(Washington, DC) – Today, DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) Director Clark E. Ray announced that for the first time in the history of the agency over 10,000 youth are registered and actively participating in its summer camps. Currently, 10,458 participants are enrolled in camps operated by DPR throughout the District's eight wards.
“These impressive registration numbers speak for themselves and highlights our commitment to enhancing program offerings and increasing the promotion of these outstanding programs,” said Director Ray. “I salute the caregivers of all of our enrollees for choosing DPR summer camps and thank everyone at DPR for continuing to show through their hard work that it is a new day for our agency.”
The Little Explorers Camp for children ages 3 to 5, has experienced the most significant increase this summer. Demand for the 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 set by the agency. Moreover, Camp Riverview, DPR's overnight residential camp located on the shores of the Potomac River in Scotland, MD, is presently operating at 65 percent capacity; up 15 percent from last year.
According to newly-appointed manager of the Camp Central Office, Melissa DeGrafenreid, “DPR’s goal was to enroll 8,000 youth this summer; however, we have significantly surpassed that number by over thirty percent. Every day, our sites and the camping office continue to process new enrollments and scholarship requests.” DeGrafenreid believes that with two remaining camp sessions, the agency will total 12,000 participants for the 2008 summer camp season.
Additional DPR summer camps which superseded expectations are its Aqua Day Camp and Teen Camps. Teen Camps are no longer available for registration as that effort was conducted through DOES. The final weeks of summer still hold promise for those who which to participate in all variations of the agency’s Sports Camps as well as its Camp Discovery and Camp Riverview.
For more information: Contact DPR Camp Central at (202) 671-0295 or by email at: DPRcamps@dc.gov.
Media-Only Contact: John A. Stokes, (202) 673-2195
About DPR Summer Camps 2008
The agency’s Summer Camp 2008 Season began Monday, June 23 and continues until Friday, August 15. Its diverse array of exciting urban recreation and camping opportunities for youth ages 3 to17 include sports camps, aquatic camps, therapeutic camps, and other day camps. DPR also offers Discovery Camps for youth ages 6 to 13, and Little Explorers Camps for youth ages 3 to 5.
DPR has also partnered with the District Department of Employment Services to host a number of exciting Teen Career Camps. Before and After Care will be available at many camp locations from 8 am – 9 am and 5 pm – 6 pm.
About DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR)
The DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) presents quality urban recreation and leisure services to residents and visitors to the District of Columbia. The agency supervises and maintains area parks, community facilities, and neighborhood recreation centers as well as coordinates a wide variety of programs including sports leagues, youth development, therapeutic recreation, aquatic programming, outdoor adventure, camping, child care services, and senior citizen activities. Adaptive programs and facilities are available for persons with disabilities.