Spring break day care: Spring Break Camp & Childcare
After school care, spring break care options in Charlotte
Hugo greets children at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Charlotte in this 2017 Charlotte Observer file photo.
David T. Foster III
Charlotte Observer file photo
A child care crisis
North Carolina isn’t immune to issues with child care. It’s tougher than ever to find quality and affordable care. Is it squeezing out parents who can’t afford it or don’t have connections?
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Summer vacation is prime time for parents to enroll their children in camps to keep them occupied, but many Charlotte-area families also need child care during shorter school breaks and after school.
From spring break to teacher work days to the everyday, there are groups in Charlotte that provide assistance to families who can’t stay home with their kids but whose kids can’t stay home alone.
Here are some organizations that provide after-school care and child care during short school breaks and early release days in and around Charlotte:
Boys and Girls Club
What to know: The Boys and Girls Club of Greater Charlotte offers after-school care at four Mecklenburg County and two Union County locations.
Cost: Attendees’ families must pay the club’s $5 membership fee.
How to register: Apply for the after-school program online at southernusa.salvationarmy.org/bgc-charlotte/afterschool-program.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools
What to know: Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools provides after-school enrichment programs and child care over spring break.
Cost: A $47 registration fee is due when you apply for after-school care. Spring break care is $25 per day.
How to register: Apply for after-school care and spring break care online at cmsk12.org/Page/41.
Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation
What to know: The parks department provides after-school programs as well as child care during school breaks and early release days at locations around the county.
Cost: Registration fees vary by program. Fees are lower for Mecklenburg County residents.
How to register: To sign up for programs, visit mecknc.gov/ParkandRec/Pages/Home.aspx, then select “Programs and Activities,” then “After School/ School Day Out Programs.”
NASCAR Hall of Fame
What to know: The NASCAR Hall of Fame is hosting a spring break camp in April. Campers will “participate in games, crafts, challenges and creative exploration” centered around STEAM. The camp runs April 11-13.
Cost: Camp is $50 per day or $175 for all three days for members and returning campers. It’s $75 per day or $200 for the full camp for non-members and new campers. Extended care is an additional $25.
How to register: To register for the spring break camp, visit nascarhall.com/plan-a-visit/camps.
This story was originally published February 23, 2023, 6:00 AM.
Mary Ramsey
Mary Ramsey is the interim local government reporter for The Charlotte Observer.
A native of the Carolinas, she studied journalism at the University of South Carolina and has also worked in Phoenix, Arizona and Louisville, Kentucky.
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Spring Break Camps | CSRA Kids
Spring Break Camps
Spring Break is right around the corner! Get your kids registered for a local camp.
Here is a list of local places that are offering camps this year!
This list will be frequently updated. Please check back for more camps!
Last Updated: February 10, 2023
Spring Break Camps In The CSRA
Augusta Area
The Wilson Family Y
Event Link
Please see the website for locations and special information.
April 3-7 | 9am-4pm | Ages 5-12
$120 Member & $160 Non-Member
Camp activities are from 9 am – 4 pm with early drop-off at 7 am & late pick-up until 6 pm at no additional cost.
Campers will swim daily. Bring swimsuits, towels, sandals, & a change of clothes. Wear tennis shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. Bring a sack lunch and a snack.
Augusta South Family Y
Event Link
Please see the website for locations and special information.
April 3-7 | 9 am-4 pm | Ages 5-12
$100 Member & $125 Non-Member
Camp starts at 7:00 AM with morning drop off from 7:00 AM-9:00 AM and evening pick up starting at 4:00 PM-6:00 PM. Breakfast, Lunch, and snacks are provided.
Steiner Branch Family Y
Event Link
Please see the website for locations and special information.
April 3-7 | 9 am-4 pm | Ages 5-12
$95 Member & $115 Non-Member
We ask that all children are in closed-toed shoes, weather-appropriate clothing (Jackets, Rain Coat, Etc.), a small backpack, and a labeled reusable water bottle.
Drop off between 7 and 9 am. Pick up between 4 and 6 pm.
