Westside Summer : Kid’s Programs Are Answer to Endless Summer

School’s almost out, thousands of kids on the Westside will be let loose, and city recreation departments, libraries and nonprofit organizations stand ready with a slew of classes, sports, arts programs and outings to tantalize and occupy them.

Many of the offerings are free or low-cost, and there’s probably something for every child. Kids can watch the taping of a television show, train their dogs, discuss books and learn everything from magic to manners.

Day camps or daytime drop-in programs are offered by all the cities on the Westside, by public school districts and by private and religious organizations. Children are kept busy with arts and crafts, cooking, games, swimming and trips to places such as Universal Studios and Dodger Stadium. The drop-in programs at Santa Monica’s parks and playgrounds, for instance, revolve around a different theme each week, such as “All-American” (the week of July 4) and “Bike and Hike.”

Some day camps are already or nearly filled, such as those at the Los Angeles City Recreation and Parks Department’s Westwood and Cheviot recreation centers, park directors say. But others, such as those at the Westchester and Palisades centers, still have plenty of openings, said Patricia Perka, secretary with the park system’s Shoreline and West districts, which have 23 parks on the Westside.

Some recreation programs have been slashed because of budget tightening. Culver Slauson Park lost its director and two other employees, and will have no day camp or field trips. But it will still have daily activities and a lunch program this summer, said assistant director Liz Medina.

The parks had to fight a hiring freeze so that they could hire the extra staff needed for the summer onslaught of children, Perka said.

Programs in Los Angeles in particular are also adjusting to the year-round school calendar, in which children have two six-week breaks during the year instead of the traditional three-month summer vacation. The new calendar, which will be launched in August citywide, is designed to help accommodate the increasing number of students in the Los Angeles school district.

Westchester Recreation Center, for instance, plans to add a day camp during the winter break. The biggest hurdle will be finding day-camp counselors and other employees, because the recreation centers typically hire college students who are on the traditional academic schedule, park administrators said.

“If we can get parents to work (at the parks), I think that’s the way it’s going to have to be,” said Wendy Zandel, Westchester recreation assistant.

Most of the logistics still have to be hammered out, recreation administrators say. “It’s all in the talking stages,” Perka said.

Onetime events are spread throughout the summer, including trips to Knott’s Berry Farm and Magic Mountain. The Boys and Girls Club of Venice visits the set of “American Gladiators” June 28 and goes ocean fishing July 30. Santa Monica’s annual Youth Summer Carnival is Aug. 9 at Memorial Park.

Aspiring actors, dancers and artisans will find drama, jazz and tap dance and ballet offered by the city recreation departments. Children can learn to craft rag dolls in a Santa Monica College class and make magic at Palisades Recreation Center. They can also dance in Ballet Folklorico on Saturday afternoons at the Penmar Recreation Center in Venice.

This is the 15th year of Catskills West, Beverly Hills’ day camp devoted to the visual and performing arts. For a month, children take workshops in drama, art, and music and then show off their talents in a public performance. The Westside Arts Center in Santa Monica also has art and theater sessions for children.

The William O. Douglas Outdoor Classroom sponsors hikes every weekend, including ones for toddlers and for single parents, and “Incredible Edibles,” in which hikers pick salad fixings along the trail.

Children can camp among the not-so-wild animals at the Los Angeles Zoo, in the Zoo Snooze on Aug. 16 and 17. After-hours tours, crafts, games and videos will be included.

Summer can also be spent hitting the books. Libraries have storytelling, book discussion clubs and certificates for reading books. School districts and Santa Monica College offer classes in marine biology, computers, math and other topics. To get students thinking about college, the Boys and Girls Club will tour Loyola Marymount University and Cal State Northridge.

Kids can also act as junior counselors at day camps or volunteer at hospitals or for their favorite good cause. Given the recession, the range of usual summer jobs might be smaller, and youths may face stiffer competition from older workers, according to First Break, an employment service run by the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.

“But the jobs are there, especially in areas that traditionally are sources of entry-level jobs for young people, such as food service, hospitality and retail sales,” said chamber President Ray Remy. Banks, theme parks, health-care and temporary-help agencies are other places that will probably have the most jobs available for teen-agers, First Break officials say.