Experience Belonging at NJY Camps
Round Lake

Experience Belonging at NJY Camps

Round Lake is a unique inclusion model at NJY Camps designed for children with diverse needs. Our program is built upon a philosophy of opportunity and choice for all campers. At NJY Camps, our approach to inclusion ensures that campers who are part of the Round Lake program are fully integrated into the camp experiences at Camp Nah-Jee-Wah and Cedar Lake Camp. Campers enjoy everything that a traditional sleep away camp experience has to offer, while benefiting from additional support.

To this end, campers are simply Nah-Jee-Wah and Cedar Lake campers, and are a part of the Round Lake program, in which staffing and housing are structured to meet their needs.

Nah-Jee-Wah Inclusion Program – Grades 1-6
Cedar Lake Inclusion Program- Grades 7+
Contact Round Lake Director

The Round Lake Goal

Each experience at Round Lake is designed to help develop confidence, independence, and improve peer interaction, as well as to have fun and feel secure in their camp environment. Communal living provides campers with an abundance of opportunities to learn about themselves and how to work with others. While keeping a strong focus on group dynamics, campers gain social skills and develop the friendships they often struggle to make outside of camp. Our program is flexible and individualized such that each camper’s interests, needs, and goals can be met. The camp experience is designed to offer campers life skills that lead to success and a feeling of accomplishment, and developed to encourage our campers to be part of a group.

Two boy summer campers smiling.

Camp Life at Round Lake

Round Lake is an inclusion program at Camp Nah-Jee-Wah and Cedar Lake Camp for children between the ages of 7 to 17 with a wide array of needs. Campers come from both private and public educational environments in which they have been a part of resource programs, self-contained classrooms, and general education settings.
Acceptance is contingent upon interviews and supportive materials which are consistent with camp’s philosophy. Our campers present with a variety of diagnoses including, but not limited to, social communication disorders, ADHD, anxiety, and learning differences.
Professionals are available to provide speech therapy and occupational therapy as per campers’ Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) at no extra cost. Tutors offer academic enrichment in both individual and group settings and our mental health professional is also on site to provide support to our campers and staff. Our Round Lake staff offer the compassion, patience, and personal touch that help make camp a profound experience on multiple levels.
Our 7 to 11 year old Round Lake campers reside in dedicated bunks at Camp Nah-Jee-Wah, while campers 12 years and older live in dedicated bunks at Cedar Lake Camp. Our campers benefit from the support of a high counselor to camper ratio. In particular, the campers have scaffolding during the unstructured parts of the day, for example, during meals, clean up, rest hour, and shower hour. In addition, staff utilize visual aides, such as schedules and calendars, to provide the predictability and routine our campers seek.

Nah-Jee-Wah Dates & Rates
Cedar Lake Dates & Rates

Teen Village

Internship Program

Round Lake campers ages 15-17 in Teen Village participate in an internship program 4-6 days a week. Campers are placed at one of many locations on camp. Examples of placements include animal center, arts and crafts, STEM, and the administrative offices. The campers spend anywhere from 1-3 periods a day, depending on their ability and interest in their chosen area. This provides them the opportunity to develop life skills and gain a sense of responsibility and confidence, while also contributing to the community. Our social worker provides an in-service to campers, teaching interview skills and resume building.

Summer camper holding a camera.

Community Service

Additionally, Teen Village campers travel on field trips one or two days per week to participate in community service projects. They love boarding the bus and venturing out as a group. An example of a community service trip that is enjoyed each year is our visit to the AFYA Foundation, an agency committed to sending surplus medical supplies to countries in need.

Group of summer campers smiling and gardening.

Vocational Opportunity

Tzevet B’Yachad

Tzevet B’Yachad (TBY) is an arm of our staffing structure on our Milford campus. Sponsored by the generosity of The Shirvan Family, Round Lake alumni are able to return to camp as staff members with the needed support to have a meaningful and enriching work experience, and continue to be active members of our community. The goal of TBY is to foster self-confidence and socialization, as well as to develop job readiness and independent living skills.

