By Nathan Howell / Special to the Reporter  

PELHAM — Pelham Ridge and Pelham Oaks Elementary schools have been offering a summer day camp program for the past three years to help keep students in kindergarten through fifth grade busy during the summer months.

The program, officially called “PCS Summer Care 2019,” is open to any student registered with PCS schools and is directed by Richard Powers, a teacher at Pelham Ridge.

“The kids love the program,” said Powers. “Almost every day at the end we have children who do not want to leave.”

Throughout the week Summer Care begins at 7:00 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m., students are allowed to come and stay as long as they want or need, where they will be able to participate in a range of activities.

“We have a lot of different things to do,” Powers explained. “We spend time on the playground and the track when the weather permits, just to let them burn off some energy. We have a full size gym where they can play basketball, kickball and just let off some energy. We will occasionally go across the street to Legacy Gymnastics.”

One of the more popular aspects of the program is that students get to go on a field trip every week, which is also reinforced through arts and crafts projects.

“For instance, we would have the students make and decorate paper bowling pins, and then at the end of the week we take them bowling,” Powers said.

Around 60-65 students participate in the program every week, and nearly 100 students participate throughout the course of the summer. Powers wants to expand the program to include more students when resources become available.

Powers described the program as a success, and hope to be able to expand it in the future. He explained that he wants more students to have access to the program and for the program to have more educational opportunities.

The program is currently operated by Powers and some of the after school staff. This means that the educational opportunities are currently limited to reading and technology, but he hopes to expand this in the future when more funding is available.

Registration for the current session is currently closed, but parents can get more information about the program for next year by visiting Pelhamcityschools.org