Summer Camps…Reimagined By: Allyson All, CPRP, Program Manager – Children’s Programs Division, City of North Charleston Recreation It’s no secret that times have certainly changed around the world. With COVID-19 on the rise, Parks and Recreation professionals had to get creative when it came to planning summer camp. The City of North Charleston Recreation Department was certainly no different. In a typical summer, our department manages 19 summer camp locations, providing over 750 children with exhilarating field trips, pool days, and much more fun. As you can imagine, it takes months of planning to make summer camp an experience that lasts a lifetime. Although the future of our recreation programs remained uncertain, with businesses opening back up, we were challenged by our elected officials to find a way to allow parents an opportunity to return to work while knowing their children were safe. After working closely with city officials and routinely monitoring trends and updated guidance from our healthcare professionals, we chose to move forward with a modified version of summer camp. With the safety of our staff and participants as our top priority, our staff worked tirelessly to create procedures and develop modifications to ensure summer camp was able to operate as safely as possible. Staff participated in SCRPA Online Programming Socials, as well as served on the SCRPA Summer Camp Best Practices Committee, ensuring we were following CDC guidelines while providing an overall exciting experience for kids.
In order to efficiently run camp while adhering to building capacity and social distancing limitations, we reduced our summer camp to nine locations with a total of 150 registered campers. Campers were assigned to small groups of no more than ten individuals, interacting only with that small group while remaining socially distanced from all other camp groups. Groups were assigned to a specific location of the building and tape was used on the floor to clearly identify those areas. Camper drop-off and pick-up took place outside of the building while parents remained in their vehicle. Campers’ temperatures were taken before they could exit their vehicles and again at lunch time. In addition, all campers were provided with a personal package of art supplies (crayons, markers, scissors, glue, etc.) to be used during camp to eliminate shared use. While field trips and off-site visits were canceled, that didn’t stop the summer camp fun! Our Cultural Arts Department worked to provide weekly instructional activities at every summer camp location. These activities took place outdoors and included dance, arts and crafts, visual arts, and much more. Our Fire and Police Departments facilitated drive-by parades featuring enormous fire engines and roaring police sirens, while our staff and campers cheered them on. Our summer camp staff worked hard to create and modify games and activities that provided campers with positive experiences and enrichment. Overall, the key to success this summer was the ability to adapt to challenges and to work together as a city to make necessary adjustments, all while continuously communicating with city officials, camp staff, and participant families. While it certainly was not easy, the smile on each child’s face made it worth it!
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