Where is Camp Starlight?
Camp Starlight is located in the "endless mountain" region of northeastern Pennsylvania, approximately 2.5 hours northwest of New York City. It is unique in that it is entirely separated from the "outside world" by its mile-long private road, two private lakes, mountainside views and 385 acres of woodlands.

What are the campers like?
The majority of our campers come from the Northeast including New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Maryland.  We also have a number of campers from others areas of the United States such as Florida and California.

Our brother-sister adjoining campuses accommodate 250 boys and 250 girls, ages 7 to 15 years old. There are approximately 8-12 campers and 2-3 counselors in each of 47 bunks. There are eight divisions of campers broken down by age groups.

Nearly 95% of our campers return summer after summer, with many going on to enter our Counselor Assistant (CA Program) after their last summer as campers.

What are the counselors like?
Our highly-qualified staff of 200 individuals is comprised of college-aged students, graduate students, educators and camping professionals. They come from all corners of the country and abroad. Camp Starlight has always upheld its reputation for having a mature staff and whereas no formal child-related experience is required in order to apply, all of our staff brings a passion of wanting to work with children, high energy and a strong work ethic. Due to the self-contained environment, the staff becomes close and forms long-lasting friendships.

How much work is it, really?
Counselors that live in bunks have responsibilities virtually 24 hours a day for seven and a half weeks. They have to solve problems, manage a bunk, oversee child interaction, provide instruction, plan events, evaluate camper progress and much, much more. If one comes to Camp Starlight, one must be prepared to work extremely hard for very long hours.

What about Staff Training?
It is our opinion that giving our staff as many tools as possible early on is a proactive and necessary way towards insuring a successful summer for everyone involved. Contracting close to 200 staff for the summer, our orientation is a week-long intensive program designed to cover aspects of the daily program, counselor responsibilities, child management approaches and problem solving techniques. We also use this week to allow you to become acclimated with your new surroundings, to meet all the other staff and, of course, to ask any questions you might have. In addition to our leadership team, professional trainers are also brought in to assist in the development and growth of our staff. At the same time, training does not stop after the orientation week. As a camp counselor, you can expect "on the job training," as new challenges are sure to be presented to you throughout the summer.

How does a General Counselor differ from a Specialist Counselor?
Camp Starlight’s counselor staff is made up of General Counselors and Specialist Counselors, with one similarity between the two – they all live and work in a bunk with their own campers. General Counselors follow their campers from activity to activity everyday. They are still relied upon for leadership and/or instruction at these activities, but their first responsibility is to their campers’ well-being and participation in the daily program. A Specialist Counselor works most of the activity day in one particular program area, instructing our campers of all ages and various skill levels in their area of expertise.

What are the living arrangements like?
Camp Starlight offers bunks that incorporate the comforts of home with the rustic nature of camping. Each bunk is equipped with beds and dressers in the main living room area, closets for clothes and gear in the back room and cubbies for toiletries in the bathroom. All bunks have a hot water heater, electric outlets, two toilets, two sinks, one to two showers, a smoke alarm, front and back entrances, an outside clothesline, a loft for storage and windows. The front of each bunk faces inward towards a semi-circle, which is designed to promote cohesiveness among divisions.

What about Days Off and Free Time?
A camper’s summer depends almost entirely on the attitude and energy of his or her counselors. At Starlight, we understand this and try to empower and refresh our staff with consistent time off. Counselors are free to utilize most activity areas during time off and can use our staff lounge which includes telephones, computers with internet and e-mail access, vending machines, a pool table, movies, video games, washers and dryers.
Each counselor has six assigned days off. On such days, counselors may leave camp the night before after evening activity and must return by curfew that evening. Most evenings, counselors are permitted to sign out of camp until curfew. Approximately twice weekly, counselors are on duty (OD) and must monitor and supervise campers until their co-counselors sign in at curfew. Curfew for all staff is 12:30 am and 1:00 am on Saturdays. In our efforts to keep our staff constantly updated on the camp program, we also have mandatory weekly staff meetings. We understand this may be a difficult change from the normal routine of many college-age adults, but we have found this to be an effective policy to minimize fatigue and burn out among counselors.

What about the salary and when do I get paid?
Our competitive salaries are determined by experience, ability, qualifications and personal skills of each individual. In addition to salary and travel allowance, counselors are provided with meals, lodging and laundry service. At any time during banking hours, a counselor can withdraw money from his or her salary account. It is important to remember that most people who work for summer camps do so out of the pure love for the experience of working with children and not for financial gain.

Is Starlight affiliated with a certain religion?
The majority of our campers come from Jewish families, but Camp Starlight welcomes all religions. Our counselors come from very diverse backgrounds and faiths. There is a short service/community night every Friday night that is attended by all campers and staff.

How are meals served?
Our dining hall is situated in the center of camp and separates the two campuses. Breakfast and dinner are served family style in which boys and girls eat all meals together by bunk. Lunch is served buffet style and gives the campers, with the exception of our youngest campers, to eat with campers and counselors in other bunks. Our kitchen and dining hall are both Kosher, which means that meat and dairy foods are served in separate meals and that no pork products are ever served. Food substitutes are available for all meals. In addition to this, camp has its share of outdoor barbecues and breakfast cookouts.

What are some other policies?
It is important to understand that the possession or use of drugs, whether it is on or off camp grounds, is cause for dismissal. Returning to camp under the influence of drugs or alcohol is also cause for dismissal. Camp Starlight is a smoke-free environment