Emerald Cove Day Camp

What Emerald Cove Day Camp does

Emerald Cove Day Camp (ECDC) is a privately held, faith-based summer day camp founded approximately in 2010 and operating in San Juan Capistrano, California. The camp serves children ages 5-10 (entering Kindergarten through 4th grade) across three two-week sessions each summer, with roughly 100-135 campers per session and a 70% year-over-year return rate. Daily programming runs Monday through Friday, 8:30am to 3pm, and includes archery, horsemanship, a 65ft climbing wall, creative arts, outdoor cooking, skate park, tide pools exploration at Dana Point Harbor, beach days, and faith-based character development delivered through small same-gender pod groups of 6-8 campers with consistent counselors.

The core product is a single unified summer day camp program with no proprietary technology platform; the camp operates as a deliberately tech-free, traditional outdoor environment. Administrative functions are supported by the third-party CampInTouch registration and parent portal system, and parent engagement is driven through a monthly "Join The Pod" webinar series, neighborhood Parent Coffees, a Camp-To-Go email newsletter, and an active social media presence. Activity partnerships with Shea Therapeutic Riding Center, Zoomar's at River Street Ranch, and Dana Point Harbor provide specialized off-site programming.

Revenue is generated almost exclusively through all-inclusive session tuition priced at $1,925 per two-week session for 2026, with a $350 enrollment deposit, payment plans, and a stackable Refer-a-Friend discount of 12.5% offered to both referring and new families. ECDC shares leadership and operational philosophy with its sister overnight camp, Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp (YSSC), at Bass Lake, creating a daytime-to-overnight camp pipeline. The executive team is led by Steve and Sara Kuljis (Executive Directors), with Program Director Dylan Wade, Assistant Program Director Camryn Ostrander, and Associate Director Jessica Peterson rounding out a six-person senior leadership group with combined 75 years of camping and child development experience.

Name

Emerald Cove Day Camp

Legal name

Emerald Cove Day Camp

Website

https://emeraldcovedaycamp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Emerald Cove Day Camp is a private faith-based summer day camp in San Juan Capistrano, California, serving children ages 5-10 across three two-week sessions each summer with pod-group activities, horsemanship, archery, and Christian character development.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Summer Day Camp Services

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620)

SIC

Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Multi-Activity Enrichment Camps (Academic + Arts + Sports) (EDAMALAA)

Keywords

• Summer day camp
• Children's outdoor programs
• Faith-based youth camp
• Seasonal camp enrollment
• Camp activity programs

Headquarters

HQ city

San Juan Capistrano

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Summer Day Camp Tuition: All-inclusive tuition covers 10 days of supervised program (6 hours daily), all activities, supplies, field trips, and camp rash guard. Campers bring their own lunch. Sessions run Monday through Friday, 8:30am-3pm.
2. Multi-Session Enrollment: Families can enroll campers in multiple sessions if space available, generating additional revenue per camper.
3. Referral Program Discounts: Referral program provides 12.5% tuition discount ($240) to both referring and new families, effectively reducing net revenue per referral while driving customer acquisition.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Emerald Cove Day Camp sells two-week summer day camp sessions in San Juan Capistrano, California, for children ages 5-10 (entering Kindergarten through 4th grade), running Monday-Friday 8:30am-3pm during three sessions each summer. The all-inclusive tuition covers supervised programming in small pod groups of 6-8 campers, more than a dozen on-site and off-site activities (archery, horsemanship, climbing wall, tide pools, beach days, creative arts, outdoor cooking, etc.), supplies, field trips, and a camp rash guard. Programming integrates traditional outdoor play with Christian faith-based nurturing (devotions, songs, Bible stories).

