Bethlehem Central School District officials are looking to continue a summer enrichment camp for a second year after interest in the two-week program was greater than expected.
The district began the camp last year as an alternative option for parents who may find area summer camps too expensive and for children who may be too old for day care. Teachers were asked to be instructors for the program and a variety of classes in different fields were offered.
Elementary school teachers Laurel Jones and Peg Warner took charge of the project as a part of their administrative internship. They presented their findings to the Board of Education at a meeting in September.
“It was a really big success,” said Warner. “We weren’t even sure how many kids would end up enrolling but we had 148 students in enrichment camp over the two weeks.”
Parents were able to enroll their children in camp for one or two weeks, and were also given full- or half-day options. In total, nine students attended the program in its entirety while most opted for just one week of camp. The cost to enroll was $200 for a day and $120 for a half-day. Some programs included an additional supply fee. After care from 3 to 5 p.m. cost an additional $5.
“It wasn’t really utilized,” said Warner. “There were seven or eight kids every day and it’s an awful long time to then have to entertain them for an additional two hours. We would need some teenagers who have a little more energy after that to help facilitate after care.”
Twenty-nine courses were initially offered, but a majority were canceled because interest was low. In the end, 11 courses were offered from movie making and cooking to creative writing and sports, with more sections of those courses added to the schedule. The camp was open to those in grades three through eight.
Teachers and nurses on hand were paid $35 an hour and three interns were utilized for free. Additional supplies cost around $1,000. About $26,000 was collected in fees and altogether, the camp turned a profit of about $8,300.
“We’re excited because we were hoping to break even on this project and we ended up with a profit,” said Warner. “At this point we are trying to think of something really good to do with this money.”
Jones and Warner are looking to run the program again because they felt the community enjoyed an additional offering in which their children received additional guidance from their teachers. They are hoping to get information out earlier this year to get a better count of what courses will be offered and get a better handle on money collection.
Some of the profits may potentially be used to set up a scholarship fund for students who cannot afford to attend camp, instead of asking parent-teachers associations for those funds. It was also recommended that since the administrative internships are over, whoever coordinates the program next year should be paid.
“It was fun, but a lot of work,” said Jones.
Warner said another option would be to extend the program to offer classes to students in the high school, since many parents felt their older children would benefit from the classes. She didn’t feel it was wise to open the courses to students in lower grades because help is limited.
“We didn’t really hear anything negative,” said Warner. “Even the kids who were skeptical coming in, seemed to have a good time.”
Middle School Principal Mike Klugman said the impact to the school was minor and the when the students were in their courses, one could hardly tell they were in the building. He said the program has the potential to expand by a factor of two or three.
District Superintendent Tom Douglas commended Jones and Warner on their work.
“I have to admit you always worry about someone being lost in the shuffle, but the way you did it everyone was involved and it actually brought parents into the building,” he said. “You did a very nice job.”