Camps, athletic leagues look to keep kids busy this summer in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – As school winds down, it’s probably time to start thinking about summer camps for the kids.
The Kansas City Parks and Rec. Department said it offers cost-friends, fun camps that keep kids learning during the summer months.
Students are scooting into summer fast.
Jessica Packard said KCMO Parks and Rec has families covered with summer camps at six locations across the Kansas City.
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Packard said student learn through play, capturing their curiosity.
“Really important,” Packard said, “that builds their critical thinking skills, that builds teamwork, leadership, all of those kinds of greater skills.”
Packard is in charge of bowling, arts and crafts and the rock wall at the Tony Aguirre Community Center.
Traditional Camp is from 7:30a.m.-5:30p.m. Monday through Friday.
It’s $100 a week. Packard said when you have more than one child, that gets you 10% off.
They also take field trips to the pool and library.
“I love books,” Tess Coggins’ said.
That’s the 6-year-old’s favorite day.
“In summer camp we get to go on field trips and learn about animals and learn about space and stuff like that,” Tess said.
Packard said camps run June 3 through Aug. 9. Traditional camp is for kids ages 6-13.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said summer camps currently have 300 kids enrolled.
“I think it is the difference maker in how a kid succeeds or not,” Lucas said.
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New this year, the city’s offering two teen camps for ages 12-15 at Kansas City North and Mary Williams Near Community Centers.
With the recent violence involving young people in Kansas City, Lucas said involvement in positive programs is key.
“I think the reality we’ve seen is that we have younger and younger assailants and victims in a lot of our criminal activity in our city. A big way that I think we need to try to reverse that is giving them engagement at ages like 12, 13, 14, 15 and beyond and say, ‘Look, we care about you, we have activities for you’,” Lucas said. “This city has invested in these things and so, we think that is a vital part of our whole system.”
The Kansas City Police Department is also offering a program that it believes is changing lives.
The Police Athletic League is seeing a record number of kids walk through their doors, with more than a hundred in one night recently.
PAL is gearing up for summer, hoping to see even more kids on the football or soccer fields, aiming to build bridges and better the community.
“I think it’s a wonderful place for these kids to come and be safe,” Sgt. Johnita Harris said, “and get the support they need.”
Harris said PAL offers flag football, baseball, softball, pickleball, soccer and boxing.
Officers team up with kids ages 8-18 – creating a positive interaction between youth and the police department in Kansas City.
Harris said believes organizations like PAL could help steer youth away from a bad path.
“When we talk about those positive interactions that we’re able to have with youth in the community, we’re also talking about how we get them from maybe a place of violence to a place where they have more peace,” Harris said, “and they’re going to get that through those interactions in the mentoring and the character building. When we’re talking about conflict resolution, and we’re talking about drugs, or the absence thereof in their lives, or just how to deal with conflict as it comes. So, I think when it comes to violence, and an impact on violence the PAL center is a viable option for all parents and anybody coming through Kansas City.”
She said last month, they had almost 80 kids every day. Since 2020, police said enrollment is up nearly 260%.
The fun runs from 3 p.m.-8 p.m.
Beyond sports, Harris said mentors lean into the tough conversations – offering support.
“I hear a lot of joy to be quite honest with you, to be quite honest with you, I see the reassurance in their face, when their coach is telling them they’re doing a great job, even in the hard conversations you’re seeing that, because they’re finding that there’s somebody that cares and is in it with them,” Harris said. “So, I think that their interactions with the officers and their responses have bee have been great, positive reactions.”
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Harris said three proud students will soon graduate from the boxing programs.
If your family would like to get involved, see here.
You can find more information on KCMO summer camps here.
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