Steve and Kate’s Camp – Sunset

My 5 year old loves Steve and Kate. She still talks about it during fall. She went for only one week and loves the experience. She was sewing with the sewing machine the first day. She made bread the rest of the week. I think it’s best if your kid has a friend or is self motivated to try new things. If you plan on sending the kid there the whole summer, it’s quite a deal. The cost includes lunch and a snack. My daughter didn’t like their lunch selection, so we brought our own lunch.

My daughter really loved this camp. They are really modern and have lots of activities to keep kids of all ages busy and entertained. The staff are really caring and attentive to the children’s needs. The on site security features are also very reassuring.

I have two kids (7 and 5) with very different, if not opposite personalities and they both love Steve and Kate’s Camp! This is their second year at this camp location and they have also gone to the Noe Valley location in the beginning of the summer. The set up is the same for all locations, so they jumped right in and did all the studios they remembered from last year with the addition of a new Coding studio this year.
I have to say, they really love the staff at the Sunset location the best as they have some of the same counselors from last year and they also got to bond with some new staff. I don’t know how S&K does it, but the people they hire are great with kids from all personality ranges and they are very patient! A special thanks to Steven (the counselor from both years) for sharing the dance videos! :D

Steve & Kate’s is the best camp option for working parents! They are amazingly flexible, accommodating, and reasonably priced. The camp itself is great for the kids and offers up a good mix of activities week over week. I highly recommend them!

the just right camp for us… I am a single working parent and I LOVED the ease of S+K’s. drop in’s. fully fed. fun activities. friendly staff. creativity and humor all over the place. I would definitely sign my future 7 year old next summer.

It was my daughter’s first time to go to Steve and Kate’s camp — Presedio heights summer of 2014, and she had a great experience, what we really liked about the camp is the varities of activities that kids can do in one day, and as a parent I loved the fact that I don’t have to prepare snacks and lunch everyday, camp provide healthy food.
Bonnie the director of presidio heights camp was so nice, one day My husband was stuck in down town traffic and he was late 20 min for pick up, when he called her to tell her that he’ll be late, she was understanding and very nice.
I also saw her one time handeling a kids’ argument about a game in a very wise manner.
My daughter is difinitly going to Steve and Kate’s camp next summer

This camp is designed with busy parents in mind. Once you register, you can join a camp session at any of their locations with no advance warning, and you don’t have to pay until right before the session. This is also a great backup system when you are on waiting lists for other camps (especially park and rec camps.) Costs a little more than some camps, but their flexible drop off and pickup schedule and their all-​inclusive meals and snacks make this well worth the price. Less structured than other camps, and it’s best if kids go with a friend or sibling if they are on the shy side, but the staff do a great job of helping kids have a good time. I am really grateful Steve and Kate’s Camp is in San Francisco.

Great camp with convenience so you can go to the camp by the week or drop in. Great activities and my 10 yr old daughter loves it. Not as intimate as it used to be 5 years ago but pretty cool. I like being able to go to any Steve and Kate s location or campus. Hassle Free Because Lunch Is served!

In our second year at Steve & Kate’s in San Francisco, our daughter loved it — had a great time, participated in a lot of activities, and loved the staff immensely. Great props to Taryn, Nicole, Sarah, Susannah, Kristin, and the rest.
But it’s 3 stars because of the way the administration failed to handle the lice outbreaks properly two years ago. We wish our calls and letters, and the Hair Fairy recommendation for a *free* camp check were taken seriously after the first outbreak was reported, but sadly the camp was never checked, the administration failed to alleviate the problem, and after costly treatments to fully clear our daughter, she picked up lice again from another outbreak at the camp.
Sorry, Steve and Kate — your staff is awesome and asked you for help, but you bungled this one.
Two years later, in our 4^th year at Steve & Kate’s, it seems to have improved. Of course, my daughter spends most of her time outdoors, at a different location, so there is less opportunity for the le le le lice. My daughter eats so WELL and HEALTHY at this camp. She has lots of time to just play outside with her friends making up stories and running around. She can make a lot of (useless) pottery that we need to find space in our tiny SF house to store. She loves it. When the child is happy the parents are happy. Thank you, Steve and Kate’s!

Being from England and of a generation where many mothers stayed home, American camps for kids were unfamiliar to me and I was a little worried that my daughter wouldn’t take to them. But as soon as she started Steve and Kate’s camp last summer, she loved it and wanted to go every day. It was pretty much like a well-​organized day long kid’s party, with all kinds of entertainments there was an African band, a show and tell with some exotic animals, a giant bubble show, a plastic ice-​skating rink, chill-​out rooms for crafts activities, a music recording studio (they email you the results!) and all kinds of other fun. One of my daughter’s favorites was cream pie fights (only with permission of the thrower and the throwee). The food seemed very good and plentiful (organic and appealing to kids) and it was a nice break not to have to pack a lunch every day. The camp counselors soon knew all the kids’ names and I got a good feeling that they were aware of where each child was at any given time. My daughter said the camp counselors were «all really nice» and «all the kids are nice». Since we weren’t sure how it would work out, and as a part-​time worker a particular attraction was their flexibility. Unlike most camps, once you’ve registered you don’t have to book any particular days and can just turn up as and when you need. Also, because it’s one of the less expensive camps, you can just take your child for half a day if you need (though it can be hard to prize them away). There are all sorts of ways to pay with discounts for more days and then you get a refund at the end for whatever you don’t use. We used all our days so I can’t comment on the refund aspect. The camp has moved to a new venue this year at Claire Lilienthal School but we’ll be back with enthusiasm.

