Steve and Kate’s Camp – San Mateo

My daughter went the camp in San Mateo in 2015 and it was GREAT! Also while visiting her other parent in east bay, she went to the one over in Dublin. That flexibility under the same summer payment was fantastic. The hours, programming, philosophy and staff were great for her in both places. Looking forward to the 2016 summer and Steve and Kate’s camp!

I had two daughters ages 8 and 12 attend this camp. They were scheduled for two days and we will be asking for a refund for the second day. My 8 year old was in an altercation with another child and my oldest informed me that there was no supervision in the immediate area. She also stated that the staff stayed inside of the building and didn’t monitor the activities closely. We are reluctant to return to this camp in the future.

Steve & Kate’s Camp worked out perfect for us this summer! My son (5 almost 6 yrs old) loved all the «weekly special» activities. He liked being able to choose how to spend his time. I was worried because he wasn’t going with a buddy and only going 1 – 2 days/​week. He did great and always had a lot to talk about at the end of the day. I loved the flexibility!

Run AWAY from this place. We had a horrible experience here. I pulled my son out after only three days. He complained of being physically abused by the other children on more than one occasion — he was slapped in the face by an older boy on Day Two and punched THREE times in the nose by a completely different boy on Day Three. When he came home on the third day with a swollen and cut nose, I obviously had to pull him out. I asked him if he told any of the counselors about what happened and he said (in a very mopey voice that made my heart sink) that they were never around. The kicker: my son is only four years old and part of the Kindercamp. Can you imagine how terrifying it is to hear that your young child is being physically hurt and he has no one to help him, let alone an adult to reprimand the older boys and notify me?!
To make matters worse, my son also came home famished each day. And, when I asked why he didn’t eat, he said that he never knew where to go. He also never had a chance to «make» anything at this camp — though they boast about an array of creative activities — because his huddle leaders wouldn’t assist him.
My son is actually a very independent, outgoing child. He thrives in his usual school program and almost ever social activity we participate in. We thought we would try this fun summer camp to supplement his usual activities and it was the biggest mistake ever made.
I’ve heard such great things about Steve & Kate from other people. I really hope that the corporate office looks into this location — the counselors are not only inattentive but the camp director was completely unresponsive to my calls and emails. I had to hunt HER down in person. And when I spoke with her in the office, I noticed three other mopey children, including one girl, not fully dressed, who was hysterically crying for her father.
This place is a parent’s absolute nightmare.

I want to love this camp but it just doesn’t work for us. My kids have a gone a couple weeks each of the last two summers and the variety of activities is really cool but they have such limited camp counselor interaction that they get bored. I know the whole model is self-​paced, self-​guided, yada yada, but most elementary aged kids want to feel engaged, not just free to learn everything on their own. They also really focus on promoting how great the food is but my kids didn’t really care about it one way or the other and they are always starving when they get home. I know camps are different experiences for each kid but I have a few friends who have all come to the same conclusion, there just isn’t enough staff interaction with the kids. I do love the drop in system and their registration/​check-​in/​out is super sophisticated. Overall I think this camp is best for super independent kids who attend with friends and who can entertain themselves pretty much all day.