HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Hillsborough County is canceling its Parks and Recreations summer camps this summer due to COVID-19.
The county said the decision was made to protect the safety of children, their families and Parks and Rec staff who lead the camps. The closures came after a decision this week to cancel in-person summer classes.
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Parks and Rec staff are developing virtual programming designed to engage and educate children during the summer months.
We're told the decision to cancel these summer programs impacts about 2,000 kids in the county.
Full refunds will be given to any families that have preregistered.
For more information, click here.
City of Tampa Parks and Recreation:
ABC Action News reached out to other summer camps to find out what's being done to keep kids safe.
Bricks 4 Kidz, a Florida-founded franchise, uses LEGO-based learning to teach campers about math, engineering and physics.
"All of the camps, as well as Bricks 4 Kidz, are doing everything they can to make sure we’re providing safe environments for the kids," said owner John Fontana.
Fontana says they are cutting enrollment in half and conducting non-contact temperature checks before anyone enters the building.
Staff members are also holding off on team activities and promoting social distancing.
"This year, all the kids are going to be getting their own individual LEGO sets and kits so when they’re building with their LEGOS they’re only building with the LEGOS that we give to them," said Fontana.
Jess Johnson says he's thankful Bricks 4 Kidz remains open for his children this summer.
"You want them to be able to tell this story to their kids that they had to change the way they experience summer and they had to adapt and those are all positive lessons rather than negative lessons that they can learn," said Johnson.
The City of Tampa announced Thursday they are moving forward with summer camp with limited locations and reduced enrollment.
For more information on that, click here.
