Northeast Ohio camps partner with government programs to make summer fun financially accessible for all families 

When the final school bell rings for summer vacation, children jump for joy at the anticipation of summer fun. Their working-class parents, however, are faced with a stressful decision — where should they send them during the day?

There is no shortage of summer camp opportunities in Cleveland, but that option can get expensive for working-class parents who need childcare from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. or later. Finding a program that suits their needs, is fun for the child and is affordable may be easier said than done. 

Urban economics professor Kuzey Yilmaz from Cleveland State University, said that the need of the low-income or working Cleveland community is to have access to affordable summer child care that still offers fun opportunities to learn and to be a kid, but the competition for spots in the camps causes tuition to increase. 

“In the summer, working parents struggle to find affordable child care because there are limited options,” Yilmaz said. “There is a high demand for these limited options, and the competition results in these options being expensive.”

In an attempt to address this need, popular local summer camps are offering discounts and scholarships for students who need financial aid this summer in an attempt to keep programming financially accessible to all members of the community. According to Yilmaz, this can be done through state-level government partnerships, which helps parents who struggle with affordability. 

“Cleveland is one of the most affordable metropolitan areas in the U.S. There are many working low- and middle-income families in Cleveland, and some of them will struggle more with child care affordability no matter what,” Yilmaz said. “I would recommend subsidizing summer camps by local governments or the state. A partnership between the state and firms is needed.”

One camp that partners with government programs is Camp Curiosity at the Great Lakes Science Center. President and CEO Kirsten Ellenbogen says that working with programs, such as OhioRISE and North East Ohio Network, allows them to reach families with financial needs to offer them access to the camps through scholarships and external funding. 

“A lot of what we’re doing is partnering with different agencies to make sure that for a family that has financial needs, the program that they’re already in is the program that is giving them access to the science center,” Ellenbogen said. “We want to make this as streamlined as possible for families.” 

One week at Camp Curiosity costs $330 per week, and offers stacked discounts and additional scholarships, which is a simple process for families looking to apply, said Ellenbogen. She also, however, acknowledges the community’s needs for financial assistance beyond their reach. 

“We know that there are more families that need programming than we can provide,” Ellenbogen said. “It’s why we keep partnering. When we find there are more families in need, we work to find other supporters to make programs possible.” 

Camp Curiosity is not the only summer camp utilizing these partnerships either. The Cleveland Metroparks offer a wide-ranging catalog of summer camps, many of which partner with SNAP, Medicaid and the National School Lunch Program to offer financial assistance to families in need. 

In order for families to receive these scholarships or funding for the Cleveland Metroparks summer camps, they must show proof of enrollment or eligibility for public financial assistance. Without financial assistance, camps at the Metroparks range anywhere between $25 for a day camp to $575 for three-week camps. 

Scholarships for Outdoor Experiences summer camps are open through April 15. The Outdoor Experiences Division reserves 10% of camp spots from general registration for scholarship campers. 

All of these camps that rely on government assistance programs to help aid and fund their scholarships represent a larger system at play. According to Ellenbogen, the city needs this assistance so that they can continue to keep summer opportunities accessible to all children, regardless of financial welfare. 

“In Cleveland, there are a lot of people and organizations that will come together to help children and families in need,” Ellenbogen said. “And we do it well together.”