Parents looking to get their kids out of the house and into the wide outdoors this summer need look no further than Camp Mansfield, a summer day camp held on the grounds of , Schoolhouse Brook Park and Bicentennial Pond.
The camp features a wide range of activities, including archery, arts and crafts, canoeing/kayaking, swimming and more, and accommodates around 200 children ranging in ages from 3½ to 15 years old.
Mansfield’s Recreation Coordinator, Bill Callahan, said the camp is looking to provide the “outdoor experience that the kids are looking for and the parents are definitely looking for.”
Callahan, who is enjoying his 17th year with the program, said they focus on character development and fun for all, including the numerous special-needs kids that attend the all-inclusive camp.
“It’s a lot of fun, it’s partially what drew me to parks and rec,” said Callahan, “When you see how excited the kids get.”
Curt Vincente, director of Parks & Recreation, said that his own children have attended the program. "We have a very good reputation in the area for the quality of the program we run," he said.
The camp sessions are scheduled to begin June 27, but may be pushed back do to this winter’s excessive amount of snow days. But when they start, they don’t stop, running rain or shine, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The sessions have also been slimmed down to eight one-week sessions, instead of the two-week sessions of previous years, to accommodate the busier schedules of parents and children over the summer, according to Callahan.
The camp sessions range in prices from $25-$200 per session depending upon the programs chosen, but that is a far cry from the pricing of many of Connecticut’s private day camps, which range in price from $1,000-$1,200 for a two-week session to nearly $5,000 for the entire summer.
“We hope they’re leaving with having fun and hopefully being a better person,” said Callahan.
Registration for Camp Mansfield opens on March 12 and must be for at least one full session. Brochures are available at the .