Steiner Branch Family YMCA Ages 5-8
Patriot’s Park Community Center Ages 7-12
Salvation Army Kroc Center
Event Link
1833 Broad St.
Augusta, GA 30904
706.364.5762
April 3-6 & 10 | 8 am – 5 pm | Ages 5-12
$35/Per Day
Extended Care is Available
Masters Horse Camp
Camp Link
Foolin Around Farm
3984 Bel-Air Rd | Augusta, GA
April 3 – 5 | 9AM – 2PM | Ages 5 – 14
Cost: $175 per child
More Info Call: 706-294-6471
Learn about horses, ride, play games, and do arts and crafts.
Nailed It Evans
Camp Link
7025 Evans Towne Center Blvd. | Evans, GA
April 3 -7 | 9AM – 1PM | Ages 7 & Up
Cost: $60 per child/session
Drop your little off for one of our mini-camp projects, where they will enjoy time with our Art-tenders from 9 am to 1 pm. Lunch will be provided.
Gymnastics Gold
Camp Link
124 Cedar Ln | Martinez, GA
April 3 -7 | 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM | Ages 5 – 13
Cost: Please see the website for rates.
Full Week, half-day, and daily camps are available.
A week filled with fun, gymnastics, games, making friends, and memories. Please send a sack lunch, water bottle, and snack or money for a snack.
Tranquility Horse Stables
Camp Link
5232 White Oak Rd | Appling, GA
April 3 | 8 AM – 3 PM | Ages 6 & Up
Cost: Please call for details.
We invite you to join us for a day of fun, horses, crafts, and of course HORSES!
Eden Farms
Camp Link
5232 White Oak Rd | Appling, GA
April 3 – 6 | 10 AM – 2 PM | Ages 4 -14
Cost: Please call for details
Camp includes a daily riding lesson/trail ride, and educational horse activities like grooming, saddling, horse safety, health care, and feeding. Campers will also enjoy horsey arts and crafts, a Bible devotion each morning, and much more. Children are divided according to age and ability and will ride on one of our lesson horses.
Fort STEM & Painted Lady
Camp Link
109 Shartom Dr | Augusta, GA
April 3 – 7 | 9 AM – 3 PM | Ages 5 -13
Cost: $250 & $100 for aftercare.
Come spend a week at the Painted Lady Studio and Fort STEM with Ms Stephany & Mr Jonah. All week long we will be doing a large variety of different art and science activities. There will be games and projects to keep all our campers entertained and engaged.
Hilltop Horse Stables
Camp Link
508 N. Range Rd. | Fort Gordon, GA
April 3 – 7 | 7 AM – 5 PM | Ages 7 -13
Cost: $300 (Non-Civilian) & $325 (Civilian)
Youth Horsemanship Camp is a full-day activity, this program is designed to introduce youth to the equine world with basic horsemanship and farm etiquette. All children attending will learn grooming, Western and English saddle parts, bridling, body parts of horses, English and Western styles of riding, stall maintenance, bathing, horsemanship, and safety, riding lesson in the arena and trail rides, outdoor recreation activities.
D-BAT Evans
Camp Link
705 N Belair Rd. | Evans, GA
April 3 – 5 | 9 AM – 12 PM | Ages 5 -11
Cost: $125 (Members Are Eligible For Discount)
Join us Monday-Wednesday of Spring Break week for baseball and softball fundamentals, and lots of camp FUN!
Aiken Center for the Arts – Spring Break Art Camp
Event Link
122 Laurens Street, SW
Aiken SC 29801
(803) 641-9094
April 3 – 7 | Ages 4K -4th | 9:00am-12:00pm
One Day: $45
Full Week: $175
The Family Y – Aiken County
Event Link
621 Trolley Line Rd | Graniteville SC
April 3-7 | 9am-4pm | Ages 5-12
$110 Member & $140 Non-Member
Camp activities are from 9 am – 4 pm with early drop-off at 7 am & late pick-up until 6 pm at no additional cost.
Breakfast, lunch, and snacks are provided.
