Agenda - 02-03-2009 - 7a - Laserfiche WebLink

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0 Attachment A "The Sun Fun summer camp provided a valuable and much appreciated service to a significant number of Orange County residents. As of 2008, many of those residents have been unable to locate an affordable alternative for their children. Families have been inconvenienced in a variety of ways, and some families have even had to leave their children in unsafe situations as a result of the cancellation of the camp. While the greatest amount of hardship was experienced by families that did not locate a replacement camp, most of the families that did find an alternative for 2008 were also negatively affected in some way by the cancellation of the camp. The majority of parents fervently stated that they would welcome the return of the Sun Fun summer camp." Staff with the Orange County Department of Social Services (DSS) distributed all of the special funding by July. They reported serving 23 children in the designated summer camp programs in addition to their normal state subsidy funding. Many inquiries were made as the summer progressed and after the funding was exhausted. (DSS letter-Attachment B) It is also important to note that front desk staff in both Parks and Recreation and Cooperative Extension reported receiving many calls from individuals voicing concern about their inability to get through or connect with the appropriate office in Social Services. Orange County Cooperative Extension staff reported as follows: "Orange County 4-H 2008 Summer Sizzle Day Camp program for rising 6th, 7th, and 8th graders is a program with a cost of$100.00 per week. Our program serviced ten campers from the funds designated by Orange County Commissioners due to the absence of the 2008 Recreation and Parks summer program. The total amount of expenditures used from the $10,000 designated funds was $1,000.00. We had over a dozen inquiries for additional camperships but unfortunately the funds were exhausted within the first two weeks of the summer program initiation.... Our agency was unable to service the elementary age population as our summer day camp program is geared to the middle school population." • Orange County Schools reported serving eight children in addition to the children that transition from OCS Afterschool Program into their Summer Camp. These eight children were referred and subsidized by DSS. Sportplex staff reported no change in their camp activity or enrollment from the previous year. In a letter to the BOCC last May, the Recreation and Parks Advisory Council (RPAC) stated that: "The benefits of participating in Recreation and Parks programs are endless; in addition, we believe that children learn through play. These benefits can be categorized into the following domains: physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and expressive. In addition, there are benefits for recreation and leisure development, benefits to professional staff and benefits to caregivers/parents/family. Some of the benefits children receive from direct participation in Summer Day Camp Programs include; reduction in cardiovascular/respiratory risk and childhood obesity, improvement in general physical motor functions, increases in self-esteem and self-concept, opportunities to develop positive social skills and lifelong friendships. In addition, there are benefits to the caregiver/family and the community; allowing caregivers to work, knowing that their children are in a safe and meaningful place; and providing a program to keep youth positively involved in the community. "