May 20, 2020

Dear friends,

Portland Parks & Recreation (PP&R) closed our community and art centers, and pools, and canceled all outdoor programming in March to protect public health and to help flatten the curve of COVID-19 in our community. PP&R was also forced to lay off or not hire hundreds of valuable seasonal team members due to COVID-19.  

Those closures and cancelations made it impossible for PP&R to earn revenue through swim lessons, exercise classes, and permitted events. PP&R's funding structure relies on earned revenue to deliver services to the community. 

Unable to earn revenue and lacking a critical seasonal workforce, the bureau is now unable to open community centers or pools or offer traditional summer programming in 2020.  This includes all summer camps, which are canceled.

We were already in the planning mode for the 2020 summer of Nature Day Camp, and we are saddened by the announcement that there would not be camp this summer. Campers were already registered, volunteers were already in process, and numerous people had applied to be on staff. We thank you so much for your interest in Nature Day Camp – no matter what your role would have been during the camp season. We hope that you will still find a way to connect to Portland’s natural areas on your own time this summer.

Everyone who registered for camp will receive a full refund, including the non-refundable $50 deposit. These will be processed as quickly as possible and will go back to the credit card used to pay for the camp in the first place. If there are any issues with expired cards, or if you paid by cash or check, we will work with your family individually to ensure you receive a full refund. To ensure that you DO receive the non-refundable $50 deposit, please be patient and let us process the refunds on our end. (If you try to withdraw online, you will lose the $50.) For more information on refunds related to COVID-19, please see https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/article/756846. 

The impact of COVID-19 on PP&R's operations has grown the resolve to fulfill the late Commissioner Nick Fish's vision of a Sustainable Future for PP&R to ensure that we can serve all Portlanders.

What Portland Parks & Recreation will do to serve the community in summer 2020:

• We will focus on providing critical community needs. Parks are more needed now than they ever have been. We have amazing people who are keeping neighborhood parks, trails and natural area safe and clean.
• Free Lunch + Play – this program has a history of more than 100 years. More than half of Portland schoolchildren qualify for free and reduced lunch during the school year. And with five school districts and many other partners and supporters, we help distribute the lunches during the summer gap, adding arts and crafts, sports, games, and fun at parks citywide. We are expanding and enhancing Lunch + Play this year to serve our city. We expect more details in the coming weeks.
• Park Greeters – at some of the busiest sites citywide, helping Portlanders use their parks and trails safely
• Stay and Play – we are now offering online recreation programs with the new Stay and Play video series! Portland kids, families, adults, and seniors can stay healthy, learn new things, play, and stay connected with their friends at PP&R while in-person programs are on hold. Offerings include arts and crafts, physical fitness, bathtub floating skills, and more. If you have a chance, please check it out via links on our website.

We will continue to provide updates around how COVID-19 is affecting PP&R on our web page: portlandoregon.gov/parks/COVID-19.

Thank you and have an outdoorsy summer,

Chrissy

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Connect to nature with Environmental Education

Ecology-based day camps for preschool, elementary, and older youth (Plus we have a teen volunteer program too!) 

Children and youth ages 4 - 17 can find all find a place in Environmental Education's Nature Day Camp program. Grab your backpack, a lunch, a water bottle, a sweatshirt, and head out into Portland's Natural Areas to learn about ecology, play imaginative games, tell stories, and make memories! Each day of Nature Day Camp starts and ends as one group with all ages together. About half the day is structured with nature-themed games, skits, crafts, scavenger hunts, and science investigations. The other half of the day is spent playing, hiking, and exploring in small traveling groups, divided by age. Our programs cater to children as young as 4 up to age 12.

If you are looking for options for teens or young adults, check out our Jr Naturalist Volunteer program (ages 13-17) or apply to be on our paid Nature Day Camp staff! (ages 16+)

We hire staff who have an interest in children, ecology, teaching, and play. Our summer staff naturalists are trained for over 45 hours in risk management, youth development, dealing with challenging behaviors, communication skills, group facilitation, Leave No Trace principles, science and inquiry, stewardship, and the benefits of unstructured play. Our goals are to connect children to nature through experiential ecology, to model curiosity and wonder, and to be positive role models toward youth of all ages.

