CCATE campers on the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, summer 2026

Campamento de veranoSummer Camp · grades 2–12 · three weeks every July, since 2013

Cooking, gardening, art, film, science, sports and field trips across the region — a summer day camp designed each year with volunteers, interns and families, and run with the whole community caring for its children.

Verano 2026See the photos and the story Verano 2027Registration, teaching and interning
¡Lo logramos! Philadelphia Museum of Art, July 2026
July 6–24Summer 2026: three weeks, starting at 9 am each day
12tracks to choose from every day in 2026
4field trips: Carver Center, Valley Forge, Philadelphia Zoo and the Art Museum
75campers and 23 workshops in 2025

Un día de campamentoWhat a camp day looks like

  1. Círculo familiar de la mañanaEveryone together: breathing, the question of the day and the plan for the morning.
  2. TracksCampers move between the kitchen, the art room, the media room, the garden, the youth library and the lawn.
  3. Almuerzo y lecturaLunch together, then twenty minutes of Drop Everything and Read.
  4. More tracksA second round of workshops — or a weekly field trip.
  5. Círculo de la tarde y limpiezaA closing circle, then every camper helps clean up. Every day.

Summer 2026 tracks

  • Cocina · cooking
  • Cooking with The Food Trust
  • Herbalismo y jardinería
  • Arte y artes visuales
  • Cine y podcast
  • Beading
  • Crochet
  • First aid with CHOP
  • Deportes al aire libre
  • Compromiso cívico
  • Custodia ambiental
  • Legos y juegos de mesa
  • Descubre China
  • Teatro

Taught by CCATE staff, university interns, community volunteers and partner organizations. High school students spend their vacation as counselors for the younger campers.

Verano 2026A few moments from this summer

Campers hiking the trails of Valley Forge
Senderismo at Valley Forge.
Soccer on the lawn at CCATE
Soccer on the lawn.
Crochet and beading creations made at camp
Crochet and beading.
The Descubre China track
“Descubre China.”
Campers drawing in the galleries of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
In the museum galleries.

All the photos and the story of summer 2026

Cada verano, un temaEvery summer the community chooses a theme — and builds the camp around it

  1. The In Touch Generation12 daily tracks, 4 field trips; supported by a grant from CHOP
  2. Solidarity75 campers, 23 workshops, six pool days; Berman Museum, Valley Forge, PHS Farm Park
  3. 40+ campersCyanotypes at the Berman Museum, swimming at the Carver Center
  4. Roots and Identities50 campers, 16 instructors, 12 classes; Penn Museum, Camden Aquarium
  5. Love and Peace85 campers and 36 teachers and volunteers; a restorative circle in every session, in answer to violence in the region
  6. Reconstructing Ourselves with EmpathyBack together after the pandemic year
  7. CCATE in MotionCamp through the pandemic
  8. The Immigrant VillageLa villa inmigrante
  9. Caring for Our EnvironmentGardens, water and the natural world

Desde 2013, cada julio.

Hecho en el campamentoSome of what campers have made over the years

Award-winning filmsAnimated, narrative and documentary films, honored at the Bucks Fever FilmFest. Films
Edible and rain gardensBuilt with The Food Trust and the John James Audubon Center.
A bilingual cookbookMexican family recipes, written by campers.
A book of poetryA bilingual volume of campers’ poems.
Maps of our rootsA map-making project on campers’ Latino roots and heritage.

Lo hacemos entre todosDesigned together every June — and carried by our partners

Each June more than 30 volunteers, interns and community members of all ages meet to plan the summer. Based on everyone’s talents and interests, they choose the theme and co-design the tracks for camp and for the High School Leadership Institute.

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia · first aid, healthy snacks, online safety The Food Trust · cooking Carver Center · swimming Valley Forge National Historical Park Philadelphia Zoo Philadelphia Museum of Art Berman Museum at Ursinus · cyanotypes PHS Farm Park John James Audubon Center Penn Museum

Each camp is evaluated with families, staff and volunteers through appreciative inquiry, and what we learn shapes the next summer.

Verano 2027Camp runs again in July 2027

Familias · Families

Registration opens in the spring and is announced to CCATE families at the end-of-year celebration. Tuition is on a sliding scale by family — in 2026 it ranged from $75 to $250 per family — and scholarships are available.

Registration and waitlists

Enseñar · Teach a track

Have a skill to share — cooking, a sport, an instrument, a craft, a language? Join the June planning group and teach a track for one week or all three.

Volunteer

Internships

University students intern at camp through service-learning and humanities programs — planning tracks, teaching and mentoring campers. High schoolers volunteer as counselors.

Jobs and internships

Un verano para cada niñoHelp keep camp affordable for every family

Tuition covers only part of each camper’s summer. Gifts pay for buses, museum tickets, pool days, materials and healthy food.

DonarSupport next summer’s camp ContactoQuestions about camp

¡Lo logramos!