YMCA BCC Aquatics programming is fantastic and the counselors are top notch. Facilities are a little dated/not fancy but it is hard to beat the programming and safety for the price. My kids did both the YMCA and Landon last summer and while they loved the facilities and activities available at Landon they MUCH preferred the counselors at the Y. (Some of the counselors at Landon were immature teens with insufficient training—a few were not nice to younger campers. Not an issue at the Y.) Plus the Y camp really improved my kids’ swimming skills—we have included a couple weeks the last couple of summers and will probably do at least a week or two again this year.

^^ probably adequate for your 4 year old, but your 7 year old will not be with peers from the neighborhood (not Kensington Parkwood ES, Wyngate ES or Ashburton ES). Welcome to Montgomery County, where summer camp costs a small fortune. The YMCA will be less expensive, but I wouldn't do much of anything there

YMCA BCC is among the cheapest options in the area. It's fine. But if you can afford a bit more, the other camps previous posters have mentioned are much better in quality and staff experience level.

Anonymous wrote:Thank you all! So helpful. We’re exploring them all but interested in the YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase location as it would be closest. Does anyone have experience there, and did your kiddos like it? Any idea when registration for summer 2026 would start?

Also check into Bethesda Country Day School if YMCA is close. The YMCA tends to have younger staff and feels a little less organized than some of the other camps listed above. If you are willing to drive about 2 miles toward Rockville, I would recommend CampJCC.

Thank you all! So helpful. We’re exploring them all but interested in the YMCA Bethesda-Chevy Chase location as it would be closest. Does anyone have experience there, and did your kiddos like it? Any idea when registration for summer 2026 would start?

I too was going to say Landon Summer.
Also Valley Mill - they have bus pick ups and drop offs
Sidwell summer if they still use the Bethesda buildings
and Kid Museum

Landon Summer is good too.

Bullis has great camps. Not sure how far that will be from you.

This is incredible helpful information - Thanks so much!!

Our kids attended Ashburton. Unless you do an all-around camp, your 4 and 7 year olds will need to be at different camps. The good all-around camps relatively nearby include Holton Arms, Sidwell, ESF. And, for the first 2, you'll want to register on the day/time they open, or they can fill up.

Imagination Stage is nearby, if they like theater. Also ArtWorks, Headfirst for sports at their young ages. If your 7 year old is outdoorsy, Valley Mill is awesome, and they get picked up/dropped off by bus. Your 7 year old might be old enough for TIC, I can't remember at what age it starts (half-day computer programming, half-day sports), which also fills up quickly.

They nearby WMCA also has weekly, relatively inexpensive camps in all kinds of categories. That is actually the closest, easiest, least expensive option that will work for both kids.

Many in the neighborhood join Wildwood Pool, and do swim team. You probably want to join for evenings and weekends anyway - they'll meet and make friends, as will you.

Thanks for the helpful information. We will look into those. They will be attending Ashburton though finishing off the school year in our current DCPS. Any other recommendation are most welcome.

For those ages stone ridge summer campus works really well and you can pick different things for different kids. Welcome to the neighborhood.

Which elementary school will they attend? A lot of schools have a summer camp run by their after school provider (Kids After Hours, Bar-T) and they are usually pretty good at least for a few weeks. After 3 or 4 weeks, the activities can get repetitive.

My kids also liked Montgomery Sports Association when they were in elementary:
https://www.montgomerysports.org/camps

We’re moving to North Bethesda (close to Walter Johnson HS) in the spring and researching summer camp options for our two girls, 7 and 4. We’d prefer one location for both and something in the neighborhood considering logistics for pickup/drop offs and our commutes. Any information or leads on good camps are welcome! They love swimming, crafts, STEM etc but open to anything that will make their summer fun and memorable. Thank you all!