When schools out, Zoo Camp is IN!  Nowhere else on the First Coast can your child spend all day or all week nose-to-nose with an elephant, toe-to-toe with a flamingo, neck-to-neck with a giraffe, eye-to-eye with an anaconda or shoulder-to-shoulder with a gorilla!  All of our programs include behind the scenes tours, activities & games, crafts and hands-on encounters with animals everyday.

Summer Camp

Spend an entire week at the Zoo exploring the animal kingdom, conservation, zoo careers and the great outdoors.  All programs include instruction, behind the scene tours, animal encounters, train ride, hands-on activities, crafts, visits to Play Park and our new Asian Bamboo Garden & Komodo Dragon exhibits. One afternoon will include a trip to the Splash Ground to cool off, so bring your bathing suit and a towel.

All of the following programs are designed to be challenging, fun and developmentally appropriate for children in the age group specified.  Students visit different areas of the Zoo each day.  Classroom activities and crafts revolve around the theme for the day.  Every day features up-close and hands on opportunities with a variety of animals in the Education animal collection.

For your child’s enjoyment, please comply with the age guidelines.

New this year – a Zoo Camp T-shirt is included with each registration!

Fees:
Members: $175/student/week 
Non-members: $200/student/week

Thursday Night Sleepover*:
$30/student (optional and in addition to the weekly camp fee)
* Campers must be signed up for the camp week in order to participate in the Thursday Night Sleepover.

Extended Care Fees:
Before Care: $20/week beginning at 8 a.m.
After Care: $40/week with last pick-up at 5:30 p.m.
Before & After Care: $50/week (8 a.m. drop-off & 5:30 p.m. pick-up)

Registration Form

Class size is limited to 20 children per camp. Camps meet Monday – Friday from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Extended Care is available from 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 - 5:30 p.m. daily. Children will be in a supervised environment with games, puzzles and quiet activities available.  Fees are based on one student per week.

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND – THURSDAY NIGHT SLEEPOVER! 
Each week 8 to 14 year olds have the option of spending the night at the Zoo!  This unique overnight experience includes dinner, snacks, continental breakfast, and night tours. Campers must bring sleeping bag, pillow, toothbrush, tooth paste, personal items, sleepwear, a change of clothes and lunch for the next day in camp. It is not recommended that this be your child’s first experience sleeping away from home.

Independence Week Workshops

Need some flex time around Fourth of July? Our one-day or two-day workshops ideally fit around your schedule. Each workshop includes hands-on activities with animals, behind-the-scenes tours, a train ride, and a visit to our newest exhibit Asian Bamboo Garden & Komodo Dragon! Class size is limited to 25 children per workshop.

New this year – a Zoo Camp T-shirt is included with each registration!

Fees:
One day workshops:
Members: $40/day for 1 or 2 days, $35/day for 3 or more days
Non-members: $45/day for 1 or 2 days, $40/day for 3 or more days

Two day workshop:
Members: $75
Non-members: $85

Before/After Care Fees:
$4/day for Before Care
$8/day for After Care
$10/day for both Before & After Care

Registration Form

For more information, please contact us at (904) 757-4463, ext. 122.  We reserve the right to cancel sessions with insufficient enrollment.

Policies

Registration:
Registration for all camps and workshops will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. If you are registering two or more children for the same camp, please register all of them at the same time to ensure that they will be able to attend the same camp.

Payment:
Full payment must accompany your registration form.  We accept checks, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards.  A service fee of $3 is added when charging your registration. Checks should be made payable to the Jacksonville Zoo.

If you are mailing in your Registration Form, send to:
            Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens
            Education Department
            370 Zoo Parkway
            Jacksonville, FL   32218

You may also hand deliver the Registration Form to the PepsiCo Foundation Education Campus at the south end of the zoo’s main parking lot Monday – Sunday 9 am – 5 pm.  If you have more than one child wanting to attend the same program, please deliver all registrations together.

Or, FAX the Registration Form to 904-757-2444 24-hours a day.  Do not forget to complete all the requested credit card information and sign the registration form.  If you have more than one child wanting to attend the same program, please fax all registrations together.

Confirmation:
When registering on-line, you will receive a confirmation the same day via the e-mail address you provide.  If you register by mail, hand deliver or FAX your registration form, you will receive mailed confirmation within 10 to 14 business days of receiving the registration form either via regular mail or e-mail (if an e-mail address is provided).  Please do not call to check on your registration before that time.  If there is a problem with your registration, e.g., the camp is already full, you will be notified immediately.

