Camp NMOA 2024

Camp NMOA is made up of six one-week sessions. You can sign up for any of the weeks at random or in order. For example, you can sign your child up for weeks 1 & 3 only, if you prefer.

Keep in mind that performance showcases happen only in Weeks 2, 4 & 6. The other weeks end with just an art exhibition.

Our camp staff is made up of professional educators and teaching artists. Some have worked at the camp and as Museum educators for many years. Our high school assistants take part in The Newark Museum Explorers Program, a highly competitive college and career preparation program for high school students.

We offer Museum members and Newark residents a 10% discount on weekly rates. To receive more information about becoming a member, click here. Unfortunately, we do not currently offer any sibling discounts. We offer a limited number of scholarships. Please contact Jessica Nuñez for more information.

Each age group’s day is slightly different, but all campers participate daily in art workshops, gallery tours, science activities, planetarium, and performance art classes. Your child will also enjoy a variety of other special events. Friends and family are invited to our Performance Showcase and/or Exhibitions on alternating Friday afternoons to see what campers have been learning and creating throughout the week.

The Performance Showcase takes place on Friday afternoons (Weeks 2, 4, & 6), at 3:00pm in the Billy Johnson Auditorium, located on the lower level of the South Wing. Friends and family are invited to watch child-centered performances by the campers. Each camp group will perform a short song, dance, poem, or play that they learned or composed that week. Immediately following the show, guests are invited to the 2nd floor in the South Wing for an exhibition of campers’ artwork from the week.

During morning drop-off, please leave your car on the Museum side of the driveway and walk your child in through the South Wing entrance. Camp staff will be waiting to help sign your child in on the attendance sheet and escort your child to the auditorium. Unless you signed up for pre-care, please drop your child off between 8:45 and 9am. During afternoon pick-up, please leave your car on the Museum side of the driveway again and head to the auditorium, which is down a short flight of stairs and to the left, in the South Wing lobby.

IDs must be provided by anyone picking up a child.  After ID check, please find your child’s teacher and sign your child out on the attendance sheet before leaving. Regular pick-up is from 3:45 to 4pm. If you need to pick up your child early, please let us know in advance.

Late pick-up fees are $1 per minute for both regular and extended days. If you are running late, please call ahead and let us know. While awaiting your arrival, your child can attend after-care where there are plenty of activities for them.

We offer both pre-care and aftercare, which is priced separately at an additional $30 for each. Pre-care runs from 8:15 to 9:00am and aftercare is from 4 to 4:45pm. During these times, campers have several free-play options. They can draw or read quietly, play games, and make simple crafts like lanyards or origami. Please pick up your child by 4:45pm at the latest. The Museum is closed to the public at 5pm and all visitors must be out of the building by that time. Late pick up fee is $1 per minute for both extended-day and regular-day campers.

Payment by credit card can only be made online through the registration website. We also accept payment by electronic check on the registration website. Payments by check, cash or money order can be made in person, by appointment, at the Museum or mailed to the Museum at the address below. Payments must be postmarked on or before the dates of the price changes in order to receive that rate. Please send mail to:

Attention:
Camp NMOA
49 Washington Street
Newark, NJ 07102

A username is associated with an account that is used by you to maintain your and your child’s information. Our registration system also functions as a database, which stores campers’ vaccination and health records. Each child is registered separately to create an individual medical file used to accommodate those with allergies and other medical issues. Having an account and associated username also enables parents to register and pay for a session, then log in later to fill out the medical information and complete their child’s file. The database will also make future registration easier.

Each registered camper will receive one tee shirt on the first day of camp. Campers are required to wear a Camp NMOA tee shirt every day. Additional tee shirts are available for $5 each.  Other clothing should be loose and comfortable and allow campers to move around freely during movement class. We advise against wearing expensive clothing, as art and science projects are frequent and messy.

Campers are grouped according to age: 3 & 4 years old, 5 & 6years old, 7 & 8 years old, 9–10 years old and 11–13 years old. Enrollment is limited to ensure campers receive personal attention. Instructors are professional educators and teaching artists experienced in working with a range of age groups and abilities. Each art, science, and performance art workshop is designed to fit a particular camp group’s age and developmental ability.

Yes, the 3- & 4-year-old group has daily nap time in the afternoon. We ask that you pack a blanket and pillow for your child to rest with. We also ask that you pack an extra set of clothes in a plastic bag. Although campers must be toilet-trained, we understand that accidents happen and would like them to be well prepared. Camp NMOA is not classified as a daycare by our state license.

As such, we are not permitted to change diapers or pull-ups for our younger campers or enter the bathroom to assist them. Please make sure your 3- & 4-year-olds are completely toilet-trained before sending them to camp. The cutoff date by which all campers must be 3 years old is March 1, 2024. 

The Museum no longer requires proof of vaccination, negative COVID-19 tests, or temperature screenings.

Lunch is not provided by the camp. We are a nut-free camp, so please do not send your child to camp with any food that contains nuts. Please pack a healthy lunch and water bottle for your child. We also ask that 3- & 4-year-olds bring two additional snacks and 5- & 6-year-olds bring one additional snack for the day. We also recommend packing an additional snack for the other age groups.

Campers do not have the option to buy lunch at camp.

The vending machines are off limits to campers.

All camp staff are trained in CPR and first aid. If there is a minor injury, camp staff will administer first aid such as a band aid or an ice pack. If your child requires more assistance, or if your child is ill, we will do our best to get in touch with you or your emergency contact using all the contact information you provided us. If we cannot reach you and feel that your child needs to go to the hospital, a camp staffer will escort your child to the emergency room across the street and stay with him or her until you arrive.

90% of the camp registration fee is refundable if cancelled before June 1, 2024. 50% of camp registration fees is refundable if cancelled between June 2 and June 30, 2024. After July 1, 2024, no refunds will be offered, which also applies to any registrations after that date.

The main Camp NMOA phone number is 973.596.6637. You can also call the Museum’s main number at 973.596.6550 for general inquiries.