Kimberley City Council has approved a change to the structure of day camps at the Aquatic Centre after a report was submitted by Manager of Parks and Facilities Brett Clark.
Parents will now be able to rely on day camps at the Aquatic Centre as an option for child care. The day camps run from July 2 to August 31 along with other various times throughout the year. Clark says that the minimum number of participants, which used to be eight, caused day camps to get cancelled too often resulting in a decline in participants and a loss in revenue.
“This is in response to a letter we received about day camp cancellations due to enrolment numbers,” said Clark at a Council meeting on Monday. “Residents have voiced their frustrations towards the lack of reliable opportunities for child care (day/summer camps) within the community, especially when they have registered at the Kimberley Aquatic Centre only to have it canceled because minimum numbers were not met resulting in having to make alternate arrangements on short notice.”
Council voted to receive the report from Clark, which effectively will remove the minimum enrolment numbers in expectation that those numbers will recover. Clark says staff will continue to monitor the results on an ongoing basis as well as work on marketing the programs better to ensure enrolment continues to grow.
Mayor Don McCormick supported the change, saying that parents are looking for that assurance when choosing which program is right for their children.
“I was one of those parents,” said Councillor Jason McBain. “So I’m really happy to see this change.”
Councillor Kent Goodwin says that the City also needs to be patient when it comes to recovering the numbers, as it may take a while to gain back the trust of parents.
“We want to be reliable; gain back that trust and continue to build the program,” Clark said in agreement. “We hope to grow participation at the Aquatic Centre in general. There are lots of other activities that take place during the day camps, it’s not just about swimming.”
WATCH: Cardboard boat race at Kimberley Aquatic Centre
READ MORE: SWIM program a success thanks to funding from Kimberley Heritage Museum
corey.bullock@kimberleybulletin.com
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