Behavior:
To ensure an enjoyable and safe experience for all children, the zoo’s staff manages child behavior.  All children are expected to behave appropriately, and in the event of disruptive behavior, a child may be timed-out and removed from the group.  If the disruptive behavior continues, the child-care provider (parent, guardian or chaperone) will be called to help find a solution.  If improvement is not realized immediately, the child-care provider may be asked to pick up the child early from camp and the child may be asked not to return.  In this situation, there will be no refunds for any days missed.

Behind the Scenes:
The unique and special part of zoo camp is the opportunity to go behind the scenes, meet keepers, get up-close and learn more about the exotic animals in the collection.  To be able to offer this experience, it is imperative that children comply with all safety directions when behind the scenes and wear the prescribed footwear – shoes must completely cover the feet; sandals, heelies, crocs and all other shoes that expose the bare skin of feet to the environment or interfere with walking are never permitted during behind the scene tours.  Children who do not follow the behavior policies and safety directions or wear the prescribed shoes will not be permitted in behind the scene areas.

Lost & Found:
Items left behind are placed in a box in the lobby of the Administration Building at the PepsiCo Foundation Education Campus.  To check on lost items after your child’s week of camp, please contact the Education department at 904-757-4463, ext. 122.  Two weeks after the close of camp, all remaining items will be donated to charity.

Medication:
Staff cannot administer or dispense medication to children.  Campers must be able to take their own medication.  Staff can carry medications and help children to remember to take their medication.  Every camp is staffed with educators trained in basic first aid and CPR and the zoo’s Security staff is first aid, CPR and automatic emergency defibrillator trained.

Special Needs:
Please indicate on the registration form any special needs our staff must be made aware of prior to your first day.  Special needs such as physical, academic, social and/or dietary will be accommodated to the best of our ability.  Please note that the zoo does not employ specific individuals certified and trained to handle special needs.

Children Attending Together:
If your child wants to attend a specific camp with a friend, please fax both registrations together, put both registrations in the same envelope when mailing, register both children at the same time on-line, or hand deliver both registrations to the PepsiCo Foundation Education Campus.  This is the only way to ensure that they will be in the same program.  Due to the popularity of our programs, we cannot save spaces.

Waiting Lists:
Due to the overwhelming popularity of our Zoo Camps, we do compile waiting lists if preferred programs fill.  If an opening becomes available, we will contact you by telephone.  Please make sure the registration form includes daytime, evening and cell contact numbers.

REFUNDS & CANCELLATION:
Cancellations received 10 business days or more prior to the first scheduled day of a program/camp will receive a full refund less a 10% administrative fee.  Cancellations made 9 to 5 business days prior to the first day of a program/camp will receive a 75% refund of fees.  No partial refunds will be given for missed days of camp or workshops except in extraordinary circumstances.  Exceptions to the refund policy will be made on a case by case basis and at the sole discretion of the Director of Education.

Frequently Asked Questions

Staff:
All staff educators are screened for excellence in children’s programming.  All have had previous experience with children and have cleared nationwide, state and FBI Level 2 background checks as prescribed by the State of Florida’s Jessica Lunsford Act.

Supervision and Safety:
At no time is any child left unsupervised.  The number of staff and volunteers ensures thorough supervision and monitoring.  The zoo’s full time security staff responds immediately to any emergency situation.  Security staff is first aid, CPR and automatic emergency defibrillator trained.  The Jacksonville Fire Department will also respond within minutes of being contacted.

May parents stay with their children?
Our programs are designed for children who are able to be successful in group oriented programs without parent involvement.

Where is Camp?
All camps are held at the PepsiCo Foundation Education Campus located at the south end of the zoo’s main parking lot. Paying Zoo admission is not necessary to participating in class.  In your confirmation materials, you will receive a map showing the location of the campus.

My child has a younger friend.  Can they attend the same class?
We have been conducting Zoo Camps for over ten years.  Our camps are designed for the ages specified after experimenting with a variety of age combinations.  We would rather an older child feel like he or she is at the top of the class than a younger child made to feel at the bottom of the class.  If they must attend together, we strongly advise that you register the older child for the younger class to make the experience a positive one.

Members of the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens receive discounts on Education Programs and FREE admission every time they visit. 

Become a Member today!