Art Nook Spring Break Camps
Event Link
601 Silver Bluff Rd | Aiken, SC
April 3-4, April 6-7, April 5, April 4, & April 3 | Times Vary | Ages 4-12
$35 – $90
Art Day Camp
Aiken Baseball Academy
Event Link
117 Warehouse Rd | Aiken, SC
April 3 – 6 | 9 AM – 3 PM | Ages 6-15
$120/Members & $150/Non-Members
Baseball/Softball Camp
North Augusta
The Family Y – North Augusta
Event Link
401 W.
Martintown Rd | North Augusta SC
April 3-7 | 9am-4pm | Ages 5-12
$110 Member & $140 Non-Member
Camp activities are from 9 am – 4 pm with early drop-off at 7 am & late pick-up until 6 pm at no additional cost. Breakfast, lunch, and snacks will be provided.
Rainbow Factory Spring Break Camp
Event Link
1367 W. Martintown Rd | North Augusta SC
April 3-5 | 10am-1pm | Ages 5-12
$150
Hands-on art activities and games. Campers will experiment with clay, paint, weaving, drawing, and more. Bring Your Own Lunch.
AR Workshop North Augusta
Event Link
434 Georgia Ave. | North Augusta SC
April 3-6 | 9 am – 11:30 am | Ages 6-14
$225 for 4-Days / $265 for 5-Days
*Individual Camp Days vary in price*
Create 4 custom DIY projects and a DIY camp t-shirt using a variety of techniques and colors.
More Spring Fun…
What can schoolchildren do during spring break?
Spring break for Russian schoolchildren is in full swing.
And although they last only a week, from March 26 to April 1, this causes a lot of trouble for parents. After all, the main question arises – what to do with children?
It’s good if parents can take vacation or time off from work during the holidays and spend time with their child. Lucky are those who have the opportunity to send the kids to their grandparents, for whom it is only a joy to sit with their grandchildren. What if there are no such opportunities?
What can a child do when left alone at home? He is unlikely to want to read books and solve problems. This is under adult supervision only. On the street in the spring, too, you don’t really take a walk – it’s damp, dirty, dank. All that’s left is a computer and a TV. Here for children expanse. All kinds of TV channels are now in bulk, and the expanses of the Internet are completely immense. But what good can a child get from this kind of vacation?
If you take the TV, now even in the morning and afternoon they manage to show almost pornography.
She herself once stumbled upon an adult film in the morning while she was on vacation and was just switching channels in search of an interesting program. And if the remote is in the hands of a child who will also switch channels?
I don’t think it’s worth talking about the bad influence of the Internet. And on the pages of the “Public Electronic Newspaper” they wrote about this more than once. If parents have taken care in advance of connecting the so-called “children’s” Internet, where underage users have access only to proven educational and cognitive portals, then they have nothing to worry about. But many parents don’t do it, and children can climb everywhere…
It’s a good opportunity to send children during spring break to some educational camp outside the city, in another city or country. But this pleasure is not cheap, and, again, not all parents can afford it. I remember, while I was at school, we recruited groups of 15-20 children who traveled during the autumn, winter and spring holidays with one or two teachers to England, Sweden, Finland, Germany, France and other countries.
This is really a fabulous vacation, which you can only dream of.
But, unfortunately, we do not live in a fairy tale, and we are forced to return to reality and try to solve the issue of schoolchildren’s leisure. Why not do this, say, teachers? It is clear that during their studies they get very tired and during the holidays they also want to relax a bit. But you can’t leave children to their own devices.
I remember that in my school years the teachers did not let us relax much during the holidays. Especially in high school. We were intensively prepared for final exams, admission to universities. Therefore, we spent all the holidays at school. Of course, additional classes were held exclusively at the initiative of teachers.
When I was in elementary school, the teachers also kept us busy during the holidays. We had educational activities and competitions with tea parties, we often went to museums. I especially remember the trip to the Forest Museum on a trolleybus.
In general, the holidays were interesting, and there was no time to get bored.
