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Editor's note: While applications for some programs have yet to be released, we will do our best to update this post as details are made available.

Free Summer Camps in New York City

1. BEAM Summer Camp – Various Locations

Current sixth or seventh-graders
Application open February-March
This free summer math program is aimed at low-income NYC kids. In the BEAM Discovery Program, sixth-graders fascinated by math spend five weeks with top instructors, solving problems and learning skills not generally covered in middle schools, like logic or computer programming. Other activities include sports, field trips, and games. Seventh graders experience BEAM programming in a three-week sleepaway summer camp on a college campus upstate. To be eligible, students must live in New York City and demonstrate financial eligibility. Admission is highly competitive, but both programs are entirely free. The sixth-grade program includes breakfast, lunch, field trips, and daily transportation to one of two campuses (uptown or downtown) and runs from Monday, July 7-Thursday, August 7, 2025. The seventh-grade program includes food, lodging, transportation, and activities and runs Sunday, July 6-Sunday, July 27, 2025. BEAM students are offered academic and college readiness support following the program.

2. Good Shepherd Services Summer Camp – the Bronx and Brooklyn

Grades K-8, varies by location
Application deadline and process varies by location
Every summer, this nonprofit runs 12 free summer camps in Brooklyn and the Bronx. The programs are meant to be fun, educational, and combat the dreaded summer slide. Healthy lunches are also provided. Age requirements vary by site, but are generally either grades K-8 or K-5. Some camps are held at the group's existing after-school centers, while others are held at public school spaces. You can find a complete list of centers on its website. Contact the location nearest you to find out how to apply.

3. The Children's Aid Society Summer Day Camp – Various Locations

Grades K-8, ages vary by location
Application TBD
Details on this summer camp program are still being finalized, but the nonprofit usually runs summer camps at sites in the tri-state area, including a country day camp in Westchester and NYC summer day camps housed at centers in Manhattan and the Bronx, as well as local schools. Tuition varies by location. In the past, some programs have been free, while others charged rates around several hundred dollars per week. Financial aid is available to those who qualify. If you are interested in a particular location, check out the entire list of participating programs, which will be posted shortly on the website.

4. Summer Rising – Multiple Locations

Grades K-8
Application due Friday, March 28, 2025
A collaboration between NYC public schools and the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD), this free summer program is available to all NYC students, though demand usually exceeds available seats, which are doled out via a lottery. Students in the Summer Rising program participate in recreational and educational activities including field trips, art making, outdoor fun, and more. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are available to all kids. Each program is different, depending on the school that's hosting it, so check the list of participating schools on the Summer Rising website to find a good fit.

5. STEM Matters – Multiple Locations

Grades K-12
Applications TBD
STEM Matters is a NYC-funded, lottery-based summer program that gives kids a chance to experience summer camp in one of the city's cultural institutions including its gardens, zoos, and the aquarium. Students in grades K-8 can apply for week-long camps while grades 10-12 can join in on multi-week options. Applications for the lottery open at various times of the year, so parents are encouraged to join the mailing list to be notified as soon as an application window opens. MetroCards are available for transportation to and from programs.

RELATED: Summer Internships in NYC for Teens

Girls Who Code is a national program that welcomes high school girls.

6. Girls Who Code – Virtual

Ages 14-18
Application due February 26, 2025, for early acceptance and Friday, April 11, 2025, for general admission
These days, it's almost a requirement that kids learn to code. If you have a daughter in high school, this summer immersion program can help. The 2025 program offers a two-week immersion program or a six-week, self-paced experience where kids can learn on their own time and participate in weekly advisory sessions and Girls Who Code activities. While girls can apply to both programs using a single application, they can only participate in one.

7. Coastal Classroom Summer Institute – Coney Island

Grades 5-8
Applications TBD
The Coastal Classroom is a free five-week program that takes students around the city's coasts and waterways. The science program teaches middle schoolers about marine life and science applicable to everyday life. It also introduces students to the recreational opportunities on the shores with activities like rowing, fishing, and bird watching. Campers learn how to have fun with and take care of the shoreline that's so important to NYC life. The program runs Mondays through Thursdays in July and August.

8. Octavia Project Summer Camp – Downtown Brooklyn

Grades 6-8
Early bird Applications due by March 15, 2025
The Octavia Project is a summer camp open to young women, trans, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming youth as a safe place to create, explore, and learn about topics in STEM. Daily workshops take participants through science, tech, art, and writing activities like drawing comics and coding video games. The summer project is held at the Urban Assembly Institute Mondays through Thursdays, and includes several Friday field trips. The program includes breakfast, lunch, snacks, and MetroCards to get to and from the institute.

