Summer isn’t always fun and games in South Florida—and not just because of the heat. The school year provides routine, structure, and an enriching environment for children to learn. Summer break complicates things. Children deserve to enjoy this time and have fun, but that doesn’t have to mean a complete disruption in their learning and development.
Achieving this balance is easier said than done. If, like most caregivers, you don’t get a summer break to spend with your children, you’ll need a solution that fits with your schedule. That’s likely to result in a search for “summer camps near me.” Your search is over now that you’ve discovered KID Inc.’s Summer Camp. During the summer vacation, we provide a fun, enriching environment for children ages 5 to 12 years old to continue learning while still enjoying a break from the rigors of the academic year.
We designed our camp around the needs of children and their caregivers, with convenient drop-off and pick-up times that fit right into your daily schedule. During our summer camps, children play their way through academic programs, social skills workshops, swimming lessons, and other activities. When you enroll your child in our summer camp or aftercare programs, you can enjoy the peace of mind that comes with knowing your child is in the perfect environment to grow this summer.
How KID’s Summer Camp Keeps Kids Engaged
For decades, the summer months have been the bane of teachers, school administrators, and concerned caregivers who fear that when children come back to school, the first few months will have to be spent reteaching the last month of the prior school year. This phenomenon, known as summer learning loss, can result in students declining in their math and reading skills over vacation.
According to one study, students on average lost 25-30% of their learning over the summer, with marginalized children like Black, Latino, and lower-income children bearing a greater share of learning loss. This decline isn’t random, nor is it inevitable. Some suggest that learning loss is greater for more marginalized groups because the resources they access during the school year are no longer available, and no additional resources become available.
KID Inc.’s educational programs change that equation. Our summer camps provide children with age-appropriate activities that foster their curiosity while building the skills they need to explore their interests in the academic year ahead. Children have the opportunity to imagine and create through arts and crafts, while also learning how to explore and express their emotions. In our cultural enrichment programs, children experience new cultures while learning to respect others.
Through all our summer camp programs, children continue to practice, grow, and develop their key math and reading skills through our academic programming. The academic program is interspersed between purely entertaining and fun activities because our summer camps aren’t meant to replicate the rigors of the school year but allow those academic skills to stay front-of-mind over the summer.
Affordable Summer Childcare Options in South Florida
Maybe you remember what your summer vacations were filled with—riding bikes, movies, video games, arcades, maybe even trips to the beach. It might’ve been loads of fun, and valuable life lessons might’ve been learned along the way. But today’s children, when left to their own devices, will end up on devices.
Screen time is on the rise, and even children who want to get outside and play might find it easier to simply hop on their tablet or TV for some entertainment. That choice can have far-reaching effects beyond the next school year. Studies show that excessive screen time can impair important social and developmental skills like understanding social cues and facial expressions.
So not only are unstructured summers unlikely to provide meaningful learning experiences for growing children, they can be actively harmful to their development. Between screens and an absence of resources, children can spend their summer without getting their needs met. Our kids deserve and demand something better, something that doesn’t get stuck in a binary choice between entertaining and educational.
Thankfully, there are summer programs for kids that can provide what children want and what caregivers need. KID Inc. summer camp is the only “summer camp near me” you need because it offers a structured program at an affordable rate. Our summer programs provide all the fun children are looking for and all the convenience and educational programs working families need.
Summer Camps Built for Kids
Central to our summer camp are the wants and needs of our participants. Our staff use their knowledge and skills to understand the varied interests and needs of children within our 5-12 year old range. While some core needs, like a level of independence, self-reliance, and trust, cut across all age groups, how we respond to these needs looks different.
The same goes for the interests and skills that these different groups possess. While common themes animate the 8 week summer program, the age groups experience them through appropriate activities that challenge and inspire. We also find opportunities for the children to share their knowledge with one another and build connections. Being able to make, foster, and maintain these connections are all skills a summer camp for kids should promote. It’s also something that apps and screens can’t accomplish.
KPP: Summer Care for Kids That Prepares
While our summer camp serves children ages 5 to 12 years old, our KID Preschool Plus (KPP), provides full-time care for children just 6 weeks to 5 years old. This certified Gold Seal Quality Care Program embraces the Creative Curriculum to support healthy childhood development. Like our summer camp, we built the program to understand and respond to children’s needs with educational and exciting programs.
Children in the KPP program can explore their interests with support and guidance from experienced staff members. Kids learn through play in a safe, supportive environment equipped with soft rubber flooring and a fully gated, locked space. All the while, children develop the communication, emotional, and motor skills they’ll need not just in school but throughout life.
The program also provides new opportunities to children that might not otherwise have them. In the afternoons, children ages 3-5 can have some of their first experiences with science and the arts through our STEAM curriculum with the ECHOS program. Children ages 2-3 can also learn and develop an appreciation for mindful exercise through weekly yoga sessions. And all children can enrich their lives through music and movement classes provided by the Florida Youth Orchestra.
Additionally, children in KPP can participate in the voluntary pre-kindergarten program (VPK) entirely for free. From 9am to 12pm daily, children involved in the program enjoy quality teaching experiences up to Florida standards before they start the school year. There’s even additional aftercare from 12 pm to 5 pm, so parents and caregivers have affordable summer childcare for their children.
Why KID’s Summer Camp is More Than Childcare
Children have needs as complex and varied as adults, but they’re still learning how to express them. As a result, we can sometimes reduce their needs to just what we believe they need—like supervision. While that may be all that’s on offer from other childcare programs, it’s just the start of what we provide at KID Summer Camp.
Our Summer Camps Develop Socio-Emotional Skills
One of the less talked about benefits of enrolling children in summer camps is the opportunity to develop socio-emotional skills like the ability to make friendships and become more self-efficacious., Children discover their independence at our summer camp because our camp staff are there to support and nurture rather than merely supervise. When children are in a quality camp environment like this, they can become more socially aware and more willing to try new things. Children become more aware of their ability to make choices, discover new interests, and follow those interests wherever they may lead.
Kids Learn in Our Summer Programs
Education is a central pillar of our summer programs for kids. We provide educational resources to children who would otherwise lose access so we can stave off summer learning loss. The very children who’d otherwise be at-risk of dropping off or one day dropping out, can instead find themselves at the top of their class.
Health & Safety are Paramount
Finally, our programs also provide just as much time for fun without sacrificing health and safety. Our gated and secured environment gives children the absolute freedom they need to run, jump, and explore, without risk. It also provides the more analytical side of their minds with a much needed break while keeping their social-emotional side activated. Our commitment to health goes beyond the fun and recreation we provide, to our meals and snacks. We provide breakfast, lunch, and snacks daily that meet the Child Care Food Program standards for nutrition.
Enroll Your Child in Our Summer Camp Today
Taken together, the decision to enroll your children in KID Inc.’s summer camp and preschool programs provides the structure, independence, education, and entertainment that growing children need in the summer. For more information on our camps, or to enroll your child, call (954) 390-7654, x1257. We also have winter break, spring break, and end of summer mini-camps available.