A Boston financier named Frank Ashley Day gave the Newton YMCA $5,000 so that families who could not afford summer camp could send their children anyway. Day died in 1914, before the camp opened.

His widow asked that the property stand as a memorial to a man who had spent his life ministering to the needs of others. It opened on the shore of Lake Quacumquasit in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, in 1916, and it is still running more than a century later.

Why does that matter to you, a UK student looking at summer jobs in the U.S.? Because at this camp, you'd be joining a place with more than 100 years of history and a mission that still matters today. Here at AmeriCamp UK, we place British counsellors at ACA-accredited YMCA camps exactly like this one, handling your J-1 visa, placement, and support from start to finish.

Here is what working as a counsellor at YMCA Camp Frank A. Day involves, plus how the application works from the UK side.

The $5,000 Gift Behind YMCA Camp Frank A. Day

YMCA Camp Frank A. Day is an overnight summer camp in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, that opened in 1916 through a donation from its namesake. It has been owned and operated ever since by the West Suburban YMCA of Newton. Everyone who has been there calls it CFAD.

Frank Ashley Day grew up in Newton, made his money in Boston finance, and spent a serious chunk of it on young people. He served as a Newton alderman and as the first chairman of the YMCA's board of trustees. His $5,000 camp gift came with a mission attached: get kids outdoors regardless of what their parents earned.

That mission shapes who you would be working with. The camper community at CFAD is mixed because financial assistance is built into how the camp operates. You’ll be working with children from very different families and circumstances, which makes the job more challenging and more interesting.

Who You'd Look After: Campers and Units at CFAD

YMCA Camp Frank A. Day is a coeducational overnight camp for campers aged 7 to 16, organised into three age-based units, with leadership programmes for older teens. Here is how the camp structures it:

• Freshman unit: Ages 7 to 10, in cabins of 5 to 7 campers with 2 counsellors
• Junior unit: Ages 11 to 13, in cabins of 6 to 9 campers with 2 counsellors
• Senior unit: Ages 14 to 16, in groups of 5 to 8, where the boys sleep in platform canvas tents and the girls in cabins
• Leaders-in-Training (LIT): Age 16, a dedicated leadership programme
• Volunteer Junior Counsellors: Age 17, the last step before staff

No cabin ever holds more than nine campers, and none has fewer than two counsellors. That ratio is worth pausing on. You are never the only adult responsible for a cabin, and your group is small enough that you know every child in it by the end of day one. Placement listings put the camp at around 150 campers per session with a staff team of roughly 75, so this is a small, tight camp rather than a thousand-bed operation.

Life on Lake Quacumquasit: The Site and the Waterfront

The camp sits on 52 acres of woodland and lakefront on Lake Quacumquasit, a 218-acre natural pond (locals call it South Pond) about an hour west of Boston. The water is the headline feature: it’s 72 feet deep in certain areas with 12 to 15 feet of visibility, which is remarkably clear for a New England pond. The camp uses every bit of it.

Waterfront activities include swimming with skill-level assessments, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, paddleboarding, snorkelling, tubing, fishing, and pontoon boat rides. On land, there is a climbing tower, an archery range, athletic fields, basketball courts, gaga ball, rugby, volleyball, tennis, arts and crafts, and nature programming. British counsellors take note: rugby is on the list, right alongside the more traditional American camp activities.

The programme itself is elective-based. Campers pick their own activities across three elective periods a day, plus a daily hour called Super Choice where each unit opens up whatever mix of crafts, basketball, four square, and games the day calls for. Evenings bring campfires, theme dances, scavenger hunts, Coffee House performance nights, and talent shows.

Your accommodation will be rustic cabins or platform tents, shared with your co-counsellor and your campers. It’s simple living by design, so expect shared space, basic facilities, and a lot less privacy than you’re used to at home.

Green vs. Gray: The Tradition You Join for Life

Session one of CFAD opens gently, with an Ice Cream Social and a Camp Carnival to ease new campers into the rhythm. Then the bigger traditions start.

Twice each summer, YMCA Camp Frank A. Day splits into two colours for a 36-hour competition called Green vs. Gray, and the camp is direct about what that means: "once assigned your color, it is your color for life, and it is even passed on from generation to generation." Counsellors get a colour too, and returning staff keep it.

