AIR DATE JUNE 2, 2022

Title: Summer Camps

School’s out! Time to find a fun camp for your children that will continue to sharpen their developmental skills.

Guests and Locations

Orlando Families, Parks and Recreation Department, Englewood Kidz Zone Manager – Alex Temes

O2BKids, Administrative Manager – Marissa Martinez

Summer Programs Turn Educational Opportunities into Fun Experiences

During the summer months, children can lose up to three months of academic gains from the previous year. According to the Summer Learning Association, 90% of teachers spend at least the first three weeks of the new school year re-teaching lessons from the previous one.

Alex Temes hopes to change that outcome for families in the Orlando area. For the past 14 years, she has worked for the city, and her current role is to lead the Englewood Kidz Zone. We spoke recently about the program she offers across 24 neighborhood center locations and middle schools.

“We’re bringing in certified teachers to implement project-based lesson plans, like STEAM and STEM, with related skill sets so that learning each week leads to culminating activity at the end of the session.”

Program opportunities include building rockets and similar activities that encourage a hands-on approach to learning. Temes notes that the City of Orlando has numerous partners, including the Orlando Magic and Orlando City Soccer, to work on different programs during the summer.

Cost Is the Primary Barrier for Many Families

The average household in the United States would spend about 5% of their total family income to engage their children in all the meaningful summer activities they wanted to try.

Marissa Martinez is the administrative manager of the O2B Kids Center in the Oviedo Mall. She recognizes the challenge that financing educational opportunities during the summer break can be for families.

“We do scholarships once a year,” Martinez told me. “We have a scholarship packed that families would fill out depending on the type they applied for to determine what they would receive for tuition.

O2B Kids offers programs for younger kids that are often excluded from the summer educational opportunities provided in each community. “We have a preschool,” said Martinez, “which is from six weeks up to five years old. On Saturdays, we have birthday parties and membership classes like dance, gymnastics, and technology.”

Martinez told me that their families get to pick what weeks they attend so that the educational opportunities match each child’s interests, but that many spend the entire ten weeks with them.

What Are the Benefits of Summer Camp Programs for Kids?

When I spoke with Alex, he was excited to point out that he is currently working in the neighborhood where he is establishing summer camp programs. “Think about what the pandemic and everything the kids have gone through,” he said, “and signs of depression… anxiety… because they have not had social interactions.”

Martinez told me that she wants kids to feel safe so that they can learn. “Every child is different,” she said. “Every family is different, so we make we do meet every parent’s school.” They have specialty classrooms, including a karate room, to help kids try something new.

More information about the summer program opportunities from the City of Orlando can be found at www.orlando.gov or on the city’s various social media platforms. O2B Kids has a Facebook page for each location, an Instagram account, and a website to connect with the organization and find when classes are scheduled.

Kids thrive when they stay active and engaged with fun learning lessons during the summer. Thanks to the hard work of Alex, Marissa, and others, there are lots of ways to reach that goal for each family in Orlando this year.