Camp Doodles

What Camp Doodles does

Camp Doodles is a privately held, Bay Area-based summer day-camp operator founded in 2002 that delivers art, maker, and STEAM programs to children ages 3 through high school. The company runs three day-camp locations — San Francisco, Oakland, and Orinda — each operating approximately seven to nine weeks during the summer (June through August 2026), and extends into overnight experiences through a partnership with Marin Ranch Camp at Walker Creek in Petaluma. Its curriculum is segmented by age into four programs: Primo (PreK-K), Spark (Grades 1-5), Techs (Grades 3-8), and LIT (Leaders in Training, Grades 6-10), built on Harvard Graduate School of Education Project Zero maker-empowerment pedagogy and Reggio Emilia philosophy. Low child-to-instructor ratios (6:1 for Primo, 8:1 for Spark) and ACA accreditation anchor a safety- and quality-led positioning.

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer, pay-per-week pricing model with tiered discounts for multi-week enrollment ($20 to $210 off across 2 to 7+ weeks), plus add-ons for extended care ($60/week or $15/day) and a half-day option at $100 off. Registration runs through a Salesforce-based portal, supported by a proprietary electronic check-in/check-out system using unique security codes and wristband labels for camper safety. Pricing ranges from roughly $290/week (LIT) to $570/week (Techs in San Francisco) depending on program and location. The company also offers up to 60% financial assistance for qualifying families, allocates at least 5% of registration fees to scholarships, and runs a $25 referral-credit program to drive word-of-mouth.

Camp Doodles is founder-operated with 1-10 year-round employees, supplemented by seasonal Site Directors, Instructors, and Coaches. There are no disclosed funding rounds, parent companies, or institutional investors, and revenue is not publicly reported. Operations remain regional (San Francisco Bay Area only), and the seasonal, location-bound nature of the business caps the addressable footprint without further geographic or capital investment.

Name

Camp Doodles

Legal name

Camp Doodles

Website

https://campdoodles.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Camp Doodles is a privately held Bay Area summer day-camp operator founded in 2002 that runs art, maker, and STEAM programs for children ages 3 through high school across three locations in San Francisco, Oakland, and Orinda, plus an overnight partnership in Petaluma.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Summer Day Camps

NAICS

Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Child Care Services (62441)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE), Coding, Game Design & Computer Science Camps (EDAMALAD)

Keywords

• Summer day camps
• STEAM education
• Maker art programs
• Children youth camps
• Overnight summer camps

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Summer Camp Session Fees: Parents pay per-week session fees for their children to attend camp programs. Pricing varies by program level (Primo, Spark, Techs, LIT) and location, with tiered discounts for registering multiple weeks. Additional revenue from extended care services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Camp Doodles operates STEAM-focused summer day and overnight camps for children and young adolescents, delivering hands-on maker, art, and Minecraft-based programs at physical Bay Area locations (San Francisco, Oakland, Orinda) and through a Petaluma overnight referral. Programs are segmented by age tier (Primo for PreK-K, Spark for grades 1-5, Techs for grades 3-8, and LIT for grades 6-10) and sold as weekly sessions with optional extended care and half-day add-ons, registered via a Salesforce portal.