More About TBY

Meet the Team

Our Amazing Staff

Our staffing infrastructure is truly unique. Between our senior leadership, inclusion supervisors and coordinators, and frontline counselors, our team is built to provide the highest level of care and to implement the very practices our philosophy of inclusion is grounded in. A well-qualified, well-trained staff is the key to success at Round Lake. All lead staff are professionals in their fields, as teachers, social workers, nurses, occupational therapists, speech therapists, Jewish educators, and more. Each of our staff come with the experience, skills, and training necessary to provide the high level of care and program that our camp families have come to know. Each summer, we are privileged to have a team of remarkable individuals who demonstrate the patience, compassion, and energy that our campers deserve.

Counselors are mature, good-natured, and carefully selected because of their interests in working in the area of special needs. Many of our counselors are college students majoring in education, psychology, social work, or a related field. Every staff member participates in a specific, week-long training program. Throughout the camp session, counselors receive routine support and guidance formally and informally through in-service sessions and hands-on supervision. Each of these efforts culminates in a team that is primed to meet the challenges and joys of our work.

Meet the Directors

Round Lake is where our daughter finally found her people. After years of watching her struggle to form friendships at school, it has been heartwarming to watch the camp pictures come in with her smiling ear to ear alongside her new friends— friends she looks forward to seeing year after year. 

Peter S. 

Round Lake has been an extraordinary place for our son. The joy we see in his pictures – the nonstop smiles, laughter, and hugs – says everything. He loves the friendships he forms with counselors from around the world and looks forward to reconnecting year after year. Beyond the fun, he returns home more confident and independent, and we are incredibly grateful for the inclusive, supportive community Round Lake provides.  

E. Hoch

When I brought our daughter to family camp, she loved it so much, she told me she wanted to go to camp at Nah Jee Wah.  I was a little hesitant as we live in Maryland, but off she went and it was the best decision we made. Camp the last three summers has been her home away from home as this past summer she was even at camp for 7 weeks. From horseback riding to swimming in the lake to skateboarding, archery and climbing she does it all there. She has always loved her counselors and everyone who works at the camp.  Last weekend she visited her now best friend, a fellow camp bunkmate in New Jersey   and now she is counting the days until June when she will be home again at NJY Camps.

K. Fried

Last summer changed my son’s life. He reluctantly went for three weeks but came home wanting to go back immediately. Round Lake @ CLC gave him confidence, friends, exposure to new opportunities and possibilities. He literally envisions next summer, talks about camp incessantly and cannot wait to go back.  Our son’s Jewish identity and connection is stronger because of camp. I cannot afford to send him without your help. He left fearful of a new experience and came home proud and ready for more.  

Anonymous 

 

As parents, we couldn’t be more grateful for the Round Lake Tzevet B’Yachad program. It has provided our son with a safe, nurturing, and structured environment while also offering a meaningful work program that teaches real-life skills. He is a staff-in-training (SIT) and has held several job positions at camp. This has boosted his confidence and sense of responsibility. We love that he has the opportunity to hold a job and earn a paycheck, and at the same time he gets to enjoy the summer with his old camp friends, something he truly loves. The staff genuinely care and go above and beyond to support each SIT’s skills and growth while making sure each SIT has an amazing summer. We are so lucky and grateful that he has had the opportunity to flourish in this program over the last 3 summers. 

E & S Fishman  

Round Lake Camp has been an extraordinary part of our family’s life for many years. Our daughter has been a camper there for nine summers, and our son attended NJW for seven. Few places earn that kind of long-term trust, and Round Lake has done so consistently. What truly sets Round Lake apart is its leadership and staff. The directors and counselors are thoughtful, well-trained, and deeply committed to every camper—whether they are students with special needs or typically developing students. The environment is inclusive, supportive, and joyful, and our children always felt safe, valued, and understood. The range and quality of activities are exceptional. Each summer is packed with opportunities for growth, independence, friendship, and fun, while still meeting campers where they are developmentally and socially. As parents, we also greatly appreciated communication. Round Lake does an excellent job keeping families informed and connected, which provides peace of mind year after year. We are incredibly grateful for the role Round Lake has played in our daughter’s life and would recommend it wholeheartedly to any family looking for a camp with outstanding leadership, caring staff, and a truly inclusive community.  

