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Home My WebLink AboutCSD-14-02 . , Cl~-llJ-glOn REPORT COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT Report #: General Purpose and Administration Committee October 07,2002 Resolution #.tJlfi- ,f)-o). CSD-14-02 File #: Pf{ By-law #: Meeting: Date: Subject: SUMMER DAY CAMP PROGRAM 2002 Recommendations: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report No. CSD-14-02 be received for information: Submitted by: Jo Di ~'" f-a.. cz Q---,~ Reviewed b~ ' Franklin Wu Chief Administrative Officer h P. Caruana ctor of Community Services JPC/BT/SC 1004 REPORT NO. CSD-14"()2 PAGE 2 1.0 1.1 1.2 2.0 2.1 BACKGROUND For the past number of years, th Community Services Department has provided a Summer Day Camp program for our residents. Previously the program was offered at Courtice Community Complex, Rickard Recreation Complex and in 2001 was introduced at the N wcastle Arena. This year the program was expanded to include a camp at e Orono Town Hall, a mobile Day Camp which was scheduled at four locations, a Skateboard Camp at various locations and a one week Drama Camp at Rickatd Recreation Complex. . The Summer Day Camp progra~ is advertised in the Community Activity Guide and local newspapers. Banne~s were erected at Haydon Community Hall, Kendall C.C., Darlington Arena, I Newcastle Arena and Orono Pool. Flyers were distributed to all elementary a ed students through the Public and Catholic School boards, mailed to all of I st years' registrants and also distributed door to door in certain areas. In addit n, staff promoted the program at community events such as the Orono Tract r Pull, Tyrone Spirit Day, Kendall Spirit Day and community meetings. Registrat on for the camps began upon receipt of the activity guide and continued thro ghoul the spring and summer. SUMMER DAY CAMP Twenty-eight students were ~mployed in Day Camps this summer as Supervisors and Counsellors. f'1I staff was required to be certified in First Aid and CPR. In addition they rec ived training in leadership development, team building, child abuse, prog m planning, behaviour management and administrative responsibilities a ong other things. Staff meetings were also held weekly throughout the summer 0 review issues and update staff. The staff was very dedicated and committe to children and brought a wide range of knowledge, excitement and exp riences to the program. 2.2 , i The Courtice Complex locati01 utilized the multi-purpose room, pool, tot pool, library and outside green spac . At the Rickard Recreation complex the areas used were the multi-purpose rooms, arena floor space, ice surface, ball diamonds and green space. The Newcastle day camp worked around the ongoing construction and utiliZl the arena floor and the green space around the arena. Staff also accessed the ewcastle Public Library and the Newcastle Lions Pool as part of their program. he Orono day camp had excellent facilities at the Orono Town Hall and the nearb Orono Park. , Participants were able to regist~r for weekly sessions with a total of eight weeks of programming available at thJ Courtice, Rickard, Newcastle, Orono and Mobile I Day Camps. The Drama ca~p was offered in week nine only at Rickard Recreation Complex. Despite f the increased promotional campaign and the new programs, registration did ot meet last year's totals. Registration was down I I 2.3 1005 REPORT NO. CSD-14-D2 PAGE 3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 3.0 3.1 at the established locations while!the new site at Orono and the mobile camp had disappointing numbers. ' In order to accommodate working parents, our extended hours service was provided again this year. Early ~rop off started at 7:30 a.m. and pick up ran as late as 5:30 p.m. We had i 352 children in our extended care program throughout the summer. i The campers were divided ini groups each week based on that weeks registration. This allowed us to ake better use of staff and to align the groups more appropriately based on th campers' age and maturity level. The weekly program revolved around a cent I theme with daily activities and special events catering to the theme. Themes inCluded "Outdoor Extravaganza, Sports of Every Sort, Time Warp, Animal Planet, i'Lights, Camera, Action', Crazy Careers, Up in the Sky, and lastly, Friendship ~nd Memories. Some of the more memorable special events included a Camp ICarnival, a Crazy Careers Day which involved repres entatives from