Camp Jump Start

About Camp Jump Start

Camp Jump Start is a weight loss camp for youth and teens that offers programs designed by health professionals. It considers itself to be a “whole health camp” for kids, meaning that it addresses and transforms not only the physical health of campers, but also emotional and social health. Camp Jump Start encourages kids to be kids by disconnecting them from electronics and promoting the fun of active playing.

Camp Jump Start offers the following programs for kids ages 9-17:

• 4-week camps
• 8-week camps

4-week Camp

Camp Jump Start believes that it takes 21-28 days to break bad habits and create a foundation for new routines. During the 4-week camps, kids should learn how to make life changes to help them be successful not only at camp but when they get back home.

8-week Camp

Camp Jump Start’s 8-week camps offer total immersion into a new routine.The length of the camp offers a better chance for long-term success. Campers lose the most weight in the 8-week camp when compared to the 4-week camp. Also, while the shorter camp teaches kids how to live a healthy life, the 8-week camp allows more time to build a routine so that the behavior becomes more normal to them.

The 8-week program offers cooking classes and menu planning ideas. The hope is that kids will be able to come home with kid-friendly recipes that the whole family can enjoy.

Accommodations

Campers sleep in air-conditioned cabins with between 8-10 kids of the same age. There are private showers and toilets in the cabins.

Food

Camp Jump Start offers campers meals with a caloric value of between 1,400 to 1,600 calories per day, depending on their age, gender, and needs. There are three meals and two snacks. Meals are offered in the camp’s dining hall. For kids who are still hungry after lunch and dinner, there is an open salad bar. The camp offers normal food that most kids are accustomed to, but that meet healthier standards. Snacks even include things like brownies and root beer floats.

Fitness

Camp Jump Start does not have a regimented, strict schedule of activities for kids to abide by. Instead, it creates a schedule based on each child’s interests, to make physical activity fun for them. Boys and girls exercise separately. Examples of activities include:

• Aerobics
• Aquatics at the Pool
• Balance/ Posture/ Core Exercises
• Cardio Exercise
• Hiking
• Instructional Biking
• Noncompetitive Sports
• Self Defense
• Strength Training
• Waterfront Activities

Extras

Besides the aforementioned fitness activities, the following is also included with tuition:

• Arts & Crafts
• Basic Nutrition
• Fun Evening Activities/ Games
• Health Education
• Physical and Fitness Assessments
• Social skills
• Sunday Electives
• WIT® Curriculum
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Stress Management Techniques
• Relaxation Techniques
• Climbing Wall Challenge
• First Aid Simulations
• Wilderness Survival

Location

The Camp Jump Start program is located at Living Well Village near Imperial, Missouri, a complex with 250 acres of land including a private 5-acre lake. Living Well Village is about one-half hour from downtown St. Louis, and most campers flying in will come via the St. Louis Lambert International Airport.

Pricing & 2022 Schedule

Camp Jump Start costs between $1,375 to $1,500 per week, depending on the length of a camper’s stay. Tuition at Camp Jump Start is all-inclusive, meaning all meals, activities, and camp housing is included in the session price. Specific session pricing and the 2020 schedule is as follows:

• Session 1: June 12 – July 9, 2022 (4 weeks), $5,995
• Session 2: July 9 – August 6, 2022 (4 weeks), $5,995
• Session 3: June 12 – August 6, 2022 (8 weeks), $10,955

Summary

Camp Jump Start focuses on teaching kids healthy habits and how to have fun by staying active. It considers itself to be the only non-profit camp with a mission to jump start the success of every camper. It is a traditional camp setting with a focus on outdoor activities and making new friends. FitStays visitors looking for a weight loss camp for kids and teens in the midwest with a wide variety of activities may wish to consider Camp Jump Start.