Corte Madera, CA

The Cove School

All year long, kids find themselves encased in rigid structure.

When summer comes, we give them what they desperately need — freedom to expand and evolve. At Steve & Kate’s, campers choose which activities they do, whom they do it with and for how long.

For kids, this experience is pure joy. It’s also a kind of training ground for life, where they’ll need to be empowered and independent and resilient and responsible for their own decisions. Happy human-ing starts here.

Grown-ups adore freedom, too.

We’ve described the magical gift you give your kids when you empower them to make their own decisions. Now let’s talk hardcore convenience for you:

Buy a Summer Pass and send your kid to camp any day you want? Check.
Drop them off and pick them up whenever you want? Yup.
Long camp hours, all included in your camp fee? Totally.
Tasty meals and snacks, also included? You bet.
Get an automatic refund for unused days at summer’s end? For sure.
Do you desire this kind of freedom? Yes, you do.

WHAT IT COST

Activities

The camper’s dilemma.

Coding. Sewing. Baking. Making. Sporting. Lounging. Every day, campers face the excruciating task of choosing from these and many more engrossing activities. Some select a mix of many. Others burrow deep into one or two. Every morning, they face a brand new day bristling with terrible trade-offs and tantalizing possibilities.

In the early morning and late afternoon, campers ramp up and wind down with recreational choices. For the bulk of the day, children will choose from the activities listed below:

Custom S&K animation stations position devices for kids to easily make shorts that get uploaded to their accounts for parents to view.

Copy of fashion_28 — Use customized patterns and challenges—and a mix of hand and machine sewing—to manufacture bags, clothing and other fashionable, funky creations. This year campers can even use stencils to design their own fabric.

coding_5 — Absorb hands-on coding concepts using curated iPad apps with drag-and-drop platforms that cater to both early and advanced readers. Our approach gamifies the learning process to put power in the hands of new coders.

robots_2 — Kids learn to build, program and manipulate robots using indi Sphero, indi Bolt or Vexgo.

dance_Perform_stage — Move and groove with motion-based games like Just Dance, or film your own music videos with friends. New this year campers can also make puppets for our custom theater. Want to burst out in song and dance, or act out a gripping dramatic scene? This is your big moment.

breadmaking1_web-309 — Bake up a storm in our wildly popular test kitchen. Choose fillings, spices, and add-ons, explore new flavors, and customize confections to satisfy your discerning palate.

maker_boys — Explore creativity through crafts & inventor kits to construct take-home projects or collaborate on large-scale builds. Our hand-selected STEAM-based materials are designed to foster curiosity & exploration.

piethrowing_7 (2) — Participate in decades-old Steve & Kate’s traditions like Find Chuckie—our beloved, elusive, rubber chicken—and Friday Pie-Day—where you can cap off a productive week by treating friends and camp staffers to a refreshing pie in the face.

gaga_girl — Run, jump, throw, kick, play. Each site is equipped with go-karts and additional athletic gear optimized for the available fields and play spaces. Team up with peers and staffers to play sports, design games, concoct obstacle courses and more.

5U9A0319 — Every day, experience a special, show- stopping activity. A giant inflatable, a musical performance or guest speaker, a movement class, obstacle course—anything’s possible. We’ll announce our official 2024 specials lineup this spring.

waterslide_6 — On a sweltering summer afternoon, nothing keeps you cooler than games and activities like water tag, inflatable slip n’ slides and giant sprinklers. Wherever space, weather, and local water restrictions allow ‘em, we provide ‘em.

lounge_2 (1) — Enter a pulsating paradise of foosball, marble mazes and other indoor diversions. Retreat to a quiet corner with sensory objects, puzzles and fidget toys. Or immerse yourself in a selection from our library of books curated for all ages and interests.

MORE ACTION

Food

Eat your heart out.

Life without delicious food sucks. That’s why our cuisine de camp features a mouth-watering array of tasty, nourishing grub. In partnership with local restaurants and caterers, we keep kids fired up with food they love — from crunchy quesadillas to salubrious Caesar salads to tangy tomato soup, and mucho more.

Our menus include daily specials, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, and healthy snacks kids can grab whenever their fuel gauge dips into the red. Whenever humanly possible, we serve organics. Chomp, chomp. Munch, munch.

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

DAILY SIDES & SNACKS

VG= Vegetarian , VV= Vegan , GF= Gluten Free , DF= Dairy Free , SF= Soy Free , EF= Egg Free

Fees

What camp costs.

Perhaps you are a grown-up who loves to plan. Or maybe you’re an expert of the fine art of logistical improvisation. Miraculously, our camp fees are designed to scratch both of your respective itches.

Buy any number of Day Passes or a Summer Pass, and use them whenever you want during the summer. Don’t even bother to let us know when you’re coming — just roll up. If your plans change, don’t sweat it. We’ll automatically refund your unused Passes in full at summer’s end. How many other camps can offer you that level of flexibility?*

*Not one that we know of.

Day Pass and Summer Pass fees cover the entire Steve & Kate’s experience, including lunch, snacks, activities and the entire day from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.

We offer need-based financial aid to qualifying families, too. Learn more and submit an application here.

FINANCIAL AID

Does your employer offer back-up care through Bright Horizons? Learn how to use your benefits at Steve & Kate’s Camp, here!

Camp details

Here are the details you were looking for.