What now? Do school teachers meet their parents halfway and organize leisure activities for their students during the holidays? As it turned out, in some schools this is still developed. For example, in gymnasium No. 111, where my nephew studies, teachers try to organize various events for schoolchildren. The holiday program is tight. Together with class teachers, children visit cinemas, a planetarium, a lemonarium, a botanical garden, various museums and theaters. Naturally, the parents of schoolchildren pay for these joint outings. But this kind of leisure is inexpensive – after all, almost everywhere now there are discounts for schoolchildren. As for nutrition, parents also take care of this. After all, school canteens do not work during the holidays – the cooks rest.
Of course, not in all schools the organization of students’ leisure time during the holidays is undertaken by teachers. It all depends on the desire of the teacher himself, so no one can oblige them to study with children during the holidays.
So maybe parents should take the initiative and contact their children’s class teachers, arrange with them to spend time with the children during the holidays, say, for a small fee. If desired, parents can even create a cultural program for children themselves, order a bus that would take children around the city.
In principle, teachers should also be interested in this. After all, how their students spend their holidays depends on how they will study and behave in the next academic quarter. If they pick up some dirty jokes from the Internet or start copying the behavior of some cheeky character in an American TV series, I think the teachers are unlikely to like it. Yes, and the upbringing of children should be engaged not only in parents, for whom work is often in the first place, because children need to be clothed and fed, and this requires huge funds, but also school teachers – this is their main task.
Summer holidays
May 11, 2023
School day camp “KUNIKOVETS”
Dear parents!
From June 1 to June 28, a summer health-improving day-care specialized camp “Kunikovets” with two meals a day will work
Order on the opening of a specialized day camp “Kunikovets” 2023
Memo for parents for the summer period
Safe holidays
Children spending time outdoors.
Walks, games and sports activities in the fresh air are the best rest after school hours, which is so lacking for most children during school time. With admission to school, the general motor activity of the child falls by almost 50%.
We often underestimate the importance of walking for the normal growth and development of children. Especially few children are outdoors in autumn and winter. Often their stay on the street is limited to the road to the educational institution and back. Therefore, at least during the holidays, your child should not have “motor starvation”.
As the 18th century French physician wisely remarked. Tissot: “Movement as such can, in its effect, replace any remedy, but all the medical remedies of the world cannot replace the action of movements.”
If you can’t organize a child’s vacation outside the city, try to keep his stay in the air as far as possible from the roads, traffic congestion, industrial enterprises.
Child’s daily routine during holidays
The time when the child goes to bed, has breakfast, lunch and dinner during the holidays should remain the same as on ordinary days.
Of course, any deviations from the regime are permissible, but within reasonable limits.
Research shows that most children tend to be sleep deprived during school hours. Due to training overloads, long-term TV viewing, the duration of a night’s sleep is reduced by an hour or two, and sometimes more. But children’s neuroses most often develop precisely as a result of lack of sleep. No wonder the ancient sages of the East to the question “What is the most healing thing in the world?” They answered: “Sleep.”
The younger the child, the more time it takes for him to fully restore his ability to work. During the holidays, this important biological need for a growing organism must be fully satisfied.
Child meals during holidays
Usually during the holidays, parents try to pamper their children with something delicious. We advise you to pay special attention to the nutrition of the child.
It is known that among various childhood diseases, the first place is firmly occupied by diseases of the digestive system.
Holidays should be a period of recovery and accumulation of the child’s strength. To do this, include in his diet dairy and meat products, vegetables and fruits.
Do not let your child, like Carlson, daily crush sweets, chocolate, cookies, cakes and other sweets imposed by television advertising. Excessive passion for them not only adversely affects the condition of the teeth, but is also a risk factor for the development of diabetes.
Paying tribute to fashion, we often form in our children a cult of drinks that are not at all childish: Coca-Cola, Sprite, fanta, etc. Meanwhile, 1000 years ago, the famous doctor Avicenna wrote: “What can be more useful than vegetable balm and fruit juice? They are healing from all diseases and lengthen our life.
Child health during holidays
Holidays are also an opportunity to take a closer look at the health of your child. On study days, it is not always easy to find time to visit a doctor.
Often parents are sure that their child is absolutely healthy.
In fact, this is far from being the case. Special studies have shown that among children whom parents considered healthy, only 14% turned out to be healthy.
