Inclusion at Camp Shelanu

Application process and timeline

  1.  Read through our philosophy, eligibility and services before you apply. After reading through the below information, if you have questions about your camper’s eligibility, please contact Inclusion Manager Danny Lightheart at dlightheart@jewishforgood.org. We can help determine if there are accommodations or supports that would benefit your child.  In general, any child with and IEP, 504 plan, Functional Behavior Assessment, and/or a Behavioral Intervention Plan could be considered to be part of the program.

  2. Once you’ve determined that your camper would benefit from our Inclusion Program and you would like to apply, please submit the Inclusion Application (click here for a Spanish form) for 2025 and the Professionals Form for your camper. Applications include demographic information, details about your camper, and the weeks and camps you are applying for. Have the Professionals Form completed by a teacher, therapy provider, or other support professional who has worked closely with your camper in the past year.

  3. Applications for new and returning campers are open now. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis. This process is not first-come, first-served. We will consider each camper’s needs individually and try to accommodate as many weeks as we can considering safety, programming, and funding (there is no set “quota” for kids in the inclusion program per week of camp).

  4. If your camper is accepted, we will register them for the weeks we offer. Accommodation decisions are returned in January. Although general registration will open before inclusion decisions are returned, we will save spaces in camps for families in this process, so you do not need to worry about camps filling.  Please do not register yourself for camp.

  5. If we are not able to accommodate your child in this round, you will be placed on a waitlist in case of cancellation.

 Timeline:

  •  Now – Applications Open

  • December 20 — Applications Due

  • January 15 – Decisions returned

inclusion philosophy

  • We believe that every child can succeed, every child can participate, and every child can make friends. We believe that inclusion is good for everyone – kids with and without disabilities, families, staff, and our community!

  • We are accredited by the National Inclusion Project and are a legacy partner to implement the Let’s ALL Play program model for inclusion of campers with disabilities.

  • Camp Shelanu received grant funding from NIP from 2012-2014, and is now funded through individual donations and program revenues. We are committed to not passing program expenses along to families of campers with a disability.

Who is eligible for the Inclusion Program?

  • For traditional and specialty camp, campers from grades K-8.

  • Campers with many kinds of disabilities are welcome. The largest proportion of campers in the inclusion program the last few years have been on the autism spectrum, but we have also supported campers with hearing, vision, and mobility disabilities; cerebral palsy; Down Syndrome; ADHD; sensory processing disorder; and others.

  • We do not provide one-on-one staffing. Campers need to be able to change clothes, eat, and toilet independently. While inclusion staff give individual support when campers need it, each inclusion staff person serves 4-8 campers, often in different groups, and campers need to be able to participate in activities in a group of about 16 campers without an inclusion staff person for most of the day. Campers may bring their own support person, provided that person passes a criminal background check and reads and signs our Code of Conduct.

  • We prioritize the safety of all of our campers. If a camper harms themselves or others, or cannot participate in our program safely even with extra support from our staff, Camp Shelanu may not be able to accommodate your child.

  • If your camper has a physical, developmental, social, emotional, or behavioral concern and you are not sure if they would be considered as part of the inclusion program, please contact Inclusion Manager Danny Lightheart at dlightheart@jewishforgood.org. We can help determine if there are accommodations or supports that would benefit your child.

  • Please keep in mind that camp is different from school! Some campers may have a hard time at school and do much better at camp, with a lack of academic pressures, more preferred activities, and more movement. Other campers may have a smooth year at school, and struggle with camp, with weekly changes in adults and peers, more unstructured time, and more transitions and unpredictability.