NOTES

Closed July 4th

FOOD

View Weekly Menu

Special info for denizens of

Additional state required paperwork & notices

The state of California requires that any children attending camp in Marin to
complete additional paperwork. Please complete the additional state required
paperwork and upload it to your Steve & Kate’s Camp account to be reviewed prior
to your first day of camp.
You can find our Marin Child Care Program Plan Statement 2023, here.

Marin water bottle notice

Virtual camp orientation & drop-off/pick-up procedures

Testimonials

These people are very smart. You should listen to them.

Our kids look forward to Steve & Kate's camp all year. The incredible range of activities, the positive and creative staff, and the laid-back vibe make summer feel like summer. And I'm grateful for the break from making lunches (I can't believe how much our kids love the food). We've been going for four years and we'll keep going until they make us stop!

Alexa K.

The staff was really wonderful at the Chicago-Lakeview location. They were all highly personable and warm with our children. I always appreciated hearing how much they enjoyed spending the day with our kids. They made me feel like my kids were part of a family.

Amy S.

My girls had an awesome day. Mira said she felt like sewing before dinner and proceeded to make a tool belt from the pockets she made at camp. She also liked the robotics stuff. Sophia was pretty psyched about bread and music making and oh yes, the hamster ball. I love the open format and the fact that we get to pick which days to come. I think it’s a great fit for us. I kind of wish I could transport myself back in time and be an almost 9 year old for a bit.

Amy S.

Staff

So much more than
a job.

For our team members, giving kids the space to liberate their true potential becomes a kind of calling. Think of them as a high-energy, warm-hearted crew of child advocates who deftly balance two invaluable skills — that of providing structure and guidance, and that of staying the heck out of campers’ ways. If that’s not enough, they’re all background-checked and trained in CPR and first-aid. Say “hi” to them at camp — they’d love to meet you.

Youngest campers fly solo, but there’s a net.

Most kids take to life at Steve & Kate’s like the naturally hardy individuals they are. For some, especially our younger campers, it can take a little longer to get their wings. That’s why each camp has staff dedicated specifically to supporting our youngest campers. Helping these campers discover their camp magic is the whole point of our Youngest Camper Support Staff, and every time it’s exhilarating to behold.

Events

Steve & Kate's Events

Join us at an upcoming virtual Information Session to learn all the camp basics. We’ll give a quick presentation and overview on our program, and then answer any questions you have. Please note that Information Sessions are open to all Steve & Kate’s Camps, and are not specific to any given location. All Information Sessions are listed in ET.

Local Events

Weekly specials

Extra action.

At Steve & Kate’s, enough is never enough. So every week we supplement our main offering of awesome activities with thrill-inducing weekly specials. Here’s what’s coming this summer to your location:

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES

Additional activity schedule coming soon!

CARNIVAL DAY

On the last day of camp we’ll trade in our traditional activities for a giant end-of-summer celebration! Get excited for carnival games, extra treats, and plenty of chances to win prizes!

Your camp director

Meet your illustrious camp director.

Our camp directors are year-round employees. That means you are free to contact them anytime with your questions about life at Steve & Kate’s, or questions about life in general.

eat your heart out — Emma

(SHE/HER)

This is Emma’s 6th year with Steve &
Kate’s! When not at camp, you can find
Emma hiking in the Mill Valley hills, or
enjoying some coffee at Flour Craft.

This summer Emma is most excited
to create an inclusive community for
campers, counselors and parents to just
be their authentic, amazing selves!

EMAIL US
CALL/TEXT

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AND DOZENS MORE!

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The place — Mill Valley, California. Even way back then, Steve and Kate Susskind saw kids’ precious independence slipping away. So they set out to do something about it. Their idea of a camp where kids rule the roost has been in a process of evolution and obsessive refinement ever since. Today, it’s spawned more than 70 glorious islands of freedom from Manhattan to Manhattan Beach.

Corte Madera, CA

The Cove School

All year long, kids find themselves encased in rigid structure.

Grown-ups adore freedom, too.

The camper’s dilemma.

STOP MOTION ANIMATION

SEWING SALON

CODING

ROBOTICS

THE STAGE

BAKERY

Tinker Lab

S&K TRADITIONS

SPORTS & REC

WEEKLY SPECIALS

WATER PLAY

LOUNGE

Eat your heart out.

What’s on the menu.

What those little letters mean

We’d be nuts not to tell you this

What camp costs.

Here are the details you were looking for.

Special info for denizens of

These people are very smart. You should listen to them.

So much more than
a job.

Youngest campers fly solo, but there’s a net.

Steve & Kate's Events

Local Events

Extra action.

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES

CARNIVAL DAY

Meet your illustrious camp director.

Emma

(SHE/HER)

Stay In The Know

Corte Madera, CA

The Cove School

All year long, kids find themselves encased in rigid structure.

Grown-ups adore freedom, too.

The camper’s dilemma.

STOP MOTION ANIMATION

SEWING SALON

CODING

ROBOTICS

THE STAGE

BAKERY

Tinker Lab

S&K TRADITIONS

SPORTS & REC

WEEKLY SPECIALS

WATER PLAY

LOUNGE

Eat your heart out.

What’s on the menu.

What those little letters mean

We’d be nuts not to tell you this

What camp costs.

Here are the details you were looking for.

Special info for denizens of

These people are very smart. You should listen to them.

So much more thana job.

Youngest campers fly solo, but there’s a net.

Steve & Kate's Events

Local Events

Extra action.

WEEKLY ACTIVITIES

CARNIVAL DAY

Meet your illustrious camp director.

Emma

(SHE/HER)

Stay In The Know

So much more than
a job.