Take advantage of the holidays to visit a pediatrician, otolaryngologist, ophthalmologist, dentist, orthopedist and other specialists with your child.
A child who is often ill can undergo a course of physiotherapy, herbal medicine or help to master a set of exercises for posture correction.
Child rest on the beach
Summer holidays are the best time for excursions, hiking, swimming in ponds. However, in order to avoid negative consequences, parental wisdom is needed in everything.
If the child cannot swim, try to teach him how to swim, explain to him the rules of behavior on the water. Unfortunately, the statistics of the swimming season is very sad.
The sooner a child learns to swim, the better. Experts are convinced that this skill is more important than many other skills and knowledge.
In addition, swimming is one of the best ways to correct the disorders of the musculoskeletal system that are so common in our children.
When going to the beach with your child, remember that the most beneficial sunbathing is in the morning and in the late afternoon, especially for delicate and sensitive baby skin. Gradually increase their duration.
Do not abuse the long stay in the sun in pursuit of a bronze tan, especially on the southern beaches.
Child safety during holidays
During the holidays, it is necessary to take care of the safety of the child, especially if he is left without adult supervision.
Remember that at this time the risk of street and domestic injuries increases significantly.
Check the condition of the sports equipment you have: scooters, bicycles, roller skates, badminton, etc. It will also be useful to check the equipment for appropriate entertainment.
Idleness for a child is stressful. He does not rest, but gets tired and tormented when he wanders around the yards and around the apartment in search of company or occupation.
The child is waiting for the holidays not only because he does not have to get up early and go to school or kindergarten. Children dream of interesting leisure time, that they finally get to hang out with mom and dad.
Organize fun holidays, teach children to live meaningfully, and not wallow in front of the TV. Go hiking, give interesting tasks, watch educational films, read your favorite books.
Pliers
They are introduced in the forest, in bushes and in tall grass. Exactly high!
So, if possible, mow the lawns in the areas and do not wallow in the “grass to the waist.” The tick, before sticking to the skin, crawls over the body for 20-30 minutes. Try to check on your children several times a day.
Go to the forest only in panama hats and body-covering clothing.
Stores sell tick sprays. But, unlike mosquito sprays, which can be applied to the body, tick sprays are too strong and can only be applied to clothing.
Mosquitoes, wasps, bees
The warmer, and the closer to a river or forest, the more winged and buzzing ones want to bite your baby.
The skin of children is thin, so biting is a pleasure.
Teach your child to freeze when a wasp or bee is near, not to wave their arms and never try to catch or slap them.
Horseflies lie in wait for their victims near water bodies. Their bites are painful, swell, itch and do not heal for a long time.
Before going to the forest or in the evening on the street, you can spray your clothes with a special spray, and spread mosquito cream on your hands and feet.
Mosquitoes don’t like lavender, mint and lemon smells. You can put drops of essential oils on your child’s clothes. But remember that essential oils can cause allergies.
Treat the bite site with brilliant green or some kind of alcohol tincture (calendula, for example).
A cool baking soda bath (1 teaspoon of baking soda per glass of water) will help relieve the pain from a bite.
There are also special ointments and gels for itching.
Wasp or bee stings are more serious.
The main thing is to find out if there is a sting left in the wound.
If there is a sting, pull it out with tweezers and clean the sting with brilliant green or alcohol tincture.
If insects bite on the face and neck, you should be wary of an allergic reaction and swelling. The bite site is swollen, the child has a fever, it is difficult to breathe (or coughs), he is lethargic and does not feel well.
Be sure to call a doctor. And immediately give the child antihistamine (anti-allergic) drugs.
Poisonings
In summer, microbes and bacteria live like a cat in butter. Therefore, be sure to:
• wash your hands after going to the toilet and before eating,
• throw away stale food,
• pour out kefirs and juices that have been opened and stood for more than a day,
• do not store curds and yoghurts without a refrigerator,
• wash fruits and vegetables
• and give the kids only fresh, strong fruits.
Injuries
1.
