KAMSACK — A brand new summer play program for Kamsack children has kicked off.
The no-cost program is for children aged six to 12 to enjoy the summer vacation in fun activities while supervised by staff.
Fitz Shaw, Manager of Recreation & Community Development, said, “The kids choose what they want to do. The play leaders supervise, but they don’t lead.”
Staff members set up the activities for the day, which change day to day and week to week, but at its core the Summer Play Program is a child-led program.
“The core of the program is that it is an outdoor play program. Get the kids out of the house and off the screens and out into the community playing,” he said. “Especially with the six months of winter, when we get the warm weather, get outside of the house.”
Shaw, who started his position in November, said the program developed after researching and seeing what other communities were doing. “I realized that most communities had a play program for kids. In the past there have been summer camps but they’ve never had a free to play summer program.”
“We figured starting with the kids is where we can make a big impact in the community.”
Thanks to its sponsors and grants, the program has funding for the next three years. A condition of funding for the program was access to a wide variety of facilities in Town. This allows the kids to use “the entire community as a playground, not just the sportsgrounds, or the Broda Center but also the parks, the skatepark, open spaces where kids can run around and play.”
On Friday, July 10 the program had activities at the Kamsack Pool. The day before they were at the Kamsack Library, earlier in the week it was the sportsgrounds and the Broda Center.
The program is operated by a combination of staff and volunteers. The four permanent staff are Stacy Hilton, the Director, and Tara Taylor, Tiffany Saunders and Billy-Jean Schneider. The staff are assisted by six to eight volunteers, mainly teachers from the Victoria School or parents.
Sixty-five kids are registered with the program, although for the first week attendance hovered around 30 and 40. Ambur Hrooshkin, Community Development Officer at the Town, suspects that the attendance was due, in part, to “a lot of kids making up for swimming lessons that they missed” when heavy flooding hit Kamsack, and anticipates greater numbers as the program’s popularity increases over the course of the summer.
Luke Allen, 9, was enjoying playing baseball. “There’s a lot to do, it’s really fun, I’m with all my friends.” He “really likes” summer vacation so far, saying the best thing is “not having to wake up so early.”
Angie Malowan, a mom and volunteer, thinks the program “is really good because it can get kids together, and they can have fun together rather than just sitting at home all day.”
“That social part is key,” she said, “so it’s really good. It’s within the community, so they can build some friendships.”
