For more information contact: Boonshoft School of Medicine, Judi Engle, Office of Public Relations, (937) 775-2951

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2003

Announcing a Day Camp for Children of Kinship Caregivers

DAYTON, OHIO––The Grandparents/Grandchildren Initiative with the Center for Healthy Communities is announcing the first Day Camp for Children in Kinship Care Families. The day camp will be held at the Dakota Center, 33 Barnett Street, Dayton, from July 28 through August 8, 2003, from 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m., for children age 7–12. With scholarship support, the cost will be $30.00 per child for the entire two-week session for the first 35 children who are registered; 15 additional children may attend for $55.00. There are a limited number of openings and registration is required. Registration begins May 19; to register call (937) 228-8961.

Activities for the day camp will include swimming, recreation, computer instruction, field trips, and community gardening. In addition, a newly developed curriculum, “Grand Ideas for Grand Kids,” will be taught. These lessons will lead children through discussions and activities focused around subjects such as All About Me, Families Are Special, Friendship, Anger, Fear, and Guilt.

For children to attend the day camp, caregivers commit to having the children attend the full day of camp every day unless there is an illness; and, they must provide transportation for the child to and from the camp; caregivers will attend a session on the first morning to learn more about the camp experience and the last afternoon to learn what the children accomplished.

Kinship caregivers are relatives who are raising children other than their own. It is estimated that grandparents and other kinship caregivers are raising more than 4.5 million children across the nation.

For more information about the Day Camp or Kinship Caregivers, contact Barbara Fuller, project coordinator for the Center for Healthy Communities at (937) 775-1116.

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