Bleeding:
Wash your hands before touching a bleeding wound;
– lay the child so that the wound is above the level of the heart;
– press the wound with a cloth, pressure bandage or hand;
– if it does not help, apply a tourniquet – above the site of bleeding (the tourniquet is applied only to the thigh or arm above the elbow.
2. Abraded knees and elbows:
— Rinse the wound under running water to wash away any dirt. Rinse under a faucet with cool water. If there is no faucet, rinse from the bottle.
It is advisable to wash with soap, then rinse well.
– Remove foreign bodies from the wound with tweezers treated with alcohol.
– Treat the wound. Zelenka and iodine only “burn” and damage tissues, so do not treat wounds with them (in extreme cases, only the edges of the wound).
It is better to apply a sterile bandage (you can soak it with 3% hydrogen peroxide). The ideal option is a special disinfectant solution bought at a pharmacy.
– Cover the wound with a bandage or bactericidal plaster.
3. Splinter
— Soak the finger with the splinter in warm water for a few minutes
– If the splinter sticks out of the skin, pull it out with tweezers in the direction in which it entered the skin (along the way, not against).
– If the splinter has broken and completely entered under the skin, take a needle (pre-treat it with alcohol or hold it over a fire), release the edge of the splinter with a needle, and then pull it out with tweezers.
– When the splinter is removed, wash the wound with soap and water, treat with a disinfectant solution and cover with a band-aid.
4. Head injuries
Seek immediate medical attention if, after hitting the head, the child develops:
– drowsiness, lethargy, strange behavior,
– severe headache for a long time after the blow,
– vomiting, bleeding from the nose and ears,
– dark circles before the eyes,
– convulsions,
– speech disorder.
Lay down and comfort the child until the doctor arrives; apply cold to the injury.
5. A bruise
If after a fall or a blow the pain is aggravated by movement, the bruised area may turn red, turn blue or edema may appear, you should:
— restrict movement, lay the child down;
– raise a bruised arm or leg;
– apply cold to the bruise for 20 minutes every 2 hours during the day.
Attention! Do not heat, do not rub the injured area.
6. Dislocation
If there is a sharp pain in the joint, especially during movement, swelling, it is necessary:
— limit the movement of the joint;
– apply cold and go to the hospital as quickly as possible!
Attention! You can not set yourself, “pull”, rub, warm, smear.
7. Fracture
If the pain is severe, worse when moving, and even when you touch it. The leg (arm) may change shape (compare with a healthy limb), swell and edema increases very quickly.
Call a doctor! Do not move, do not set, do not shift, do not warm.
Apply ice for 20 minutes.
8. Bruises and bumps
Bruises should turn yellow or green in 3-5 days.
If the bruise only becomes red, hot, and swollen, see a doctor immediately.
The bump should decrease. If it grows, becomes hot, the skin turns red – see a doctor!
Any injury causes pain to the child. Two medicines are struggling with it – paracetamol and ibuprofen, which are safe for children.
Rules of conduct on the water
To prevent an accident on the water, it is strictly necessary:
— swim in specially designated studied areas;
– do not dive into the water in an unfamiliar place;
– do not enter the water with a big wave;
– do not swim close to passing ships;
– when diving, you can not stay under water for a long time;
– do not leave children unattended;
– you need to stay in the water for no more than 15 minutes;
– and most importantly: do not enter the water while intoxicated.
Water Emergency Procedures
• If you find yourself in the water without being able to swim, lie face up in the water, spread your arms wide, and breathe as deeply and infrequently as possible. While in an upright position, move your legs as if you were pedaling.
• If you are tired, rest on the water, lying on your back. To do this, straighten your arms and legs, lay your head on the water and relax.
The second way is by shrinking with a “float”. Inhale, immerse your face in the water, wrap your arms around your knees and press them to your body, slowly exhale into the water, and then again a quick breath over the water and again the “float”.
• If you are cold, keep warm by tensing your arms and legs in turn.
After resting, swim back to the shore.
• If you are caught in the current of a river, move diagonally towards the nearest bank. To overcome the surf, rest when the wave moves away from the shore and actively swim when it moves towards the shore.