The battle kicks off with knock-out games on Miller Court and ends with cheer and song battles at the Great Council Ring. In between sit a day and a half of contests that the whole camp throws itself into.

Green vs. Gray is not the only badge of honour on offer. CFAD also runs a Core Value Tag programme, where campers and counsellors earn a dog-tag necklace for living out the YMCA's core values day to day, handed out at an end-of-session ceremony. It is a small thing that adds up: by August, most people at camp are wearing more than one.

Traditions like these are one of the benefits of choosing a summer camp with 100 years of history. A century of accumulated rituals gives your summer a texture that a generic activity schedule cannot. You will find yourself defending your colour with your whole heart by August.

What Do Counsellors Do at YMCA Camp Frank A. Day?

Counsellors at CFAD live on site, supervise a cabin group, and lead activities through the camp's elective programme. The roles fall into a few types:

• General counsellors: You live with your cabin group, run their daily routine, and lead or support activities across camp. No specialist qualifications are needed.
• Waterfront staff: Lifeguards and instructors for the swimming area and boats. Lifeguard qualifications are needed here, and waterfront staff are always in demand.
• Adventure and activity specialists: Ideal if you have climbing, canoeing, kayaking, archery, and outdoor skills. You’ll lead specific activities that match your experience.
• Creative and performing arts staff: Perfect for those with arts and crafts, music, dance, and drama experience. You’ll run activities in those areas and be involved in Coffee House nights.

A typical day at camp starts with morning flagpole at around 8:20 AM and wraps up at about 9:15 PM. In between, you’ll have:

• Meals in the dining hall
• Cabin clean-up
• Three elective periods
• Swim lessons
• A rest period
• Super Choice
• An evening programme with the whole unit

It’s a long day, but it’s also a varied one, and the rhythm becomes second nature within a week.

Staff get one full day off each week, plus evening breaks during the week, per placement listings. Boston is close enough to CFAD that a day off could mean exploring the Freedom Trail or checking out a Red Sox game.

The staff team of around 75 includes a large international contingent each summer, and parents appreciate it: one CFAD parent review calls it "fantastic" to have "a mix of cultures and countries represented" on staff.

What a CFAD Summer Costs You

The days are long, you are responsible for children for most of your waking hours, and personal space is limited when you are sharing your living space with up to nine kids. On the plus side, AmeriCamp UK guarantees a salary of at least $2,250 for your time at camp, and the experience is unforgettable.

You’ll develop valuable leadership skills that help your resume stand out. You’ll make friends (and memories) for life, and you’ll discover a new culture and way of life. Plus, your food and accommodation are covered all summer, so you can save pretty much everything you earn.

Your J-1 visa also gives you 30 days to travel in the U.S. after your camp placement finishes. You can explore the bright lights of New York City, hike your way through the country’s incredible national parks, or recuperate on a beach in sunny California. Many counsellors even travel together after their time at CFAD.

What a Summer at Camp Frank A. Day Does for Your CV

Graduate employers want evidence that you are responsible, can work in a team, and know how to adapt when plans collapse. A CFAD summer checks all those boxes. You held duty of care for a cabin of kids, you ran or assisted with group activities every day, and you did it as part of an international staff team at an ACA-accredited camp.

If you want to make your experience stand out on your camp counsellor resume, go deeper than "looked after kids at a summer camp." Write that you supervised a cabin group of up to nine children across a full residential season. You led daily instructional sessions in your activity area, and you worked to the safety standards of American Camp Association accreditation.

There is also the story value. An interviewer who has read forty applications will remember the candidate who spent a summer on a Massachusetts lake and can explain, with a straight face, why they will be Gray for the rest of their life.

How to Get Placed at YMCA Camp Frank A. Day from the UK

UK applicants reach camps like CFAD through organisations like AmeriCamp UK. We handle your placement, J-1 visa sponsorship, and support as one package. The requirements are straightforward:

• Aged 18 or over by 1 June of your camp summer
• Available for the full season (CFAD's camper sessions ran from 27 June to 15 August in 2026, with staff arriving earlier for set-up and training)
• Confident with spoken English
• A clean background check, which we coordinate
• Active enough for long days outdoors

You’ll spend the summer on a J-1 Camp Counsellor visa, the U.S. cultural exchange visa for camp staff. We are an official BridgeUSA J-1 visa sponsor and have been placing British counsellors for well over a decade. We’ll help you coordinate the DS-2019 form, prepare for your embassy interview, and make sure all your paperwork is in order before you travel.

