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City parks officials describe free teen drop-in sites, low fees for youth and staffing pressures
Summary
City Parks & Recreation said it runs five after-school sites for ages 5–12 (30 slots each), paid on sliding scales, and operates free teen drop-in centers. Staff called out staffing shortages and a rising need for special-needs accommodations that strain budgets and programming.
Rakia Womack, assistant director of Durham Parks & Recreation, told the joint body the city operates five after-school sites for ages 5–12 with 30 slots per site and provides transportation to most sites. She said most families use a sliding fee scale and that the program charges approximately $132 per 20-day cycle (less than $10 per week for many families).
Womack also described the city's teen programming ("My Durham") for ages 13–18, which operates at three drop-in sites and is free for participants. "These programs run from 3 to 7. They are free. Students do not pay anything to go to these after school programs," she said.
City staff cited staffing as a central challenge: pay restructuring has not fully solved retention and recruitment problems, and rising special-needs accommodation requests increase training and cost pressures. Womack described an inclusion success story in which Parks & Rec secured an American Sign Language instructor for a deaf child at summer camp.
City and county elected officials urged staff to provide a written summary of program numbers and partner lists so elected members can compare city, county and DPS offerings and better align budgets and timelines.
