It's a 'Summer of Safety,' and Campers Are in Full Force

Program Registers More Than 10,000

The D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation says its effort to involve more children in the city's summer camps program this year has been an "overwhelming success," with registrations surpassing 10,000 for the first time in the agency's history.

"It's absolutely gratifying," said Clark E. Ray, who was appointed director of the department last August. "We had a goal of about 8,500, 8,600 that we wanted for the camps this summer, and as of now, I think we're approaching 11,000 registrants."

John A. Stokes, a spokesman for the department, said it is difficult to determine how many youngsters are attending the 67 programs, most of them day camps, because the camps run in four two-week sessions throughout the summer and some children register for more than one session.

But with two sessions completed, Stokes said, the number of registrations is up from about 8,000 last year.

"It's all about a summer of safety," Ray said. "We want to make sure our youth have ample opportunities to participate in structured activities that will give them a meaningful summer experience, that will give them something to do other than just hang out."

With a $4 million budget for the programs, he said, the city runs "all kinds of day camps" at parks and recreation centers in the District for youngsters 3 to 17. "Sports camps, aquatic camps, therapeutic camps, Little Explorers camps -- you name it."

The department said in a statement that the biggest enrollment increase has been in the Little Explorers programs, for children 3 to 5. "Demand for this camp -- which is designed to stimulate a child's natural curiosity to explore activities that promote independence, peer interaction and decision-making -- doubled initial enrollment goals," the statement said.

Although the city charges a $75 fee for enrollment, Ray said, "I can promise you we do not turn anybody away. There are ample scholarship opportunities."

He attributed the increase to "better planning."

"First of all, I credit Mayor [Adrian M.] Fenty and his desire to see camping increase," Ray said. "He tasked me with that, asked me to get going on it earlier, to plan more efficiently, to really get the word out and promote our camping experience. And that's exactly what we did."

He said, "We did a lot of promoting on our Web site, we did it through the public schools and all our recreation centers, and we actually ran ads in the media for our summer camps."

As for next summer, Ray said: "Oh, man, we're going to keep at it. We're going to try to get bigger and stronger each year. We're going really promote this experience again -- earlier, better and stronger."