Govt money to pay for camps?

[deedeetoo]

This is really just a curiousity type question. My dd's best friend comes from a family that is struggling financially. The dad is disabled and doesn't work. The mom works part time as a consultant. Their cars and house are falling apart. Yet I have always been amazed at the expensive activities and camps they sign their kids up for. We struggle to pay for all these things and I just can't imagine how they swing it.

I have not expressed an opinion on this to my daughter - how they choose to spend the little money they have is their business. But yesterday, as we were driving home from camp my dd said "Do you know that S gets to go to camp for free? The government pays for it."

Well that would explain how they do it, but I have never heard of a govt program that pays for camp. Does anyone here know about this?

 

[suzannen]

I haven't heard of any government money paying for camps, but in our area that are quite a lot of non-profit organizations that will pay for it. One that I'm most familiar with is the Boys and Girls Harbor started by Tony Duke which sends disadvantaged kids from the NYC area to a camp he started on his property in East Hampton. (http://www.boysandgirlsharbor.net/)

 

[MushyMushy]

Where I live, we don't have any camps you have to pay for. They are all sponsored in some way by the local government.

I don't see anything wrong with govt having funds to send underprivileged kids to camp. At least the kids are off the streets and out of trouble.

 

[Becky2005]

I don't know of any government program but I know different programs themselves offer assistance.

I know our park district has scholarships, you have to give them a copy of your tax return and they ask what kind of scholarship you are looking for -- full, partial or payment plan. There is a max. of $125/per person per season type of thing.

I know the music camp my DD goes to it has a blurb about if you want to pay extra for sponsorships. I have no idea how any qualifies for sponsorships. I do know our Music Boosters award scholarships but that's not need based, I'm not really sure how they pick who gets it but you have to fill out an applicatin explaining why you want it & what your future goals in music are.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Not the government (though I could see a kid not getting the details right), but we do have a local foundation that pays for children from the city to go to summer camp.

 

[golfgal]

I suppose technically some of the camps through our park and rec department are funded through gov't money for those that can't afford to pay they can get a scholarship-which means they either don't pay or pay on a sliding scale based on income.

 

[Becky2005]

I suppose technically some of the camps through our park and rec department are funded through gov't money for those that can't afford to pay they can get a scholarship-which means they either don't pay or pay on a sliding scale based on income.

I wonder if that's through gov't or fundraising? I know our park district does a fall run with the proceeds going toward the scholarship fund, therefore, I think that's seperate vs. using the tax money for it. I'm sure things are done differently everywhere. This just stuck out at me since the fall book has the run prominently advertised in it & what the funds are for.

 

[deedeetoo]

Thanks for the replies. I am guessing that it is probably some type of charitable/social services organization helping out rather than the govt.

But just to be clear. I am not talking about inexpensive in town camps or camps to get underprivileged children out of the city. I am talking about $850/wk sleepover gymnastics camp (for one example). Her brother went to one called Camp Woodward in PA that costs even more than that. Two kids in the family do competitive gymnastics. Someone other than the family is paying for this.

I also want to be clear that I have nothing against the govt or other organizations helping out disadvantaged children. I am just curious about how it works.

 

[connorlevismom]

I am not sure about the gov't paying for it, but someone does. It has been this way forever.

I wish my mom would have known about this when we were kids. We were never allowed to go to camp or play sports (anything of that sort) because in her words "the poor kids did not get to, so we should not either". She was to ignorant to know that the poor kids DID get to do it.

Kristine

 

[golfgal]

I wonder if that's through gov't or fundraising? I know our park district does a fall run with the proceeds going toward the scholarship fund, therefore, I think that's seperate vs. using the tax money for it. I'm sure things are done differently everywhere. This just stuck out at me since the fall book has the run prominently advertised in it & what the funds are for.

They don't do any fundraising that I am aware of so it would be through program dollars. My guess is that they tack on a couple extra dollars to each class/program and that helps cover scholarships??

 

[castleview]

Thanks for the replies. I am guessing that it is probably some type of charitable/social services organization helping out rather than the govt.

But just to be clear. I am not talking about inexpensive in town camps or camps to get underprivileged children out of the city. I am talking about $850/wk sleepover gymnastics camp (for one example). Her brother went to one called Camp Woodward in PA that costs even more than that. Two kids in the family do competitive gymnastics. Someone other than the family is paying for this.

