YOUNGSTOWN — A summer camp offered to local children by Easterseals of Northeast Ohio is not only benefiting them but the grandparents, aunts and uncles taking care of them.

Called “Kinship Summer Camp,” the program held for seven weeks four days per week in June and July, has children spending four hours at the camp while their caregivers are given time to spend on their own.

McDonald resident Jody Klase, CEO of Easterseals, said the children who attend are being raised by an older adult relative who is not a parent, typically a grandparent or other family member.

“We want to provide the camp for the children but also provide time for their caregivers to rest and overall support to help them manage raising a younger child and often times multiple children,” Klase said,

She said Easterseals is seeing more and more grandparents as the primary caregivers raising grandchildren and the reason the camp was created.

“We saw the need to try and support in whatever ways we can the older adults. I have seen that the placement of the younger children with a grandparent or other family member is often unplanned and last minute. For many people having to take two young children into their home is often unplanned. They are often not ready and prepared to take care of a child and have to deal with food and clothes,” Klase said.

She said it is often difficult for older adults who raised their children 30 years ago when they were younger to have to do it again.

The camp is offered as a unique, supportive program designed specifically for children being raised by relatives, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, or older siblings, in kinship care arrangements. Klase said the camp combines the fun and adventure of a traditional summer camp with the understanding and structure that kinship families need to thrive.

Klase said children in kinship care may face unique emotional or behavioral challenges. She said the camp is designed to meet them where they are — offering a fun, inclusive experience that builds confidence, connection and resilience

Klase said Easterseals partners with Direction Home, which provides funding through grants for the camp with both agencies connecting families to resources they may need. The camp provides a safe, inclusive space to build friendships and self-confidence, offers structured activities that support emotional wellness, teamwork and creativity and provides daily routines designed to promote stability and reduce stress.

“The decision to hold the camp five years ago was to find a creative way to better support caregivers. There was brainstorming and we came up with the idea of a summer camp,” Klase said.

The children in the camp are ages 5 to 10 and are able to attend because their caregivers qualify and meet stipulations through Direction Home for the program and can attend for free. Bus transportation to the camp is provided.

Klase said some children have attended all five years.

Camp leader Sophie Klase of Austintown and a teacher at Maplewood schools, said she and four other camp leaders who are all teachers in Trumbull and Mahoning counties work with the children following a weekly theme.

Klase said for “Superheroes” week representatives of the OH!WOW Center in Youngstown came to the camp and focused on Spiderman with children making their own spider webs.

“Each child made their own webs and we tested what each of them could catch in their web” Sophie Klase said.

She said the students also wrote a positive reflection of a superhero and the super powers that individuals had and what they liked about that super power.

Jody Klase said the children are enthusiastic when they come to the camp.

“They look forward to the camp. They don’t know they are receiving social and emotional support while they are learning and having fun. We provide that support during the weekly themes,” she said.

Guests including the Ohio State Extension Office which did a food group lesson and Kamora Traveling Outdoor reptiles show which did a program on dinosaurs have come to the camp for educational programs,

“We want to provide them with new experiences. With the lesson of food we want them to try new healthy foods. They try a new recipe and get to try it,” Sophie said.

Jody said the children are in school all year long and the idea for the summer camp is to have fun and build relationships with other children and also get exposure to other community organizations who visit.

“They get new experiences that they otherwise would not have had,” she said.

Sophie said she herself looks forward to the camp as a teacher with the crafts and activities the children get to take part in.

“I and the other camp leaders look forward to the camp just as much as the kids do. I like being able to talk to the children and bond with them. The children like that interaction,” she said.

Camp leader Jules Higgins of McDonald, who teaches in Youngstown city schools, said the children like the hands-on learning activities and getting to interact with other children they do not know.

“This gets them out of the house and able to spend time here learning and having fun,” Higgins said.

Kennedy Coates, 6, of Youngstown, who attended the camp with her brother, Kenneth Coates, 7, said she liked making the spider webs and seeing what items such as coins, paper and plastic balls could be caught by the web.

OPEN HOUSE

To showcase what the children have made and done during the seven weeks an open house will be from 11 a.m to 1 p.m. Wednesday for the public.

Jody Klase said the open house is a combination of art show and open house at Easterseals office, 299 Edwards St., Youngstown.

“The children have made artwork to display at the open house,” she said.

In addition there will be art work of other program participants including the adult daycare clients, speech therapy clients.

“This will be an opportunity to update the community on all of our programs and services,” Klase said.

She said those attending will receive a passport to experience Easterseals and the opportunity to visit different programs.

People can turn in their passport and have a chance to win door prizes, gift cards and a television.