Product overview

Emerald Cove Day Camp is a single, unified summer day camp service for children ages 5-10 (entering Kindergarten through 4th grade) located in San Juan Capistrano, California. The program operates for six weeks each summer with three two-week sessions. Core offering is the Summer Day Camp Program featuring Pod Groups (small same-gender groups of 6-8 children with dedicated counselors) participating in diverse activities including archery, horsemanship, climbing wall, creative arts, outdoor cooking, skate park, gaga ball, slip'n'slide, tide pools, beach days, nature discovery, and adventure games. Supporting offerings include the Growing Life Skills E-book (parent resource on developmental approach), Join the Pod Webinar Series (monthly parent education sessions), Refer-a-Friend Program (tuition discount incentive), and Summer Staff Employment opportunities. The camp is faith-based, incorporating Christian nurturing through Bible stories, songs, devotions, and teachable moments focused on growing campers in character, skills, relationships, and faith.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Summer Day Camp Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of campers return year after year, demonstrating high satisfaction and engagement
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp (YSSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYSSC is the sister camp to ECDC, operated by the same leadership team (Steve and Sara Kuljis, Jessica Peterson). ECDC serves as a feeder program for YSSC's overnight camp at Bass Lake near Yosemite. The camps share staff, leadership philosophy, and mission to grow children in character, skills, relationships, and faith. Joint webinars ('Zoom Up to YSSC') promote the transition between day camp and overnight camp programs.
• Shea Therapeutic Riding CenterminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHorsemanship activities for 2nd-4th graders are conducted at the Shea Therapeutic Riding Center in San Juan Capistrano, approximately 5 minutes from the main camp location. Campers learn basics of horsemanship and riding under professional supervision and safety protocols.
• Zoomar's at River Street RanchminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerEmerald Cove Ranch activities for Kindergarten and 1st grade campers are held at Zoomar's at River Street Ranch in San Juan Capistrano. Young campers help care for animals, pan for gems, and ride ponies in an age-appropriate adventure setting.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• iD Tech: Tech-focused summer day and overnight camps for kids and teens; comparable multi-week camp format serving similar family demographic in the premium enrichment space.
• Kidventure: Premier multi-week summer day-camp operator for ages 3-13 with similar small-group counselor structure and emphasis on character development; comparable premium day-camp product.
• Steve & Kate's Camp: Premier multi-week day-camp network for ages 4-12 with flexible enrollment and premium pricing; closely comparable premium day-camp model targeting a similar age band and family demographic.
• Yosemite Sierra Summer Camp (YSSC): Overnight residential sister camp near Yosemite operated by the same Kuljis leadership team; provides the most directly comparable operational, cultural, and philosophical model to ECDC and acts as its age-up funnel.
• Skyhawks Sports: National youth sports day-camp provider offering week-long activity-based programs for elementary-age children; comparable direct-to-consumer summer day-camp product targeting similar ages.
• Galileo Learning: Operator of Galileo and Galileo Summer Quest day camps serving K-8th graders with multi-week themed sessions; competes for the same premium day-camp family segment in California.

Broad incumbents

• Boys & Girls Clubs of America (Summer Programs): National youth-services organization operating summer programming including day-camp-style offerings at local clubs; broad incumbent with overlapping elementary-age child-care mission.
• YMCA of the USA (Day Camps): National operator of summer day camps through local Y branches serving broad age ranges including elementary-age children; broader incumbent with overlapping product but less specialized/premium positioning.

Others

• American Camp Association: Industry association for organized camps; ECDC leadership (Sara Kuljis) has served on its board, and ACA provides accreditation and standards relevant to ECDC's operations.

Emerging players

• Club SciKidz: Science and technology themed summer day-camp franchise targeting elementary and middle-schoolers; emerging player in the structured enrichment day-camp niche overlapping with ECDC's activity-based model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@emeraldcovedaycamp9612
• Facebookfacebook.com/emeraldcove.daycamp
• Instagraminstagram.com/emeraldcovedaycamp
• Pinterestpinterest.com/camp0324/boards
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/emerald-cove-day-camp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Emerald Cove Day Camp