The application process looks like this:

1. Complete your online AmeriCamp UK application
2. Place a GBP 49 deposit
3. Film a relaxed video so we can learn more about you and where you’d be a great fit
4. We’ll circulate your resume among our camp partners to find a great fit
5. You’ll interview with camp directors who think you have the right skills and attitude
6. If the interview goes well, you’ll receive (and sign) an official offer letter
7. Once the offer letter is signed, we’ll get to work on securing your J-1 visa

Of all AmeriCamp UK applicants we accept into the programme, 99% are successfully placed at U.S. summer camps.

The programme fee is GBP 399, or GBP 419 across three instalments, and it covers your placement, visa sponsorship, and dedicated account manager. The camp provides accommodation, meals, and medical insurance on top of your salary. The full breakdown is on what you pay and what you get.

Spend Your Summer at YMCA Camp Frank A. Day!

A camp that began with one man's gift so that any child could go is a special place to spend a summer. YMCA Camp Frank A. Day gives you a 52-acre lakefront site, a century of traditions, a guaranteed $2,250 minimum salary, and a tight-knit staff community. Then it hands you 30 days to see the U.S.

Apply with AmeriCamp UK today, and we’ll help coordinate a summer you’ll never forget. You’re just one application away from finding out whether you are Green or Gray for life!

YMCA Camp Frank A. Day FAQs

What Is YMCA Camp Frank A. Day?

YMCA Camp Frank A. Day is a coeducational overnight summer camp on Lake Quacumquasit in East Brookfield, Massachusetts, opened in 1916, funded by a $5,000 gift from Boston financier Frank Ashley Day. It is owned and operated by the West Suburban YMCA of Newton and sits on 52 acres of woodland and lakefront about an hour west of Boston.

Is YMCA Camp Frank A. Day a Good Camp?

It holds American Camp Association accreditation (ACA Camp ID 1459), which means independently verified standards for health, safety, and programme quality, and it has operated continuously since 1916. Cabins are limited to nine campers with at least two counsellors, and the staff team is internationally mixed. Its founding mission of making camp affordable still shows in the financial assistance the West Suburban YMCA offers families.

Who Owns YMCA Camp Frank A. Day?

The West Suburban YMCA, based in Newton, Massachusetts, has owned and operated the camp since 1916. The camp began when Frank Ashley Day donated $5,000 to the Newton YMCA, the West Suburban YMCA's predecessor, to start a summer camp for families who could not otherwise afford one.

How Much Do Counsellors Earn at YMCA Camp Frank A. Day?

AmeriCamp UK counsellors are guaranteed at least $2,250 for the season, with accommodation, meals, and medical insurance all included. Specialist and qualified staff can earn more, and with almost nothing to spend money on during camp, most counsellors bank the majority of it for post-camp travel.

Is YMCA Camp Frank A. Day Accredited and Safe?

Yes. The camp is an accredited member of the American Camp Association (ACA Camp ID 1459), which means it meets independently verified standards for health, safety, and programme quality. Cabins never exceed nine campers and always have at least two counsellors.

How Far Is YMCA Camp Frank A. Day from Boston?

The camp is roughly an hour's drive west of Boston, in East Brookfield, Massachusetts. Worcester is closer still, and on a day off you can reach Boston, Cape Cod, or the New Hampshire mountains.

What Ages Attend YMCA Camp Frank A. Day?

Campers are aged 7 to 16, split into Freshman (7 to 10), Junior (11 to 13), and Senior (14 to 16) units. Sixteen-year-olds can join the Leaders-in-Training programme, and 17-year-olds can serve as Volunteer Junior Counsellors.

When Does the YMCA Camp Frank A. Day Season Run?

Camper sessions ran from 27 June to 15 August in 2026, in one- and two-week blocks. Staff typically arrive earlier for training and set-up, so confirm your exact season length when you are matched. Your J-1 visa then gives you up to 30 days to travel the USA.

Do Counsellors Get Time Off at YMCA Camp Frank A. Day?

Yes. Staff typically get one full day off per week plus evening breaks, based on placement listings. Boston, Worcester, and the Massachusetts countryside are all within reach on a day off.