recreation
Featured Local News

Durham Parks And Recreation Offers School-Aged Care Programs For Youth

Phyllis Coley @phyllis_coley

Durham, NC – Durham Parks and Recreation (DPR) will offer two school-aged care programs for youth ages 5-12. These programs will provide a fun, safe, and productive learning experience for participants amid COVID-19. Both programs will start on September 14 in various recreation centers in Durham.

recreationRecreation Works is designed to support families and students with remote learning in a small, socially distanced setting.  This program will begin on Monday, September 14, and will be offered Monday-Friday from 7:45 am to -11:45 am at W.I. Patterson and Holton Career and Resources Recreation Centers and also from 12:15 pm – 4:15 pm at the Edison Johnson Recreation Center.  DPR plans to continue to offer this program in support of our community while Durham Public Schools is operating on Plan C (distance learning required).

For participants to be successful in the Recreation Works Program, the following items are needed:

  • a personal or school-assigned laptop computer or device;
  • charging cable for the device;
  • login information;
  • headphones with a microphone;
  • required curriculum for classes (notebooks, reading books, and worksheets); and
  • a water bottle.

recreationDPR’s traditional After School Programs will be offered Monday-Friday from 2:30 pm – 6 pm at the I.R. Holmes Sr. Recreation Center at Campus Hills and the Walltown Park Recreation Center. The program promotes recreation, social, and emotional support in a safe setting after school. After School offers a balanced mix of arts and crafts, sports, and other recreational activities for ages 5-12.

DPR will follow hand hygiene and social distancing guidelines recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) by increasing the cleaning and sanitation protocols and limiting the total number of program participants as well as maintaining group sizes with no more than 9 per group.

DPR staff and participants must successfully complete a wellness screening and temperature check each day prior to entering the program.  DPR staff will wear masks during program hours and participants will wear masks except for when they are seated for their remote learning (seats will be spaced to allow for recommended distancing) or when engaged in socially distanced play outdoors.  

Registration is available online. Visit the Recreation Works Program or the After School Program web pages for more information.  If additional assistance is required, you may also email the Care Programs Team.

DPR’s Sliding Fee Scale ​(SFS) program applies to both programs. The scale ranges from 10-100% and is based on income, number of members per household, and special circumstances affecting the applicant’s ability to pay. If approved, the reduced fee is valid for one year.  Parents/Guardians who have a current approved reduced rate assigned will receive the applicable discount at the time of registration. Those who previously had an SFS rate that has expired must submit a new application.  

Applications are available online.  Call the DPR administrative office at 919-560-4355 from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m., Monday-Friday, for registration assistance or to make arrangements to pick up a Sliding Fee Scale Application (if not able to access online).  Please note that the application, once received by DPR, may take up to 5-7 days to process.  

About Durham Parks and Recreation

Durham Parks and Recreation provides opportunities for the Durham community to Play More by connecting our whole community to wellness, the outdoors, and lifelong learning. To learn more about Durham Parks and Recreation, visit us online, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or call (919) 560-4355.