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Home My WebLink AboutCSD-04-05 Cl~illgron REPORT COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT Date: General Purpose and Administration Committee April 11 , 200S Resolution #: (/1) '175'-0'0- Meeting: Report #: CSD-04-0S File#: By-law #: Subject: 2005 MARCH BREAK EXTRAVAGANZA Recommendations: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report CSD-04-05 be received for information, Submitted by: J seph p, Caruana rector of Community Services Reviewed bQ~~ Franklin Wu Chief Administrative Officer JPC/BT/SM/jm CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L 1C 3A6 T (905)623-3379 F (905)623-5506 REPORT NO.: CSD-04-0S PAGE 2 1,0 BACKGROUND 1.1 For the 22nd consecutive year the Municipality of Clarington offered a March Break program to its residents. This year's version of the March Break Extravaganza included Day Camps at Rickard Recreation Complex and Courtice Community Complex for 4 -12 year olds; a Trip Camp for 8 -14 year olds which picked up participants at both locations, and new this year, we offered a Sports Camp for 8-14 year olds at the South Courtice Arena, 1,2 Interested camp participants had the convenience of registering for an entire week or by the day, which allowed parents to mix and match between day camp, sport camp and trip camp, developing their own customized camp experience, 1,3 Program promotional flyers and registration forms were distributed in the Winter and the Spring editions of the Community Guide and also distributed through the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, In addition, a letter was sent to all Summer Day Camp participants at the end of August 2004 promoting upcoming programs including the March Break Extravaganza, Extensive use was made of Page 2 in the Canadian Statesman, As well, several banners were placed throughout the community centres promoting the camps, 1.4 Although the core hours of the program were from 8:30 - 4:30, an extended hours service was provided by the Department to allow working parents to drop their children off at each Complex as early as 7:30 a,m, and pick them up as late as 5:30 p.m, each day, Program staff was scheduled to provide on-site supervision of children accessing this service, Parents and caregivers found this service extremely helpful during the week as it was accessed on 150 occasions, 1,5 By offering the two day camps, sport camp and the trip camp, a total of 22 job opportunities were created for youth, all of whom are candidates for future employment in our Summer Day Camp Program, The March Break Camp had a total of 16 returning staff and 6 new staff, To assist in the hiring process this year, the department held a pre-selection night for new potential staff, Applicants who demonstrated qualities of leadership, and were certified in Standard First Aid and CPR were invited to the evening in which they were briefed on the camp program, philosophy and the expectations the department would have of them as counsellors, In addition each applicant was required to come prepared to teach a game or song to the rest of the group, This process allowed the department to assess the interpersonal, communication and leadership skills and abilities of potential staff, Applicants who displayed the appropriate skills were then invited back for an interview, This process proved to be beneficial to the hiring process, The quality of the applicants was exceptional this year, creating a pleasant dilemma in regards to hiring, 1.6 Successful staff attended two training sessions prior to camp, This year the camp staff had the opportunity of attending the new CSI Training session provided by our Customer Service team, This session was found to be very informative and a useful tool for our staff, The camp staff team proved to be of a REPORT NO.: CSD-04-0S PAGE 3 good mix of experienced and new staff with everyone bringing their own skills and expertise to the program, With the leadership experience the new staff gained during March Break Camp and the large number of returning staff; the department has a strong foundation for an excellent team for the summer camp program, In addition, the community has benefited through the development of some excellent positive young role models, 2,0 DAY CAMP 2,1 The March Break Day Camp operated at the Garnet B, Rickard Recreation Complex, and the Courtice Community Complex, Each day had a theme and participants took part in a variety of activities including arts & crafts, games and special events planned around the theme, as well as swimming and skating, The feedback from parents and participants confirmed that the program was well organized and full of activities to keep everyone busy, 2,2 A comparison for 2004 and 2005 Day Camp participation is recorded on the table below, Registration at the Rickard Camp experienced growth over last year; however the Courtice Camp registration was down slightly, 2004 2005 Courtice Rickard Total Courtice Rickard Total Complex Comolex Complex Complex MONDAY 46 36 82 40 43 83 TUESDAY 52 44 96 44 43 87 WEDNESDAY 50 42 92 46 46 92 THURSDAY 53 43 96 50 45 95 FRIDAY 48 36 84 52 45 97 249 201 450 232 222 454 TOTAL 3,0 DAY TRIPS 3,1 As with the Day Camp Program, interested participants could choose to participate in these activities for either the full week or on a daily basis, Staff chose destinations, which provided a safe, enjoyable atmosphere for all of the participants, as well as a mix of local and non-local attractions: Monday: Kids Zone Laser Tag & Chuck E Cheese Tuesday: Air Zone & Roller Gardens Wednesday: Tubing at Lakeridge Ski Resort Thursday: CN Tower & Hockey Hall of Fame Friday: Putting Edge & Cineplex Odeon Theatres 3,2 The trip to Lakeridge Ski Resort was a definite favorite of the campers, It was a beautiful day, which made for some crowded hills however it was still a great experience for all, REPORT NO.: CSD-04-05 PAGE 4 3.3 Participants had the option of choosing Courtice CC or Rickard RC as their pick up and drop off location, Parents were also able to access the extended hours services at either location, if required, 3.4 The registered participation in the trip camp program is recorded on the table below, To ensure the safety of each child, the maximum number of campers was capped at 40 this year, to ensure an 8:1 camper-counsellor ratio and to ensure that everyone had a seat on the bus, 2004 2005 Courtice Rickard Total Courtice Rickard Total Comolex Complex Complex Comolex MONDAY 28 12 40 21 19 40 TUESDAY 28 12 40 21 19 40 WEDNESDAY 29 11 40 21 19 40 THURSDAY 27 13 40 22 18 40 FRIDAY 28 12 40 22 18 40 140 59 200 107 93 200 TOTAL 4,0 SPORTS CAMP 4,1 This year the Municipality offered a Sports Camp for 8-14 year olds at South Courtice Arena. As with the other camps, participants had the option of registering for individual days or for the entire week, Each day had a sports related theme and participants took part in a variety of activities including tournaments, special events, swimming, skating and a trip to the Bowmanville Indoor Soccer Centre, The feedback from parents and participants confirmed that the program was well organized and full of activities to keep everyone busy. 4,2 Below is a table detailing the registration numbers for the week at Sports Camp, The maximum number of campers for this location was 25, With this being the first year that such a camp was offered the number of participants is encouraging and should only improve for the summer camp program, 2005 South Courtice Arena MONDAY 22 TUESDAY 23 WEDNESDAY 20 THURSDAY 20 FRIDAY 19 104 TOTAL REPORT NO.: CSD-04-05 PAGE 5 5,0 COMMENTS 5,1 The Community Services Department was able to offer a varied, safe and exciting program for our local residents, This year proved to be one of the best March Break Camps the department has offered, The part time staff were exceptional, well organized, enthusiastic and dedicated, They constantly displayed excellent customer service skills, which tended to alleviate any potential incidents and issues, 5,2 A March Break review was held with staff the week after camp, Each camp supervisor and counsellor was given five minutes to provide their evaluation of their March Break experience, Topics ranged from staff selection, to training, the facility, program, teamwork and camp specials, Much lively discussion ensued and many new and unique ideas were discussed to improve our future camp programs, 5.3 The program will continue to accommodate as many individuals in the Municipality of Clarington as possible, The department continues to revise and improve the program each year, achieving the underlying goal of providing a quality program at a reasonable fee,