2024 Summer Camp Offerings and Registration Date Announced
The City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department will open registration for summer camps on Friday, February 2. Families can choose from dozens of camps for children ages 4-17, with topics including art, business, engineering, performing arts, sports, and water safety. Offerings include half-day and full-day camps and extended care options.
Registration opens online at 9:00 a.m. for Ceramics Camp, Nature Camp, and Junior Lifeguards and at noon for all other camps. This staggered timing is intended to reduce demand on the registration platform. Some camps are anticipated to fill on registration day, and parents and guardians are advised to set up their accounts in advance for the best registration experience.
“We’ve been offering youth camps since 1947, and it’s a legacy we’re really proud of,” said Adam Porte, Recreation Manager. “We strive to provide high-quality, affordable camp options for local families, and in 2023, we served almost 4,600 kids.”
This year, the Junior Counselor program, designed for teens ages 13-17, will return with no participation fee. Participants can earn volunteer service hours and develop and strengthen their leadership skills while assisting camp counselors with daily activities.
Parks and Recreation camps range from around $7 to $17 per hour, with most camps averaging between $10 and $12 per hour. Scholarships are available for eligible families to send children to camp at no cost. Scholarships are funded by donations made to the PARC Foundation and distributed through SBPAL’s Campership Alliance program. Families interested in scholarship options can learn more about eligibility requirements and how to apply at SBPAL.org/Campership-Alliance.
In addition to scholarships, the Parks and Recreation Department will continue to offer the Summer Fun program to provide seven weeks of free childcare to families unable to afford summer camp.
The Department’s Adapted Recreation program will provide inclusion services to ensure that children of all abilities can participate in camp. Trained inclusion staff will work with families to ensure campers with disabilities are accommodated based on their individual needs throughout their time at camp. “Families value these services because each child is accepted and respected regardless of their differences,” said Inclusion Coordinator, Julie Thomas. “We show participants that accepting our differences improves everyone’s recreation experience.”
Families can learn more about camp offerings, scholarships, and inclusion services at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/Camps