Camp Shriver
A Free Inclusive Summer Camp for Children with and without Disabilities
Applications for the summer of 2026 will open on February 1 and close March 31.
Camp Shriver is a day camp, operating July 6, 2026--July 31, 2026, Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM - 2:00 PM on the UMass Amherst Mount Ida Campus in Newton MA. (Transportation is provided from local area schools, schedule and pick-up locations to be finalized after acceptance. Last year's transportation options available below.)
We accept applications from boys and girls who are 8-12 years old and entering grades 3, 4, 5, and 6. Admission is by lottery; all applicants will be notified of acceptance or waitlist status by mid May 2023. There is a $25 registration fee for accepted applicants only, to be collected once accepted.
Camp Shriver is...
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For boys and girls, ages 8‐12 and entering grades 3, 4, 5, and 6 in the fall
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FREE (after a $25 registration fee only for accepted campers)
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Includes FREE breakfast, lunch,* snacks, and camp gear
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Includes FREE transportation from designated pick-up/drop-off sites in several area communities. See last year's bus stops at the bottom of this page.
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Provides sports instruction in recreational activities, including soccer, basketball, kickball, tag, golf, tennis and more.
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Inclusive: 50% of campers are children with a disability and 50% are children without a disability.
Since 2006, Camp Shriver at the University of Massachusetts Boston has welcomed 100-140 children each year, half with and half without intellectual and developmental disabilities, ages 8-12, from low-income families in the Boston area to a free inclusive summer sports camp.
While recreational programs offered by schools and community agencies may accept children with disabilities, few—if any—are designed to enroll an equal number of children with and without disabilities. That is what makes Camp Shriver at UMass Boston unique. Camp Shriver serves an equal number of children with and without disabilities so that all children can play, learn and interact in meaningful ways with their peers—no matter what their disability status.
A national model for inclusive recreational programming, Camp Shriver’s mission is to improve the social, emotional, and physical well-being of children of all abilities, by providing an inclusive community of friendship and fun. At Camp Shriver, children with and without disabilities build social skills and positive social relationships by learning and playing together.
A VERY GRATEFUL THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS!
We are very grateful to all our individual donors and foundation sponsors, including The Agnes M. Lindsay Trust. The John Alden Trust, the Lend A Hand Society and the Paul D. Moore 2020 Revocable Trust!
BUS SCHEDULE
This schedule is tentative and may change for 2026:
Stay in touch with Camp Shriver
You can also view a video featuring Camp Shriver through our partners at the National Inclusion Project.
*Camp Shriver receives partial funding for meals from the MA Department of Education Summer Food Service Program. Access the USDA Non-Discrimination Statement and our Camp Shriver - Summer Food Service - Press Release.
For more information, please contact the Center for Social Development and Education at 617.287.7247.
