YMCA’s Camp Westwood outlines expanded after‑school care, field trips and day‑camp investments to Coventry School Committee

Representatives from the YMCA’s Camp Westwood told the Coventry School Committee that the camp has expanded its before‑ and after‑school care, field‑trip programming and day‑camp offerings and is seeking broader partnerships with Coventry Public Schools.

Camp Westwood director Oliver Regan and school‑age director Stephanie Gerard said the YMCA of Pawtucket’s Westwood site now provides licensed before‑ and after‑school care at multiple Coventry schools, runs field‑trip programs and operates an expanded day camp with new high‑ropes, water‑side features and kayaks. "My name is Oliver Regan. I'm the my fancy title, I think, is director of camping services," Regan said during the presentation. Gerard added, "I have a daughter in the school system, and I'm the school age director for Camp Westwood."

Why it matters: the Y is offering services that substitute for district‑run childcare and enrich school programming while promising sliding‑scale financial aid for families. School committee members asked about capacity, accessibility and cost, and Westwood provided specific enrollment and program details.

Westwood staff said the program is licensed and provides homework support, enrichment (STEM, arts and cooking), vacation‑week care, and evening family events run at or near district schools. Regan said the camp has invested about $2,000,000 in facility upgrades and equipment, expanded its activity catalog from about 25 to about 70 portable activities, and increased staff training: summer staff now do a minimum of roughly 40 hours of training. Gerard said the YMCA maintains a behavior‑management policy aligned with school expectations and provides financial assistance so programs remain accessible to families.

Committee members asked for enrollment details for district sites. Regan said 14 children attended at Washington Oak and about 26 at Western (before and/or after care) during the past year; an evening program at Western drew about 120 participants, and a recent vacation camp week enrolled about 30 children. Field trips to Camp Westwood are currently billed at $12 per child, Regan said, and the Y will work with schools and PTOs on fundraising options to reduce student costs.

The presenters described several partnership offerings: PTO babysitting (no direct cost to the PTA when YMCA staff are available), school evening events (music bingo, STEM nights), expanded field‑trip programming aligned to curricula, teacher retreats and team‑building, internships and hiring pathways for older students, and possible CPR and lifeguard training available through YMCA‑certified instructors (training fees set by the Red Cross apply when public classes are run).

On accessibility, Regan said some activities already include adaptive options: a newly installed lift on the giant swing can accommodate a wheelchair, zip‑line systems can be adapted, and boating can be made accessible. For campers with significant cognitive needs, he said the YMCA typically asks schools to provide one‑to‑one aides when appropriate and said staff will work with schools to tailor supports.

Committee members also asked about Westwood’s history working with Coventry schools. Regan said Westwood has provided some form of childcare in the district since the 1990s and has worked more consistently with Coventry schools since the early 2000s; he said the current program model and staffing changes began in 2023 and expanded in 2024.

What’s next: Regan and Gerard invited school staff and committee members to follow up with program details and expressed interest in expanding services to additional Coventry schools. They said they are open to on‑site meetings to coordinate field trips, evening events and teacher training.