Richmond Parks reports JUCO summer camps served about 400 children, expands special-needs program

Christy, community recreation staff, told the Richmond Parks and Recreation Board that this summer’s JUCO program enrolled more than 400 children across four sites and several specialty programs.

The camps ran June 2 through July 11 for incoming grades 1–6 at Vail Elementary School, Springwood Park, Glen Miller Park and Mary Scott Park. Christy said Glen Miller and Springwood each had about 98 and 88 campers respectively, Vail had 32 and Mary Scott had 95. Little JUCO (ages 3–5) enrolled 85 children, and JUCO Rocks, the all-abilities program, enrolled 17 — the largest number for that program since staff began tracking it.

Board members were told the program is heavily used by households with annual incomes in the $26,000–$50,000 range; staff said more than 80% of participating households fall in that band, which they cited as evidence the program provides access to supervised childcare and recreation that some families might not otherwise afford.

Christy credited partnerships for the program’s offerings: Richmond Schools provided space at Vail Elementary; the Joseph Moore Museum, Hayes Arboretum and Wayne County 4‑H Fair hosted field trips; the USDA free lunch program supplied daily lunches; and Reed Community Health provided grant funding and life‑skills trainings for junior counselors. Christy said the Reed partnership let staff provide training on heat safety, healthy eating and water safety to junior counselors, who then presented those topics to younger campers.

Christy described some program changes for 2025: JUCO Rocks was expanded from one to two weeks after demand grew, and staff added a JUCO coordinator, Courtney Collins, to support daily operations. She said the first-part total enrollment for JUCO camp sites exceeded 313 campers and that, overall, the summer served “over 400 kids.”

Christy also summarized special events and wrap-up activities: pool visits twice weekly for the main camp, a closing carnival at Glen Miller Park with games and contests, and local partner appearances from Richmond Fire and Police departments and other civic groups. She said staff are already working to boost Vail site enrollment next year by coordinating earlier outreach with a returning JUCO counselor who is now a Vail teacher.

Board members asked about low attendance at Vail and next steps; Christy said staff will coordinate outreach with the Vail teacher and consider surveying families to identify barriers.

Christy thanked grant partners and donors that supported scholarships, field trips and the JUCO Rocks program. No formal vote was required for the report.