BREC Summer camps filling quickly as new safety measures limit capacity

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BATON ROUGE- On the first day of registration for BREC Summer camps, parents are not wasting any time enrolling their children. Some programs are already at max capacity as children have been out of school and stuck at home for months.

Unlike BREC Summer camps held in the past, things will run a bit differently this year. 

With new restrictions and guidelines following the outbreak of COVID-19, the camps will begin with virtual experiences, then move to a mixture of in-person and virtual activities to follow.

As the state is still in Phase One of the reopening plan, campers will not be able to gather face-to-face for at least the first week.

"Phase One does not end until June 5, and hopefully we will be able to enter Phase Two. That provides us a little bit more of an opportunity to interact with children on a face-to-face basis," BREC Assistant Superintendent Brandon Smith said.

Although restrictions may ease, Smith says they will only be able to have about 25 people at each camp setting. That number includes both campers and counselors. 

When indoors, campers will be required to wear a mask and social distance.

"We are doing temperature checks and asking some questions to make sure that the child is able to come to camp that day," Smith says.

Smith says setting up these programs in the midst of a pandemic was not easy, but it will be worth it.

"For those parents that really need a place to go so they can go to work and want to have a quality place to place their child, we'll have those full-day summer camps available for them also," Smith said

BREC's Summer camps include the following options:

- BREC Art

- Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center

- Choose Your Own Adventure

- Conservation

- Farr Park Equestrian Center

- Highland Road Park Observatory

- Independence Park Theatre

- Magnolia Mound

- Recreation

Participants are encouraged to register as quickly as possible as some programs already have waitlists.

Camps will begin the first week of June. 

All participants are required to register online. You can register here.