Finding Solutions: Dream Academy’s free summer camp kicks off this week
GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - A free summer camp is set to kick off this week for first through fifth-grade Columbia County students.
The Dream Academy has been around since 2011 for students attending North Harlem Elementary and Euchee Creek Elementary.
The camp serves as a free after-school program for families that meet the financial requirements. We are told they still have space to enroll kids.
There are 50 slots available each school year, and we are told that they still have space to enroll kids.
They’re finding solutions in getting students ready for the next school year, while having some fun.
It’s a fun time over at the Dream Academy. During the school year, they serve as a free after-school program for first through fifth graders attending North Harlem and Euchee Creek elementary schools.
“A lot of these kids come from homes where their parents are working multiple jobs, both parents are out of the home so this is a great way to make sure these kids get a little extra help in school and compliments their school throughout the year, but then also in the summer giving them a lot of cultural experiences they may not have otherwise,” said Chaz Saltzman, development director, The Dream Academy.
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Saltzman says thanks to the community--they can provide these services.
“It’s so important and so special. Some of these families couldn’t afford daycare, after-school summer camp because we all know those things are unbelievably expensive, so this is a great way to provide that for free for them, but DHS helps fund some of it, but also the community, but we exist mostly on community ,” said Saltzman.
Director Betty Kelley says the summer camp curriculum will consist of math, english, arts and science - all to prepare them for the next school year.
“The thing is to make it a lot of fun. We don’t want them just sitting and not being engaged. We will also have a store that the children will run this summer and a bank,” said Kelley.
And they’re also bringing people in to talk to the kids, like Sean Poppy with the Savannah River Ecology Lab.
He says learning about wildlife is important and hopes the kids take a lot away from him being there.
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“Wildlife doesn’t want to harm us. All these animals are taking care of the environment, which helps to provide a healthy ecosystem for us to live in,” said Poppy.
Summer camp meets daily, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
They provide tutoring, math, English, arts and science classes, as well as physical activities.
Program organizers also say they are looking for people with different hobbies and careers to come in and talk to the kids.
The Dream Academy relies on donations to a lot of the programs and social activities they hold for the kids.
If you would like to learn more about how to sign your kid up, volunteer, or donate, visit https://cccc4kids.org/dream-academy.
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