Limited Space In Haverford Kids Camp Prompts Parental Push

HAVERFORD TOWNSHIP, PA — Haverford Township's all-day summer camp for kids opened for registration recently.

Parents and guardians waited for registration to open at 8 a.m. with hopes of landing their kids coveted spots in the program.

And in just a few minutes' time, all those spaces were filled and the wait list exceeded 100 registrants.

Haverford Township resident and mother of two Liz Moss described the process to get a kid registered the "Hunger Games."

"To sign up, you have to elbow a grandma out of the way," she told Patch.

Moss said the all-day camp has 55 slots, and as of Wednesday last week there were 117 families on the wait list.

While the township offers partial day camps for kids in the summer, parents and guardians would like to see expanded full-day offerings.

"The program organizers are salt of the earth," Moss said. "They just don't have the resources."

Haverford Township Director of Parks and Recreation Brian Barrett said his department would love to provide more all-day programming, but there are barriers to doing so.

The issue is twofold, he told Patch: hiring adequate staff and and location.

Each year, the department hires between 100 to 120 season staffers for its programming.

And on top of that, the department brings in about 75 contractors that run camps that feature activities such as basketball, cooking, arts and more.

Those hires all require background checks from state and federal agencies, as well as child abuse clearances.

Then, those workers need to be managed, he said.

"Every time you hire 10 people, someone needs to manage them," Barrett said.

Then the issue of hosting the programs comes in.

For now, the all-day program is held at Manoa Elementary School.

"[The School District of Haverford Township] makes whatever they have available," he said regarding township provided kids' programming.

But this year, he said another location in the district was not available.

Patch has reached out to the district for information on its facilities' availability in the summer, but had not heard back by publication time.

Barrett said elementary schools are particularly perfect for kids programming, as they not only have cafeterias, bathrooms, gyms, and more; they also have playgrounds for kids to use.

Other programs are offered at parochial and private schools in the region, but Haverford's programming is relatively inexpensive compared to others, Barrett said.

Issues with sending kids to programs outside the township, Moss said, include shuttling kids to and from less-than-nearby facilities and spending money in other municipalities.

In a world where more and more families rely on two incomes, Moss said the transportation required for all-day programming is a major hurdle for parents and guardians.

"Anecdotally, people are willing to pay $50 to $100 more for something more convenient," she said.

Moss and other township parents and guardians have launched a Change.org petition in hopes of increasing more urgency in township officials.

"I am not trying to knock the hardworking civic leaders in Havertown, I am just trying to address the pressing and ever-growing need for additional resources for working families in the township," she said.

Barrett said he wishes his department could meet all the needs sought by parents and guardians in the community.

"The goal is to provide quality recreation summer programming," he said. "[Parents'] concerns are legitimate, and we will try to meet their concerns."

He said the department engages with the community and offers surveys to better understand the needs of the community.

"We have tried to meet some of the needs, I but don't know if we'll ever truly meet them," he said.

Moss's petition is available online here.

"The playground camps are lovely, but many working families cannot rely on them due to the unpredictability of the weather," the petition reads. "Without strong community support, parents are having to choose between their incomes and care for their children during the summer months."