Doing your taxes and need our Tax ID for childcare deductions? Here it is for your reference: TAX ID 93-6002236

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Camp Days and Hours

All camps run Monday through Friday (No Camps on July 3)

Before-care is available at no cost between 8:00-9:00am. No need to pre-register, just show up and we'll have staff available to get you signed in and hang out with your child until 9:00am. 

Camp activities for all camps begin each day at 9:00am.
In fairness to our staff and to your child, please be on time so your child does not miss out! Campers under the ages of 13 MUST be signed in by an adult each morning and signed out by an authorized person each afternoon. Portland Parks uses ePACT, an online health and emergency information system to collect all health and emergency information for each participant. Once you are registered for camp, you will receive an emailed invite to complete your child's health record and share it with our program. This must be done before your child arrives on Monday morning . (If you are doing multiple weeks of camp, but you will need to share the information with each program you have registered for. The good news is once you fill it out, it will be accessible to our staff all summer!) 

Camper pick-up times are listed below:

1:30pm  |  Partial-Day Nature Camp - Chickadees (ages 4 - 6)

3:30pm  |  Nature Day Camp - Flickers, Hawks, Juncos, Ospreys, and Ravens (ages 5 - 11)

3:30pm  |  Nature Skills Camp (ages 10-12)

3:30-5:30pm  |  After-care hours (pre-registration required). Find more information about after-care HERE. 

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Weekly Cost for Camps (unless otherwise noted)

Partial-day Nature Camp   |   $190 (Resident), $213 (Non-residents)

Nature Day Camp, Nature Skills Camp  |   $275 (Resident), $385 (Non-residents)

Curious what your fee pays for? Click HERE to find out!

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Scholarships Available

We offer scholarships to help cover the cost of camp. Complete the scholarship application found on the Portland Parks & Recreation Main Page. Completed applications can be returned by fax, postal mail, or in-person. 

To Mail or Drop off in person:
Portland Parks & Recreation
Attn: Nature Day Camp 
2909 SW 2nd Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97201

Fax Number: 503-865-3251 (please email enviroed@portlandoregon.gov to make sure we received it!)

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Special Assistance

Children of all abilities and interests are welcome to participate in our programs. If your child requires special assistance to participate, please contact the Environmental Education Office at 503-823-3601, and we will help connect you to our Adaptive & Inclusive Recreation program.

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"My daughter has been attending 1-2 weeks for the last three summers and she LOVES it! You all do a wonderful job!" 

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"Your child will be engaged, active, and happy all day!"

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"The PP&R nature camps are, by far, my son's all-time favorite summer camps, both last year and this year. The counselors do an amazing job of engaging the kids and creating a fun, exciting experience. I can't quite express how much I appreciate the wonderful instruction and experience provided by your counselors. Thank you!" 

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Important information about Summer 2020
You'll notice the cost of camp has increased. This summer, one week of full-day camp will cost $275 per camper, and we put every penny to use! Wondering where this money goes?

Here's how the fee breaks down:

• $185 - Cost of paying our staff and operating each week of camp (Our staff work 40 hours a week. They arrive early to plan and be ready for campers, and attend an after-camp meeting each day to talk through issues, concerns, and ideas. Because we are an all-outdoor program, we have much lower ratios than other PP&R camps. Including all of our support staff and floating naturalists who help out in groups that need it, our staff to camp ratio is about 1:4. In 2016 Oregon Legislature passed Senate Bill 1532, which establishes a series of minimum wage increases beginning July 1, 2016 through July 1, 2022. As much as we have tried to continue our program as is, we have finally hit the breaking point where we must increase the cost of camp to cover the minimum wage increases in the Portland Metro Area. Click here for more information on Senate Bill 1532.) 
• $45 - Cost of training our entire staff for over 45 hours (We are outdoors 100% of the time with no access to facilities. Our staff requires additional training in child management, risk management, and responding to emergencies.)
• $19 - Staff cost for planning and administration (Registration help, hiring process, and summer planning that takes place March through June)
• $14 - Cost of materials and supplies for our summer activities (This includes all of our craft supplies, hands-on activities, science exploration equipment, and technology needed to connect with parents and access camper health information.) 
• $5 - Cost of PP&R t-shirts and manuals for our staff and volunteers
• $4 - Cost of using ePACT, our online health access for each camper.
• $3 - Cost of using ActiveNet as our registration system