    Campers who might be a good fit include those who:

    • are partially or fully mainstreamed in school and benefit from social or sensory support

    • are in self-contained classrooms, and who might have limited verbal skills or use a communication device at school, but do not have behavior challenges or personal care needs

    • enjoy being in large groups of new peers for much of the day, but who may need some breaks from the group as well

    • do well with multiple transitions each day and some level of unpredictability

    • have physical disabilities who need a wheelchair-accessible building and pool with ramp or beach entry

Campers who might be successful if they are bringing their own support person include those who:

    • need help with personal care (eating, toileting, dressing)

    • need one-on-one support to understand and follow a group plan

    • struggle with transitions and unpredictability

Campers who would not be successful include those who:

    • would benefit from a therapeutic camp rather than an inclusion model

    • do not enjoy being in large groups much of the day

    • cannot fulfill our Behavior Agreement, including those who self-injure, have aggressive behaviors with adults or peers, who run away in an unsafe way, or whose impulse control challenges prevent them from being safe in a community center setting

services, accommodations, and communication

  • Campers can apply for any camp and group. There are not separate groups for campers in the inclusion program.


  • All counselors are trained on our inclusion philosophy and on making each group inclusive. Inclusion staff float among groups to provide support to campers when and where they are needed. Each inclusion staff person serves multiple campers/groups.



  • We plan our programming with the campers in the inclusion program in mind. Many of these adjustments benefit ALL of our campers, such as balancing competitive activities with cooperative ones, providing options, and giving simple and clear directions.

We plan support on a case-by-case basis. Examples of supports for campers have included:

  • Visual and sensory aids (picture schedules, timers, fidgets, noise-canceling headphones)


  • Information ahead of time – schedules, touring the building, meeting staff, social stories for drop off, etc.


  • Behavior management plans and reward charts


  • A quiet space where campers can choose to go to for brief breaks and scheduled breaks in the day away from the group


  • Staff support with instructions, rules, and other guidance


  • Help with transitions, transitioning before the group


  • Arranging time and space for outside OT/PT/speech providers to work with campers during the day


  • Communicating with teachers or therapy providers at end of summer to help with school year planning

We strive to have campers with disabilities participate as fully as possible with typically developing peers. We call it the “aid and fade” model – staff give support where needed and then allow campers to continue to participate as independently as they are able.

What we are not able to offer at this time:

  • One-on-one staffing

  • Small-group options (camp groups are typically 14-16 campers with 2 counselors)

  • Therapeutic interventions

Communication

  • You will be invited to an Inclusion Open House before the start of camp where you can meet Inclusion staff and tour the campus.

  • We are happy to speak with teachers, OT/PT/Speech therapists, or other people who work with your child if you think it would help us better serve your camper or there are things you are working on in school/therapies you’d like for us to reinforce at camp.

  • Staff can also meet with you during the program to make adjustments to support strategies.


  • Communication plans are also on a case-by-case basis! Some families prefer email, some prefer phone, some prefer to touch base at pick up – we try to do what is best for each family, within staff’s capacity.


  • Please remember that in general, no news is good news!

Inclusion staff team

  • Inclusion Facilitators are typically school teachers and mature college students with an interest and experience with inclusion. Additional training is provided and required for all inclusion staff, supervised by our Inclusion Manager, Danny Lightheart.

  • All counselors, not just inclusion staff, receive training in inclusion.

  • All of our staff must participate in an application, interview, and background check process, and receive training in working with campers, planning accommodations, sexual abuse prevention, and are CPR- and First Aid-certified.

  • You will be sent more information about the seasonal inclusion team before the summer.

  • You can contact inclusion@jewishforgood.org year-round. We will be happy to answer your questions and provide guidance if you need it.

  • To reach our Inclusion Manager Danny Lightheart, please reach out to dlightheart@jewishforgood.org

What if my child has behavioral issues at camp?

  • We will work with each camper and family to be as proactive as possible through support strategies, program accommodations, positive behavior management strategies, and redirection. Behavioral challenges will be documented and shared with the family. If your child exhibits aggressive behavior that is harmful to staff, other campers, or themselves, your child may need to be picked up immediately, asked to stay home until a new plan can be put in place, or asked to leave the program. We will work with a child as much as possible to ensure a successful experience.


  • If you or the camp staff feel that Camp Shelanu cannot adequately support your child or your child is not able to participate safely, we will meet with you to discuss the situation.

  • Campers in the inclusion program are subject to the same Behavior Agreement as all campers at Camp Shelanu. 


  • Please note, if you are relying on camp for childcare, and you have concerns that your child may not be able to meet our Behavior Agreement, we recommend you consider having a backup plan in place.