Inexpensive Summer Camps in NYC

We realize that we all have our definition of what constitutes inexpensive, but we've done our best to round up a sampling of some of the least expensive summer camps in NYC. The programs below start at $500 for the entire summer and go up from there.

9. Advancing the Community of Tomorrow (ACT) Summer Camp – Morningside Heights

Ages 3.7 to 15 years
Application available now
ACT has been running a summer day camp on the campus of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine since the early '70s. Kids enjoy arts and crafts, cooking, reading, and playing on the gorgeous grounds, plus field trips. The session runs for 8 weeks from Monday, June 30-Friday, August 22, 2025. The camp costs $720 per week but financial aid is available.

10. All Access Maker Camp at the Intrepid Museum – Midtown West

Agest 8-14
Application due Sunday, April 20, 2025
The Intrepid Museum's All Access Maker Camp invites kids with developmental disabilities and autism to spend a week exploring behind the scenes, meeting with experts, tackling big problems, and learning about new tools and technology. There's a strong focus on building social-emotional skills and practicing communication and teamwork. The cost of the week-long camp, which runs Monday, August 18-Friday, August 22, 2025, for new campers and Monday, August 25-Friday, August 29, 2025, for returning campers, is just $75. A spring session is also offered for first-timers the week of April 14.

11. Riverbank State Park Summer Day Camp – Harlem

Ages TBD
Application TBD
This stunning state park hosts a summer day camp that costs around $550 for five weeks, and registration occurs in person during the late spring. Find more info on the green space's Facebook page and keep an eye on the list of documents on the website for the Spring and Summer programs to be announced.

12. YMCA Summer Camp – Citywide

Ages 4 and up
Registration is now open
With sleepaway camps and summer day camps located in all five boroughs and beyond, the YMCA provides youth with supervised activities that teach core values, conflict resolution, and leadership skills. These camps are well-priced, between $200-$450 a week, depending on the location. Financial aid is also available to those who qualify. You can find more information on our favorite YMCA camps near NYC here.

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BCAP Summer Camp introduced kids ages 7-12 to the cultural wonders of Brooklyn.

13. Brooklyn Cultural Adventures Program Summer Camp – Brooklyn

Ages 7-12
Application TBD
BCAP includes a garden, a historic house, a nature center, a landmark park, a library, a zoo, and two museums! Campers enjoy a carefully crafted curriculum led by instructors at each site, often combined with behind-the-scenes access. BCAP takes advantage of the incredible resources of Brooklyn's cultural institutions by offering hands-on experiences for children. Campers explore world cultures at the Brooklyn Children's Museum, become botanists at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, discover the incredible wildlife in Prospect Park, celebrate literature at the Brooklyn Public Library, create an artistic masterpiece at the Brooklyn Museum, and more. Two-week sessions typically cost $750-800, and the camp runs in July and August. Full and partial scholarships are available to those who qualify.

14. NYC Parks Experience Summer Day Camp – Citywide

Ages 6-13
Registration window runs from Monday, March 3-Saturday, March 22, 2025.
The Parks Department runs summer camps in NYC at recreation centers throughout the city that feature arts and crafts, sports, computer time, and field trips. This year's summer camp program runs from Monday, July 7-Friday, August 22, 2025. The cost for the entire summer ranges from $500 for regular days to $575 for extended days. To vie for a spot at this low-cost summer camp, enter the online lottery in March.

Grants & Other Ideas for Affordable Summer Camps

Some summer camp grants are available to New York City kids. Several of my friends have participated in the One Happy Camper program, which offers up to $1,500 off a child's first year of Jewish sleepaway camp. These grants are not need-based, so anyone can apply.

There are also need-based programs like the venerable Fresh Air Fund, which gives city kids the chance to experience sleepaway camp at no-cost. Wishbone is a local nonprofit that helps low-income NYC high school students attend the summer camp or after-school program of their choice.

Another good bet is to contact local Catholic schools, churches, or community centers in your area. Many of them run inexpensive summer camps in NYC for kids, and not all require membership.

We also keep a list of free summer sports programs for New York City kids if you're not looking for full-time coverage.

Finally, if your kids have their hearts set on a particular summer camp, inquire about financial aid. Many programs offer assistance to families who qualify.

Photos courtesy of the summer camps

This article, originally published in January 2010, is updated annually.