis. Funds are limited, so apply early.

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Our Parent Guide contains information that will help you prepare for camp, including what to bring, what to wear, daily camp life activities, overnights, trips, and deadlines for forms. Be sure to download and read the guide thoroughly.

Jockey Hollow & Lake Rickabear Camp 2026 Parent Guide

Waitlist

Some camp sessions are very popular and fill up fast. If a particular camp session is full, the option to place your camper on the wait list will appear. We will contact you if a space becomes available prior to the camp date. While we try to accommodate as many girls as possible from the wait list, we are sometimes limited in the number of campers in a unit, so cannot guarantee that space will become available.

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Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey has compiled a listing of Community Resources (national and statewide) for our Volunteers and Families to reference as needed, including hotlines, government agencies, and services for employment, health, housing, food assistance and children/families.

Additional Camp Information

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We're American Camp Association accredited!

The health and safety of our campers and staff are our primary concern. We are proud to be accredited by the American Camp Association (ACA), which reviews staff qualifications and training, emergency management, program quality, health and safety standards, and much more. Additionally, our camps comply with standards set by the New Jersey State Department of Health, American Red Cross, and Girl Scouts of the USA.

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Aftercare (PM Care): Extend the camp day for campers with aftercare program held on site at Jockey Hollow Camp and Lake Rickabear Camp. Aftercare is offered from the end of the camp day until 6:00 p.m. Campers need to be picked up at camp. The fee is $90 per session (except for Session 1, which is $72). No per diem is available.

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Some of the frequently asked questions posed by our parents can be found at our FAQ & Answers section of the website.

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An optional cold lunch program is provided by Simply Gourmet, an independent food service company. Simply Gourmet offers “kid-friendly,” nutritious, nut-free meals delivered daily and individually packaged with the camper’s name. Participate by going to www.simplygourmetlunches.com. Menus and pricing for both July and August will be available for ordering by the middle of June 2026.

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Twilight Camp Time (Grades K-9)

Stay longer, after your camp day, for an evening of camp sunset activities without the full overnight stay! You’ll enjoy games, crafts, an extra swim, and dinner (all activities are weather permitting). It’s the perfect introduction to overnight camp. Each overnight is an additional $60.

Starlight Overnights (Grades 3-9)

Complete the camp experience with an overnight at camp! During select sessions, girls can participate in an evening campfire and sing-along, and sleep in a building, tent, or yurt at Lake Rickabear or in a cabin at Jockey Hollow with their unit. Three meals (Wednesday dinner, and breakfast and lunch on Thursday) and a snack will be provided. Campers must pre-register for any of the overnights. Registration for overnights closes 10 days before each camp session begins. Each overnight is an additional $100.

Registration Changes/Cancellations/Payments/Terms & Conditions toggle arrow

Changes to Registration
An additional fee of $20 per request for any changes will be applied after June 2, 2026. Any changes to a day camp order must be emailed to customercare@gsnnj.org. Registration for each session will close approximately 7 days before the session begins.

Payment Schedule

A deposit of $100 is required for each session and each camper at the time of registration. You may choose to pay in full at the time of registration or select the Auto-pay option which will withdraw your final payment on June 2, 2026. Final payment reminders will be sent prior to June 2, 2026. To pay any remaining balances not on auto-pay, please log in to the Parent/Guardian Dashboard. All registrations submitted after June 2, 2026 must be paid in full at the time of registration.

Non-member Registration

Girls who are not currently registered as a Girl Scout are welcome to attend GSNNJ day camps. An additional one-time GSNNJ registration fee of $60 per camper will be charged.

Girls who are not currently registered will become a member of GSUSA. Girls may continue in Girl Scouts after camp by emailing customercare@gsnnj.org.

Girls who are Girl Scouts members with another council, should choose “Out-of-council Member” during registration.

Need assistance with day camp registration?
We’re happy to help! Call (973) 248-8200 or email customercare@gsnnj.org.

Cancellation Policy

Camp fees will be refunded, minus the $100 deposit per session, ONLY if an email request is received at customercare@gsnnj.org no later than June 2, 2026. This includes fees for PM care as well as camp add-on fees. Requests received after June 2, 2026, cannot be refunded.