This review is for the SF Town School location. I recently had three kids attend this camp (my two kids and a friend)
* The outgoing, easygoing four-​year-​old said he had a pretty good time (plus)…but I found out he was literally roaming the hallways by himself (trusting the judgement of a four year old = big bad).
* The shier, less-​easygoing eight-​year-​old HATED it. As in I-​had-​to-​pull-​her-​out-​in-​three-​days-​and-​six-​months-​later-​she-​still-​complains-​about-​it-​as-​the-​WORST-​CAMP-​EVER hated it.
* The rather picky 11-​year-​old had a great time — best of the three.
My general gut is that it’s cool for older kids, can be ok for most kids if they are very self-​directed and easygoing, and does not provide nearly the supervision needed for very young kids. We won’t be returning.

This review is for the San Francisco camps.
My two (very different) six year olds went to Steve and Kates in San Francisco this summer, both at the Town School and at the Lycée, and I have nothing but good things to say about it (though it’s not for everyone. See end of review).
For the parents:
–It’s a reasonable price/​day compared to other private day camps
–They are totally flexible on attendance so you can decide even last minute on any day whether or not you’ll be attending, as well as which camp you will be going to.
–at the end of the summer, if you didn’t use up all your credit (if you paid in advance) they send you a refund check.
–Early drop off and late pick up for those days you need it included.
–Great, (mostly or all organic I think), food included with at least four choices a day for lunch.
–feels very safe. Nicely organized drop off and sign out system.
–Really accommodating. One of our kids had a medical issue that meant he needed ongoing help from one of the councillors and they totally helped us and made us feel secure everything was under control.
–Pretty good orientation at the beginning for us and the kids so we could see what was going on
For the kids:
— Tons of super-​nice, super-​energetic councillors, who really got to know our kids.
— Tons of different activities to choose from each day (from knitting, lego and cooking, to dancing, singing and sports)
— Food they liked (!)
— A real camp spirit
— Whatever it was that made it so, my kids LOVED it!
At the end of the summer my kids had spent probably a total of four weeks there, had made new friends, recorded themselves singing, made a movie, learned how to knit, made sushi, and run around a lot.
When Steve and Kate’s called me in September to see how things had gone and if I had any feedback my only complaint was the weather out at the Lycée! And lo, they said they were actually trying to find another warmer venue in the city for next summer!
However, this all said, this camp is probably not for everyone. If you are looking for a very organized camp, where your kid learns very specific skills (a sport say, or science) this is not the place. And if your kid is very shy and has a hard time joining in it might be a little hard just because the place is so kid-​led. They do have a room with computer games there, but the only game they had was Dance Nation (is that the name?) which seems pretty healthy as far as computer games go, and the kids were limited to one playtime there a day. Also, there were not so many of the oldest kids there so a kid at the top of the age range might feel there were rather too many little kids around.

My son attended Steve and Kates this summer at San Francisco location (Town School). He went there for three weeks and loved it. As soon as he checked in and got his wrist band, he was off to a fun day each and everyday!!!
The amount of activities they offered was crazy-​he tried all of them throught the weeks-​never wanting to go home. He loved all the food there, was never hungry!!!
The first day we got there, me and my son got the tour of the camp. The camps schedule was explained well, so my son knew what to expect, he also made some new friends-​which was nice. Lots of boys at that camp!!!
Cannot wait for the next summer, we are coming back for sure!!!

My eight year old daughter is attending the Town School location in SF this summer. She’s been there 1 week and loves it! She had no trouble making friends and finding different activities to fill her time. They have sewing, knitting, movie making, a recording studio and different outdoor activities on their roof deck. She is a picky eater and she actually love the food there. She tried potatoe and carrot soup for lunch one day and other days she’ll try their burger (sliders), ramen, salads, pizza and crepes. She said that you can eat as much as you want. It is a great deal if you pay $ 2000 for the whole summer, then it’s only $ 40 a day.

Both of my 7-​yr-​old sons attended Steve and Kate’s Camp last year and I cannot think of a more positive camp experience for them. One son is very social while the other is quiet and tends to not be as outgoing as his brother.
BOTH boys found exactly what they needed in new friends, interesting activities as well as exceptional support from the first-​class staff members.
There are going to be TWO San Francisco locations this year — Can’t wait!

I’m not sure, maybe San Francisco is different than the one the Fairfax reviewer went to.
My daughter has been there recently in San Francisco, but it’s _​nothing_​like that review.
They don’t have nintendo. There is a computer game room, but there are four stations. Each station is a physically interactive one, one is Wii fit, one is dance nation (where you do dance steps guided by lights on the ground), one is snowboarding and the other is bicycling. EVERY game is physically active. And the kids are only allowed one session on them, so I’m not sure that it’s such a bad thing (they are physically active!)
As to activities: there is play (good thing!), there is knitting/​jewelry making, sewing, karate, sculpture, legos, sing-​along, film-​making, art, and several other equally amazing activities. If there is a problem it’s that my daughter wants to do them all! She’s learned some great stuff.
Yes, the kids choose what they want to do, but after all the structure of the school year, to me that’s a good thing. My daughter has had a blast with sculpture and knitting and wants to go back so she can make a film. and she plays a lot, all on her own terms. She has learned a heck of a lot.
And to the food, the earlier review is opposite of what I’ve seen. WHere did this person go?
Today for lunch, for example, my daughter is having a chicken breast sandwich, pesto pasta salad, greens and fruit. Snack in the morning is a crêpe (1 per child, limited) and unlimited fruit and vegetables when they want it. Afternoon snack is one scoop of icecream per child with unlimited fruit and vegetables. ALL of this food is organic and whole and from Alice Waters’ kitchen. So, the ‘hamburger’ and nothing else doesn’t seem at all my experience.