Delaware County offers to pay for camps for children so unemployed parents can look for jobs

Delaware County has launched its fourth rendition of offering summer camp for unemployed parents looking to return to the workplace.

Beginning in 2021, the Delco Strong Summer Camp Solution provided a place for caregivers to take their children in the summer to allow them opportunities to look for work. It started as an initiative in conjunction with the Delaware County Office of Workforce Development and the Delaware County Commerce Center to help those who had lost their jobs during the pandemic.

This year, unemployed Delaware County residents can get up to $1,000 in credits at nine summer camps. The credits are applied towards attendance fees and other fees charged by the camp and are eligible for children up to 15 years old.

“Searching for a job during the summer months when children are home from school can be a challenge,”

Delaware County Council Member Elaine Paul Schaefer said. “That’s why we’re so happy to renew this program for a fourth summer, and we’re glad that we can help families who need those extra hours for their job search.”

The eligible camps include the Boys & Girls Club of Chester; Chef Dad’s Table LLC in Broomall; the Ridley, Springfield and Lansdowne locations of the YMCA of Eastern Delaware County; the Media Arts Council; Colonial Plantation in Gradyville; the Delaware County Community College Kids Camp; and the Darlington Fine Arts Center in Garnet Valley.

Both families and camps can still apply to participate. Online applications can be accessed at pacareerlinkdelco.org/summer-camp.

Once a caregiver applies for the program, program staff work directly with the camp regarding the attendance fees and costs. Caregivers who participated in the program are no longer eligible. Only first time participants may apply.

For this year’s allotment, Delaware County Council approved $50,000, which is the same amount they approved for last year’s session.

In its founding year, the camp solution was part of a two-pronged effort to help people get back to work after mass layoffs during the pandemic.

In the summer of 2021, county council provided $350,000 so the Delaware County Office of Workforce Development and the Commerce Center could back the summer camp initiative as well as the Back to Work Bonus.

The Back to Work Bonus allocated $250,000 to allow small businesses to provide $250 bonuses for people hired between July 1, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2021, and who remained employed for 30 days. These small businesses were eligible for bonuses up to five people.

At the time, Schaefer said, “Employers are having trouble hiring, and people are having trouble paying for the childcare that they need to be able to get back to work, so these programs are exactly what we need to help Delaware County get back on its feet.”