Since 2022, Playtime has offered free, week-long school break camps in spring and summer. In the past, we have hosted one week of camp, welcoming children ages 5 to 17. This summer, Playtime is offering FOUR weeks of free summer camp for children experiencing housing insecurity in DC and Prince George’s County, with two weeks of camp in each region.
Each week of camp will be designed for a specific age range, allowing for smaller cohorts and activities aligned with children’s developmental needs. This age-differentiated approach strengthens engagement and deepens impact through age-appropriate programming, nutritious meals, and accessible camp locations right where families live. Attending daily camp provides children with consistent resilience-building activities that focus on increasing our three domains: social-emotional learning, problem solving, and optimism for the future.
Playtime is always collecting feedback from our parents, partners, and program attendees to ensure we meet their needs and desires for play. Our older kids have expressed how important it is to them to have time without the younger kids; when all ages are together, a lot of attention falls on the younger kids, and the older kids often step in to help, rather than playing themselves. We have piloted age-specific programs and received great feedback from the kids. Being separated by age group gives them “the privilege to do what we like and what we can do at our age, like cook and coding,” a 13-year-old says.
By tailoring programming by age group, younger children (ages 5-9) can receive deeper, more intentional support around social-emotional learning, rather than activities designed to engage a wide age range. Older youth (ages 10-15) will participate in more service-based learning opportunities that emphasize problem solving, leadership, and building optimism for the future. We also invite older teens (ages 16-17) to attend camp as Play Rangers in Training, an opportunity to take on more responsibility and practice their leadership skills in a junior counselor role.
Interested in helping out at one of our camps? We’re looking for volunteers to assist our Playtime Staff during August 3-7 and August 13-17. Sign up for training on July 29 or email volunteer@playtimeproject.org for more information!
