Chaverim is Camp Shalom’s inclusion summer camp program, designed for children of all abilities, ages 5-12 (entering Kindergarten-6th grade). Chaverim means “friends” in Hebrew. The inclusion program offers 1:1 staff advocates to shadow each camper and provides individualized and tailored support. We work with each child individually to provide integration and inclusion into Camp Shalom groups and daily activities, while also accommodating modified schedules when the need arises.
An interview and completed “welcome” form is required prior to registration. Our Inclusion Camp Coordinator will work closely with you and your family to develop a personalized program to make the summer a successful experience for your child.
We have had great interest in our Chaverim Program for Summer 2023. At this time we will be adding interested parities to our waitlist and will reach out should a space become available. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
To learn more and to sign up, please contact us at chaverim@jvalley.org or 408.357.7416. Online registration is not available for the Inclusion Program.
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 are excepting interest forms for youth entering Kindergarten-6th grade for Fall 2023. Camp Shalom and the Chaverim Program accept participants of all backgrounds to join us!
Children ages 18 months through Kindergarten are part of our Katan Preschool program, if your child falls in this age group please reach out to katan@jvalley.org to connect with them regarding inclusive programming for our youngest campers.
At this time our Chaverim Program has seen great interest from the community. Currently, we are adding interested parties to our waitlist. As we bring additional staff into our program we hope to be able to support more campers.
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.)
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.
We will work with you to identify the appropriate age and activity group for your child.
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.
Chaverim costs $200 per week in addition to the general camp costs. Scholarships are available. Click here for details about fees and financial aid.
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!
To learn more and to sign up, please contact the camp office at chaverim@jvalley.org or 408.357.7416. Online registration is not available.