About Us
Serving kids and making memories for over 15 years...
Camp Kids Place is a Religious Exempt Daycare in compliance with the Code of Virginia, Section 22.1-289.031. We are a ministry of Cherrydale Baptist Church in Arlington, Virginia, and we have the privilege of operating at the church’s fantastic facilities! Camp Kids Place provides the perfect combination of fun, adventure and Christian character training. It’s for both guys and girls who will enter kindergarten (and are already at least five years old) through those entering 7th grade in the fall. With a wonderful gym, team rooms, our craft shop and spark lab, a giant waterslide, and many thematic surprises along the way, we pack out our facilities for an awesome time all summer long. When it comes to activities in a Camp Kids Place summer, the obvious question is, “What more could a kid ask for?” At our Camp, we not only believe that we deliver the best, most creative camp experiences week in and week out, but we also teach biblical principles and seek to love each camper that walks through our doors the same way Christ does!
There are lots of activities for everyone, with something for each interest and age. Campers attend our famous morning and evening rallies; enjoy thematic skits put on by our goofy and talented counselors; play rally games with crazy weekly challenges and prizes; conquer our massive, two-lane waterslide; compete in creative and high-energy games in our gym and outside; participate in non-sectarian kid-friendly Bible activities; ride the bus to cool local hikes or parks to play games like capture the flag, soccer, and more; learn graphic design, become mini-architects, or experience virtual reality in our unparalleled “Spark Lab”; create awesome crafts and explore various aspects of art and creation in our “Craft Shop"; and SO MUCH MORE! There’s also “The Filling Station,” our snack shop where kids can spend time with friends while they enjoy lunch or a snack. (Campers bring a lunch, but snacks and beverages are available for purchase.)
At camp we hire the best Staff and Counselors around. Every year, it is our staff who make lasting memories with kids at Camp Kids Place. We look for Counselors and Staff with character of the utmost quality who follow Christ and whose lives, care for children, and relationships with their peers are marked by integrity. Beyond that, our staff is highly trained in all manner of safety and childcare, carefully vetted with background checks, health screenings, and fingerprinting, and are equipped with tools to make camp the joyful place that it is year after year. Camp is like a big family - encouraging and strengthening one another. We will do whatever it takes to make sure your child feels at home at Camp Kids Place and walks away with new friends and new experiences! All we want is for your child to feel loved and cherished from the moment they walk through our doors to the last seconds of each day.
Our campers enjoy learning a lot as they have a great time. They go home feeling that they’ve spent the day with good friends who really care about them as individuals—as well as an important part of the group. It’s just the thing for kids enjoying their first camp experience as well as for “seasoned pros” who’ve been to camp before. Camp is not “too hard” for little kids while being “totally awesome” for older campers. Your kids won't believe how much fun they'll have!
As many of you know, Herb, Marilyn and Timothy Owen were the founding visionaries for Camp Kids Place as we know it today. Herb dedicated his life to opening summer camps all over the United States with the aim of sharing the Gospel to every child, counselor, or parent who walked through his doors. He shepherded Camp Kids Place from a small group of 50 kids and a dozen counselors to one of the most popular summer camps in Arlington, serving over 500 campers each summer.
Marilyn (Herb’s wife) worked for decades as an administrator for all of the camp’s Herb ran. If you were here at Camp Kids Place four years ago, she was probably the smiling face at the front desk who greeted you and your child. Marilyn continues to serve her church community in Alabama. Their son Timothy worked as the director of the “Filling Station” and welcomed campers each day with positivity and kindness. Sadly, we lost Timothy in 2020, and Herb early last year.
The Owens were steadfastly committed to making Camp Kids Place a home for every child. Throughout Herb's career, he consistently prioritized lifting financial barriers for families who could otherwise not afford to go. To honor the legacy of Herb, Marilyn, and Timothy, we have created the Owen Family Legacy Scholarship Fund to give families with financial needs the opportunity to experience the “home” that so many have found at Camp Kids Place.
If you would like to donate, you can do so here: