taste of guci
We are pleased to offer first-time campers entering 3rd through 6th grade the option of signing up for the first 2-weeks of either session (Kallah Aleph or Kallah Bet). Campers in the “Taste” are fully integrated into the Garin (3rd and 4th grade) or Shoresh (5th and 6th grade) programs.
how long is the taste session?
All Taste sessions start on opening day of Kallah Aleph or Kallah Bet and go through the second Sunday. View our Dates + Rates page for session dates.
can my camper sign up for taste a second time?
Both Taste of Garin and Taste of Shoresh are for first-time campers. After your camper has participated in the Taste program for a summer, they are able to attend our full Kallah sessions and experience the true arc of a summer at GUCI.
my camper has aged-out of the taste program, can they still come for two weeks?
Our Taste sessions are designed for campers going intro grades 3-6. Older campers are able to attend our full Kallah sessions and experience the true arc of a summer at GUCI.
will my camper miss out on anything by doing the taste option?
Our Taste sessions are a great opportunity for your camper to dip their toe in the water of our overnight program. During their two weeks they will get to experience the GUCI magic full of Bunk Night (cabin bonding evening), Yom Sport (color war), concerts, Shabbats and much more.
Campers who have signed up for the full Kallah session go on to develop even closer bonds with their cabins and get to experience all that GUCI has to offer such as offsite trips, carnivals, a second Bunk Night and more.
can my camper decide to extend to the full session?
Each year we review our procedures and policies with an eye towards creating a stronger community and operating more efficiently. To that end, and after much discussion with our staff, parents and other summer camp directors, we’ve decided to make an important change to our Taste of GUCI program. Beginning summer 2025, GUCI will not offer the option for Taste campers to extend to four weeks during the session.
This new policy is focused on ensuring each camper is set up for success. Historically, we’ve had only about ten percent of Taste campers make the decision (with their parents approval) to stay an extra two weeks. While we love that they love camp and want to stay longer, we also know this causes unnecessary stress on both the camper and the parents or guardians who need to make this decision in a short amount of time. We’d much rather have our Taste campers leave wanting more and returning the following summer for four weeks.
We invite you to speak with your children now and decide if the two-or-four-week program is the best fit for this summer. We can make these changes ahead of summer as long as we have the space to do so.