I also want to be clear that I have nothing against the govt or other organizations helping out disadvantaged children. I am just curious about how it works.

Yeah, those are quite expensive. I had a neighbor on reduced lunch that competed in gymnastics and went to IGC for two weeks every summer. They were great people, but it still sounded weird. How their family spends the disability money is their business, I guess. I also have no problem with leaving the house out of date while providing for your kids (we do). But if this family is exploiting charitable organizations for luxury camps (which gymnastics camp is), that stinks.

 

[DizBelle]

I hope not. I don't think that camp for someone else's child is something that I should be paying for (which is what government money is).

 

[MichelleinMaine]

Thanks for the replies. I am guessing that it is probably some type of charitable/social services organization helping out rather than the govt.

But just to be clear. I am not talking about inexpensive in town camps or camps to get underprivileged children out of the city. I am talking about $850/wk sleepover gymnastics camp (for one example). Her brother went to one called Camp Woodward in PA that costs even more than that. Two kids in the family do competitive gymnastics. Someone other than the family is paying for this.

I also want to be clear that I have nothing against the govt or other organizations helping out disadvantaged children. I am just curious about how it works.

I know the particular foundation in our area covers any camp. I believe the limit had been $1000 per child, but I heard something of it being cut back to $500.
It does have to be a Maine camp (eg benefits local economy too.)

 

[NotUrsula]

I think that what you may be dealing with here is a "little pitchers" situation. I think that the kids may be perhaps misinterpreting something that friend heard her parents say.

I can think of two ways that "the government" might "pay" for the camp fees in this situation. One way might be a flexible spending account shelter, in which a working parent may shelter from payroll taxes up to $5K per year of daycare or day camp expenses for kids through age 12 (I use that one myself, but now that I have a toddler in daycare, the shelter is used up long before the camp fees even come into the picture.) The second possibility is that the camp fees are paid out of her father's disability payments.

Around here, the only camps that I know of that get government subsidies are the YMCA and the municipal rec-center camps, and they only get them for disadvantaged kids and for foster children. (DS spent 2 weeks at Y camp this year because no one else still had camp, and at least half of the children in the program were foster kids whose fees were paid by DFS.)

 

[Jynohn]

Many sleepover camps offer scholarships for needy families. These are paid by contributions from other camp families and alumni. Aside from providing a fun and safe summer to kids who might not otherwise have the opportunity, they are also a way for camps to ensure diversity. We looked at several camps before choosing our daughter's, and we liked the fact that the camps that had these scholarships were much more than "country clubs in the woods" for the children of wealthy families.

I think it's wonderful that your neighbor's kids have the chance to experience camp, and escape what is probably a very stressful home situation for a few weeks a year.

 

[shrubber]

I certainly hope the taxpayers are not funding free camps for kids, although thats not very likely.

Lest we forget there are private and charitable organizations that do this sort of thing very well, thank you.

Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts of America offer vast amounts of camps and activities to any child, often free, and are world wide.

 

[okeydokey]

I think it's great that they get to go to camp. Sounds like they have it pretty rough at home.

 

[englishteacha]

The camp I volunteer at is non-profit, and we get many campers whose churches or other organizations sponsor them to go. A friend is a foster child and sometimes (not always) the foster system has money to send her to camp. It's not $800+, but $300 or so to go to something here in Maine. Perhaps the neighbor children get scholarships from agencies or from their gymnastics programs to attend camp. On a side note, I never could have attended camp without scholarships from my church.

 

[luvsJack]

Are the kids exceptional gymnasts? At the local gym, where dd used to take gymnastics, they have a fund set up so that if they have some talented kids that don't have the funds for classes, camps, going to competitions, etc. it will be paid for with the fund.

Our local baseball league also has a fund set aside like that. They don't advertise it, they just let the coaches and team mom's know that the fund is there if they know anyone who needs it.

There are also clubs (like the Elks, the Shriners, etc.) that offer all kinds of things to low income kids. I don't remember which one, but am pretty sure one does pay for camps. Again, I don't think they advertise it but people find out by word of mouth or from their coaches or teachers.

ETA: However they are getting there, I think its great and don't have a problem in the world with the government paying for it.