the police, f' Ire, paramedics, block parents and the health department and a Mini Olympic . The Up in the Sky special event included a demonstration on kite making b an expert followed by the opportunity for all campers to make and fly their ow kites. This summer, participants were lffered several trips during the camp that were tied into the theme of the week f~r the program. A conscious effort was made to focus the trips on local attractio~s and minimize travel time. Trips included the Bowmanville Zoo, Doc Ville, Cullen Gardens and North End Bowl as well as trips to the local pools and skating. The annual end of summer "Da~ Camp Reunion" was hosted for all participants and their families at Rickard Rec reation Complex on the evening of August 22. Staff treated guests to a barbequl , games, skits and songs. Despite the threat of rain, spirits were high and many children and their families enjoyed the numerous activities. Many thanks go to 01 r community partners who contributed to the success of this event includir g Tim's Rentals, M&M Meats, McDonalds Restaurants, Durham Regional I olice and the Clarington Emergency Services Department. i I I NEW INITIATIVES i ! In an effort to boast enrolment I at the Orono Camp and to provide a camp experience to young campers i~pacted by the labour dispute in the City of Toronto, a program was develop~d to transport participants from the city to the Orono camp. Campers were pic~d up each morning at a Scarborough location and returned there in aftemoon., We were able to offer this program without incurring any added expense arid while only two campers registered, we did receive favourable publicity in the press and very positive feedback from the participants. 1006 I REPORT NO. CSD-14-02 PAGE 4 3.2 , The mobile day camp was a newlconcePt that was offered this year in an effort to take the program to some of ;the smaller outlying communities. As it was acknowledged that these comm nities could not sustain an eight-week program due to their smaller catchments, the program rotated between Darlington Sports Centre, Kendall Community C ntre, Tyrone Community Hall, and Haydon Community Hall in one-week cy les. In spite of our best efforts this program did not attract the local communities nd will be reviewed for next year. i , The Skateboard Camp was a ded this year to provide an opportunity for skateboard enthusiasts to h ne their skills and learn safe, respectful skateboarding. The camp took dvantage of a traditionally slow time period for the mobile skateboard staff, m rnings from 9:00am to noon, providing fifteen hours of instruction each week. amp locations included the Clarington Fitness Centre, Courtice Community Ce tre, Newcastle Lions Pool, Orono Fair Grounds, and Darlington Arena. This pro am was extremely successful, selling out each week including an extra ninth we k which was added to meet demand. 3.3 3.4 , , The Drama Camp was a oneieek program offered in partnership with The Drama Club. Campers receive training in acting, voice projection, character development, singing and danci g. The highlight was the production staged at the end of the week in which thE! campers had the opportunity to showcase their newfound talents. This popular program also sold out. A fall program will be offered on Saturday mornings starting October 5TH. Totals 2002 2001 107 128 159 192 173 184 146 177 139 188 116 165 196 180 151 173 50 90 40 1237 1387 Jul 2-5 CAMP Jul 8-12 CAMP Jul CAMP Jul CAMP CAMP Au CAMP Au CAMP Au CAMP Au CAMP Totals 373 523 539 20 31 144 189 1007 . . REPORT NO. CSD.14-o2 PAGE 5 4.0 CONCLUSION 4.1 The Community Services Department is committed. to providing the residents of the Municipality of Clarington a safe and innovative program during the summer. While the new camp locations at Orono and the Mobile program did not achieve target registrations they did reach out to underserved communities and will provide a foundation for future potential programs. The Skateboard and Drama camps proved to be very successful, exceeding registration targets, and may indicate the community is ready for more specialty programs to augment our traditional camp program. Staff are currently reviewing the 2002 Summer Day Camp program and will strive to develop the appropriate program to meet the varied needs of our community. , CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPAlITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L 1 C 3A6 T (905) 623-3379 F (905) 623-5506 1008