In the case of an accident, illness (verification from a doctor is required), or death of an immediate family member, a camper will be offered the next available session, or a refund will be considered on an individual basis.

GSNNJ reserves the right to cancel programs or services that do not meet our minimum enrollment requirements. All fees will be refunded if the camper is not placed in another program. There is no refund if a camper is asked to leave camp due to behavioral problems or disobeys camp policies. 

Staff

Each unit of campers is comprised of a minimum of two counselors who are at least 18 years old, ensuring girls have mature and responsible caretakers. Each summer camp staff member completes an application with references and are individually interviewed and background checked. All staff members complete a minimum of three days of pre-camp training. All unit staff and lifeguards are certified in First Aid and CPR. Key staff are EpiPen certified.

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Jockey Hollow Day Camp and Lake Rickabear Day Camp have a certified nurse and/or an EMT on staff at camp every day.

Jockey Hollow Day Camp and Lake Rickabear Day Camp can provide reasonable accommodations to girls with special needs.

Contact Shannon Cornine, Jockey Hollow Day Camp Director, at scornine@gsnnj.org, or call (973) 248-8200 to determine if we can adequately serve your camper’s needs.

All girls are welcome at Jockey Hollow Day Camp and Lake Rickabear Day Camp, where they will make new friends, try new things, and learn leadership skills that will last a lifetime.

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Transportation for Jockey Hollow Day Camp

Bus transportation to and from camp is included in the camp fee. Buses arrive at camp between 8:50 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and leave camp at approximately 3:45 p.m. A bus stop (or parent transport) must be selected at the time of registration. Bus times may vary due to traffic and weather conditions. A bus counselor is present on each bus. Be sure to opt in to Text messaging in the Parent Dashboard to receive messaging regarding bus delays or other concerns.

Buses cannot wait beyond the scheduled times, so please arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to pick-up and drop-off times. For the safety of our campers, an authorized adult must present a photo ID when picking up a camper each day. Authorized pick-ups including parents must be entered in the appropriate section on the Parent Dashboard.

Arriving and Departing by Car: Campers transported to camp by a parent/guardian should arrive between 8:30 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. and should be picked up at 3:35 p.m. For campers being transported by a parent/guardian, select Parent Transport during online registration. Add PM Care to your cart and select Parent Transport for those staying for extended care.

Jockey Hollow Summer Day Camp 2026 Bus Routes

Transportation for Lake Rickabear Day Camp

Bus transportation to and from camp is included in the camp fee. Buses arrive at camp at approximately 9:00 a.m. and leave camp at approximately 4:00 p.m. A bus stop or parent transport must be selected at the time of registration. Bus times may vary due to traffic and weather conditions. A bus counselor is present on each bus. Be sure to opt in to Text messaging in the Parent Dashboard to receive messaging regarding bus delays or other concerns.

Buses cannot wait beyond the scheduled times. Please arrive at the bus stop 10 minutes prior to pick-up and drop-off times. An adult must stay with the camper until the bus arrives. For the safety of our campers, an authorized adult must present a photo ID when picking up a camper each day. Authorized pick-ups including parents must be entered in the appropriate section on the Parent Dashboard.

Arriving and Departing by Car: Campers transported to camp by a parent/guardian should arrive between 8:45 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and should be picked up between 3:45 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. For campers being transported by a parent/guardian, select Parent Transport during online registration. Add PM Care to your cart and select Parent Transport for those staying for extended care.

Lake Rickabear Summer Day Camp 2026 Bus Routes

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Make summer camp purchases easier to manage. Give your camper money to buy snacks, camp merchandise, patches, and more in the form of Camp Bucks for use at our Jockey Hollow Camp and Lake Rickabear Camp Trading Posts. Camp Bucks can be purchased up until 8 days prior to the first day of a session.

Questions?

Call Girl Scouts of Northern New Jersey Customer Care: (973) 248-8200

Or, email us at customercare@gsnnj.org

We're American Camp Association accredited!