City of Toronto offering in-person and virtual camps for kids during April school break

Thestar.com
March 17, 2021
David Rider

Toronto parents have in-person and online camp options to keep kids busy during the April 12 to 16 school break that was moved from March over COVID-19 concerns.

Mayor John Tory announced Tuesday there will be about 1,600 spots available for in-person city of Toronto day camps for children aged 6 to 12.

Camps will be held at 70 locations across the city, include drama, dance, music, arts and crafts, and will be conducted according to anti-virus guidelines drafted with help from Toronto Public Health.

“We have taken every possible step to ensure that these programs are healthy and safe,” including screening of campers and staff, mask requirements and diligent cleaning, Tory told reporters during an online news conference.

“CampTO” campers and staff are expected to wear cloth face coverings or masks indoors and outdoors. Campers will be required to bring two to three clean face coverings or masks to camp each day.

Each camp group will stay together for the entire week and will not interact with other camper groups. Caregivers will receive a phone call prior to camp start to review procedures and do a pre-camp health check.

Parents who want to give kids aged 4 to 12 fun experiences without leaving home can sign up for daily 45-minute live interactive online workshops. There are 1,500 spaces available.

The theme is coast-to-coast Canadian travel with virtual visits to different cities each day, including games and talk about diverse food, culture and landmarks.

Registration for both types of camps will start March 23 at 8 a.m.

In-person camps can happen in Toronto’s current grey zone COVID-19 restrictions. If tighter restrictions are in place in April, the city says it will adjust programming as required.

The cost is $140 per child for in-person camps. Virtual camps are $6 per session. Low-income Torontonians can access discounts via the city’s Welcome policy.

Details on programs will be available for viewing starting March 17 at https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/recreation/campto/.

People who have city recreation family and client numbers can register for camps online starting March 23 at 8 a.m. via https://efun.toronto.ca/TorontoFun/Start/Start.asp. Phone registration will also be available. People who need help preparing for registration can call 416-396-7378 Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and on weekends 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Although civic centres remain closed, five community centre locations will be open March 23 and March 24 for in-person registration support. Residents can bring their own devices and get help registering with provided Wi-Fi, or get city staff to register them. Details on in-person registration are at https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/recreation/campto/.