Product overview

Camp Doodles offers a unified summer day camp platform with four age-differentiated programs—Primo (PreK-K), Spark (Grades 1-5), Techs (Grades 3-8), and LIT (Leaders in Training, Grades 6-10)—spanning art, maker, and technology education through hands-on, experiential learning. Programs are delivered at physical camp locations in San Francisco, Oakland, and Orinda, with optional Extended Care and Half-Day add-ons. The portfolio is unified by a shared philosophy of creative intelligence development and maker-empowerment pedagogy, with each program tier building on the previous one as children advance in age and complexity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primo (PreK-K) Early childhood summer day camp program for children ages 3+ through kindergarten, featuring hands-on maker and art activities with a 6:1 child-to-instructor ratio, Discovery Lab, Tinkering Lab, and weekly inquiry-based themes grounded in the Reggio Emilia philosophy.
• Spark (Grades 1-5) Maker-empowerment summer day camp program for students entering grades 1 through 5, inspired by Harvard Project Zero pedagogy, featuring four daily lab blocks (Maker Lab, 3D Art Lab, X-Lab, and Sports & Games) with hands-on projects and weekly themes; 8:1 child-to-coach ratio for 1st-2nd graders.
• Techs (Grades 3-8) Digital creativity summer day camp program for students entering grades 3 through 8, taking creativity into the digital world with Minecraft-based activities including Game Design, Redstone Workshop, Screencasting, WorldEdit Engineering, and Minecraft Multiverse, balanced between computer lab and outdoor time.
• LIT (Leaders in Training, Grades 6-10) Leadership summer day camp program for students entering grades 6 through 10 in which older campers serve as junior counselors assisting with daily camp operations in Primo, Spark, or Techs programs, with hands-on practice in kid engagement, communication, collaboration, and program planning; extended care included at no extra cost.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6:1 child-to-instructor ratio for Primo program enabling extra support
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Nina's CafeminorOthersLocal food partner providing fresh made-to-order meals available for purchase during check-in at the San Francisco location.
• Marin Ranch Camp at Walker CreekminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOvernight camp partner in Petaluma offering extended camp experience. Camp Doodles promotes Marin Ranch Camp as an option for families seeking overnight camp experiences. Runs July 21 – August 6, 2026.
• Kaiser Early Childhood CentercoreOthersFacility partner providing the Oakland camp location at 25 S Hill Ct, Oakland, CA 94618.
• Local Businesses (Lunch Providers)OthersWhere possible, partners with local businesses to provide fresh meals made to order for campers.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Galileo Camps: Bay Area-headquartered operator of innovation-themed summer day camps serving K-8 with maker, art, and STEM projects. Directly comparable as a premium, design-driven Bay Area day camp targeting similar families and age ranges with similar pricing and ratios.
• Black Rocket Productions: National STEAM summer-camp provider covering coding, game design, and creative tech for ages 8-14. Comparable as a tech/maker-focused summer-camp operator serving the same K-12 age bands.
• iD Tech: National STEAM summer camp operator (now under Back to School STEM) focused on coding, game design, robotics for ages 7-19. Comparable in STEAM summer-camp positioning, but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Digital Media Academy: Tech-focused summer camp for kids and teens covering game design, coding, film, and digital arts. Comparable as a STEAM summer-camp operator with similar age targeting and tech/maker curriculum focus.
• Steve & Kate's Camp: Multi-location summer day camp with strong Bay Area presence serving ages 4-15 with self-directed, creative programming. Comparable in day-camp format, SF/Oakland presence, parent demographic, and flexible week-by-week enrollment.
• Emagination Tech Camps: Multi-format summer camp combining tech (coding, game design, robotics) with traditional camp activities for ages 8-17. Comparable in STEAM/multi-activity programming and target demographic.
• Club SciKidz: National STEM-focused summer-camp franchise for ages 4-15 offering science, engineering, and tech topics. Comparable in STEAM summer positioning and tiered age-segmented programs.

Broad incumbents

• Code Ninjas: Year-round franchise-based coding and STEM education centers that also run summer camps. Comparable in serving the same K-12 STEAM demographic but operates a fundamentally different (year-round, recurring) model with broader market reach.

Emerging players

• MakerKids: Year-round maker and coding programs for kids based in the Bay Area/Canada, with summer camps. Comparable in maker-pedagogy emphasis and Bay Area presence but smaller scale and more year-round oriented.

Regional players

• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula: Regional youth development organization offering summer and after-school enrichment in the SF Bay Area. Comparable as a Bay Area youth-program operator that competes for the same families and offers seasonal enrichment, though it is a non-profit and broader in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/camp-doodles

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Camp Doodles