Our goal is for your child to have a successful summer interacting with other campers, participating in fun activities, and gaining independence. If your child has an IEP, 504 plan or if you think they could benefit from a little extra help, Chaverim might be a good fit! If your child does not currently have any behavior intervention plans, but you believe they would benefit from a 1:1 counselor during the Camp Shalom day, then Chaverim is for you!  We will soon begin accepting interest forms for youth ages 5-12 (participants must be entering at least Kindergarten for the 2026-2027 School Year) for summer camp.  Camp Shalom and the Chaverim Program accept participants of all backgrounds to join us!

Children ages 18 months through rising Kindergarten are part of our APJCC Preschool program, if your child falls in this age group please reach out to preschool@jvalley.org to connect with them regarding inclusive programming for our youngest campers.

The Chaverim Inclusion Program began taking interest forms on February 1, 2026. 

Due to overwhelming response, we have paused accepting new Interest Forms at this time.

If you are still interested in the Chaverim Inclusion Program, you may email chaverim@jvalley.org to be added to the Waitlist.  

Please note we cannot guarantee placement in the program for families who completed an Interest Form or those on the Waitlist.

We understand the need for this program and appreciate your understanding.

If you have any questions regarding the program please email chaverim@jvalley.org. As we work to hire additional staff we will do our best to accommodate as many participants as we can.

For additional Inclusion Programming at the JCC please visit out Inclusion Page.

Please Note: Your interest form does not guarantee a space in the program, this is a step in the registration process.  Registrations are processed and confirmed once we have a staff hired to support your child at camp.  

Contact the camp office at chaverim@jvalley.org or 408.357.7416 with any questions you may have.

Your camper will be paired with a 1:1 advocate counselor. This advocate will be with your child at all times and will be a friend and an advocate making sure that the rest of the cabin group is practicing inclusion and supporting your camper as needed! The program is also supervised by the Chaverim Coordinator. Additionally, the Inclusion Coordinator will work with families individually to decide if a 1:1 counselor, or a different accommodation is appropriate. (Other accommodations might include: coming to camp with a 1:1 aide your child is already working with; alternate scheduling; etc.)

Please note that this is a specialized program, should your campers 1:1 aide be out for the day unplanned (illness, emergency, etc.) we may not be able to find a qualified substitute for the day.  In this case, we would provide you as much notice as possible and provide a refund for that day.

Yes! In this case, Camp Shalom will pay for a background check. The aide would be held to the same expectations as the rest of the camp staff. Should you choose this option, Camp Shalom will waive the additional fee Chaverim weekly fee, only if the aide is able to attend the full camp day with your child.  

If you have an aide, therapist or other individual who you would like to work with your camper while at camp, but is not available for the full day, they are more than welcome to attend camp with you camper.  However, this must be arranged with our Chaverim Coordinator in advance, but  your camper would still then require a 1 on 1 aide through the Chaverim Inclusion Program for the full camp day.

Children who are entering Kindergarten in the 2025-2026 school year may either enroll in the APJCC Preschool Program, or Camp Shalom’s school-aged program.

Preschool: APJCC Preschool offers an option for campers entering Kindergarten, please reach out to preschool@jvalley.org or more information and available spaces.  The APJCC Preschool is an inclusive environment for all childrem.

Camp Shalom: Our summer camp for school-aged children is a more fast-paced program, offering enrollment by the week from June 9th-August 15th for those entering Kindergarten. This option is led by summer camp counselors, and is a great fit for children who are more mature and can keep up with a busy activity-filled day and new peers each week. Camp Shalom runs 9:00am-4:00pm daily, with the option to add Extended Care from 4:00pm-6:00pm.

*Please contact the APJCC Preschool at (408) 357-7417 or camp office at (408) 357-7416 for further information on which option is the best fit for your child.

Eligible Programs for Youth 1st-6th Grade

1st Grade – Sabra, Focused, STEAM Younger
2nd Grade – Yalla, Focused, STEAM Younger
3rd Grade – Yalla, Focused, STEAM Younger, STEAM Older, Sports & Swim
4th & 5th Grade – Kadima, STEAM Older, Sports & Swim
6th Grade – STEAM Older, Sports & Swim (Sababa is not eligible for Chaverim program)

Performing Arts Program may be available for participants in the Chaverim Program, we ask you to connect with our Inclusion Specialist to find the programs that best fit your campers need.

If you have any questions regarding specific programs for your camper, please email us at chaverim@jvalley.org

You will communicate primarily with the Chaverim Coordinator. They will contact you by phone with any urgent issues. Your child’s counselor will also communicate with you to share details of your camper’s day. We’ll also make sure that you can share important information about your camper with the Chaverim Coordinator on a daily basis.

We are committed to being flexible and will work with you if your camper’s schedule needs to be altered.  There is no minimum number of weeks campers need to enroll.  We understand that camp can be a long day for your child, as such there may be half day options for certain programs.

In order for Camp Shalom to adequately serve our neurodiverse (ND) and physically disabled campers, we created Chaverim to provide an equitable and inclusive summer camp experience. The goal of this program is to seamlessly integrate ND and physically disabled children into the typical camp day with any accommodations provided. Chaverim campers are paired with a 1:1 counselor who focus on advocating the camper’s needs to the group counselors/leader, facilitating social inclusion and friendships, and supporting any specific needs their camper requires.

Chaverim counselors are hand-picked young adults (18+) who have passion and experience for serving ND campers. They are engaging, empathetic, inclusive counselors who LOVE camp and cannot wait to build relationships with their 1:1 buddy!

If you would like to share this opportunity with someone you know, please direct them to our open employment opportunities HERE.