T & A Ehlers

We have had such a wonderful experience at Round Lake, both at Nah-Jee-Wah and Cedar Lake.  Both of my daughters, who each have different challenges, have received the support that they need to thrive at camp. All while engaging in a huge array of camp activities, developing friendships, and embracing all that Jewish sleep away camp has to offer. 

S. Kellerman 

My son started at Round Lake when he was 12 years old, having been reluctant to go to sleep away camp because he suffered from selective mutism. Before the summer even started, the director was extremely accommodating, meeting with both our son and his therapist in order to learn a technique to facilitate him speaking comfortably to counselors. He loved camp the second he arrived. He felt comfortable and included in all aspects of camp. He loves the choices of activities (lake and woodworking are his current favorites), the guidance and warmth of the counselors as well as the Jewish rituals. Despite his initial fears over whether he would like the food, he ate pasta every meal and was thrilled. Every single potential source of anxiety was taken care of so he could concentrate on having fun and making new friends! Over the past 2 summers he has made great friendships. He loves everything about camp. The second he gets home he is already counting down the days till next summer!  

Anonymous 

I never thought my child would ever be able to attend a sleep-away camp, but Round Lake Inclusion program made what once felt impossible a reality. The support, compassion, and structure they provide allowed my daughter to socialize with kids her own age and experience real independence, not just for a few days, but for the entire summer. 

For her, it has been empowering. For us as parents of a special-needs child, it has been life-changing. Knowing she is safe, supported, and genuinely happy gives us the rare chance to relax and take a break from the daily challenges we face at home. 

Round Lake truly understands inclusion in every sense of the word, and we are beyond grateful for the growth, joy, and independence this camp has given our child. Highly recommend to any family looking for a place where their child can thrive. 

 M. Cohen

Having gone to sleepaway camp myself, I always felt it was important for my kids to have that experience too. With our son’s needs, I wasn’t sure if it would ever be possible in the same way. But after speaking with the staff at Round Lake, I knew we had found a place where our son could truly thrive. It’s an inclusive environment with just the right amount of support — a place where he can have fun, try typical camp activities, and feel both independent and understood. Four summers later, he is confident, outgoing, and thriving, and we attribute so much of that growth to camp. He has wonderful friends, and our family has gained an entire community that has become such a meaningful part of our lives.  

C. Bilerman

Camp has been a true gift for us. He has gained such important life skills of independence, living with others, advocating for himself and learning about new interests that he now loves, like woodshop! We are forever grateful to the director and the Round Lake staff for giving our son this incredible opportunity.   

Anonymous 

Round Lake has been truly life changing for our son. From the moment we chose your exceptional program, we were impressed by the outstanding communication with parents. He was encouraged by staff to participate in all group activities, which not only helped him become more independent but also fostered his confidence to engage socially with others. The staff’s compassion and dedication have made a remarkable difference, and we are grateful for the thoughtful support that has helped him grow in ways we never imagined.  

 L. McSherry

Our daughter’s experience at Round Lake has been nothing short of extraordinary. From our very first conversation with the director and then throughout the summer, it was clear that the staff is exceptional, warm, and deeply invested in the well-being of every child. Their communication, care, and genuine commitment made us feel supported and truly partnered in helping our daughter thrive. Round Lake @ NJW is a remarkably special place, filled with love, joy, and people who give their whole hearts to what they do. We are so grateful for the environment they have created and feel incredibly fortunate that our daughter gets to be part of it. 

 S. Cone

My two sons have thrived at Round Lake Camp, the inclusion program at NJY Camps. With the caring and attentive support, they require, they’ve each enjoyed a full, joyful Jewish camp experience—our oldest for 8 summers and our youngest for 5 so far. We are deeply grateful for the camp’s commitment to true inclusion.  

E. Leibman

Round Lake has been nothing short of life changing for our son.  Every child receives the individualized support they need and truly feels like they belong to an incredible community.  We honestly don’t know how they do it, but they do!  

 J & A Herbsman