School's out, the weather's hot and the kids need something to occupy their time. Consider starting a community summer day camp to provide children with activities, education and a place to go. Immensely popular, day camps quickly fill up with children wanting to take part. With a few basic steps, you can start one that will be the highlight of the summer.
Instructions
1. Find a location big enough to host your day camp. You will need plenty of outside room to run and play games, but you also need bathroom facilities and an indoor area in case of inclement weather. A public park, with permission from the city leaders makes a good low-cost spot if there is a building where you can bring the children inside.
2. Hire assistants to work with the day-campers, lead activities, monitor playtime and enforce the rules. Subject all employees that will be working closely with children to a background check. If you are serving as an extension of a local recreation commission, they are responsible for this action.
3. Determine the fees for the camp. Unless you're running the camp to make a profit, you should keep the fees as low as possible to allow more children to participate. Consider asking for supplemental funding from your local recreation commission or YMCA or YWCA (Young Men's or Young Women's Christian Association).
4. Decide on a daily schedule. When the camp is up and running, you will need a strict plan of action to keep the kids from getting restless. Except for free playtimes, plan daily activities carefully. Structure is necessary to maintain order.
5. Hold a parent's meeting before the summer day damp starts. Hand out informational sheets, detailing the activities, rules and your plan of action for discipline. Ask for parental support in making their children aware of the camp guidelines before they start. Provide a sign-up sheet for bringing refreshments to an end-of-camp party.
Tags: local recreation, local recreation commission, plan action, recreation commission, that will, will need