Youth Center

Youth Center Staff

Jamie Cannon, Director of Recreation jcannon@tenaflynj.gov

Carol Roux, Assistant Director of Recreation croux@tenaflynj.gov

Kim Minuto, Youth Center Manager  kminuto@tenaflynj.gov

Denise Timmons, Youth Center Assistant Manager

What Is There To Do?

Membership provides you with a safe space to hang out and enjoy what the center has to offer including:

  • Two Pool Tables
  • Ping pong
  • Air hockey
  • Chess & checkers
  • Study spaces
  • Video games and TV's (all games systems)
  • Art Supplies
  • Computer room for homework
  • Open space room for group school projects
  • Two 75-inch TVs
  • Newly renovated kitchen & snacks

Membership 

You do not need a membership card to utilize the Tenafly Youth Center.  However, membership has its privileges.  We recommend all members to check in at the front desk and show your school ID.  By being a member of the Youth Center, you can use Youth Center equipment as well as use the Mary Mandel Room (computer room).

Teen Center Membership Manual & Rules

Teen Center Code of Conduct


History of the Youth Center

In the mid to late seventies, Tenafly’s League of Women Voters surveyed the residents of Tenafly to determine their needs and desires for the community. One of the requests was for an after school program due to the rise in latchkey kids in the borough. This program began in the basement of the old high school and moved to several other locations before finally landing in a building across the street from the current Senior Citizen Center. In the early eighties a fire destroyed this building.

In 1987, several years after the fire, the Youth Center was reopened in Tenafly Middle School.

Due to an increase in the enrollment of students in the Tenafly Public School system, a decision was made to build a Teen Center. The residents of Tenafly, old and young along with the Youth Service Advisory Board, the Mayor and Council, and many other borough departments join together to raise over $100,000.00 to achieve this goal.

Today, the building that you see is due to the incredible dedication and work of the people of Tenafly. This remarkable and irreplaceable service that the Borough offers its middle and high school aged residents depicts our mission statement of “Your fun and save home away from home, where you can enjoy your friends and your friendships in a nonstructural social recreational atmosphere.”

Many parents from other towns registering their children for the Teen Summer Camp and/or those that attended activities being held on the municipal field have been in awe of the Youth Center. They have said that they wish their towns had a similar facility but more frequently stated that their towns need one.

The uniqueness of the program is that the middle and high school aged residents want to be here. The Youth Center is a DROP-IN-CENTER, not a drop off center. The difference is at a Drop-In-Center the students can come and go as they please. In a Drop-Off-Center, the students are not permitted to leave without being signed out by a parent/guardian.

Tiger Teen Summer Camp  

Since 1999, the Department of Youth Services (aka Youth Center) has been hosting a teen summer camp for both residents and non-residents that are entering 6th – 10th grades.  The Teen Summer Camp runs from 9:00am to 3:00pm for six weeks, usually starting the Monday after the last day of school and running until the first week in August.  Although the camp’s location is the Youth Center, when not on a trip, the campers are outside weather permitting. 

A big attraction for our campers are our field trips to such locations as  American Dream Waterpark, Supercharged Entertainment, Time Mission, Defy Trampoline Park just to name a few. 

Tiger Teen Camp Staff (Summer)

Chris Rapp, Camp Director

Vinny Cuozzo, Assistant Camp Director

Angel Dominguez, Instructor


Teen Camp Information Flyer-Summer 2025

FOR: Grades 6th-10th 

Sports, games, field trips, events and more!

Camp will be held at the Tenafly Teen Center

June 23rd-August 1st ~ 9:00 am-3:00 pm (No camp on Friday, July 4th)

Resident Fee: $750    Non-resident Fee: $1,125  Municipal Pool/Recky's & Teen Camp Promotion Information

Pool Membership/Recky’s Camp Bundle-$150 savings!

*Register for a Pool membership and receive $150 off your Recky’s Camp registration (offer ends 2/28)

REGISTRATION OPENS FEBRUARY 15th @: https://register.communitypass.net/tenafly