FOR THE KIDS : VALLEY WEEKEND : Time to Reserve Spots at Popular Holiday Camps : Municipal and county programs offer a variety of activities. Reservations are suggested because some sites will fill up.

Valerie Albitson’s advice to parents at this time of year is “Shop early for your holiday camp!” She’s assistant director at the Sylmar Recreation Center, one of a score of sites in the San Fernando Valley where the Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks will be offering Holiday Day Camps beginning the week of Dec. 18 through the first week of January.

Kids from 6 to 12 will be able to work out the wigglies via football, tumbling, basketry, ice skating, field trips--even baking and eating gingerbread houses, while mom and dad are at work or shopping.

This is a fairly typical list of activities at the various holiday camps being offered at municipal and county recreation facilities in the Valley, but the fees involved vary widely--from $30 a week in some neighborhoods to more than $100 in others.

Children from any community can be enrolled wherever it’s convenient to their home, their parents’ work site or the baby-sitter. But, Albitson stressed, to avoid disappointment and confusion, parents should make reservations during the next two weeks. “We don’t want them all here unannounced on the first day we open.”

Indeed, some camps are so popular they began taking reservations early--an example is Burbank’s Holly Daze Camp, which started making its list Tuesday.

There’s a range of camp schedules to choose from, and some won’t take reservations until a week before they go into operation. Some open and close before Christmas and others run only between Christmas and New Year’s. Many offer daily rates and extended-hour rates for 12-hour-a-day sessions.

The demand for services is reflected by the considerable number of sites offering programs in the Valley and adjacent communities: A partial list includes Lake View Terrace, Pacoima, Panorama City, Sylmar, Encino, North Hollywood, Studio City, Van Nuys, Granada Hills, Northridge, Tarzana, Winnetka, Woodland Hills, Quartz Hill, La Crescenta, Glendale and Burbank.

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DETAILS

Spaces are limited at municipal and county holiday camps in the Valley and north county. Enrollment is open to kids from any community, but make reservations early:

* LOS ANGELES: The Department of Recreation and Parks’ Holiday Day Camp program at 20 sites in the Valley runs from the week of Dec. 18 through the first week of January from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday for kids 6-12. The camps offer gymnastics, drama, cooking, art and field trips, at fees of $30 to $90 per week depending on location. Call (818) 756-8188.

* LOS ANGELES COUNTY: Holiday Workshop Camp at George Lane Park in Quartz Hill runs Dec. 5-7 and Dec. 12-14 from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. for kids 5-12. The cost is $25 for all six days. Call (805) 722-7780.

* SPECIAL EVENTS: Holiday Crafts at Pearblossom County Park in La Crescenta runs Dec. 19-21 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. for kids 6-12. The fee is $10 a day. Call (818) 249-5940.

* GLENDALE: Holiday Day Camp runs Dec. 18-22 and 26-29, 7 a.m.-6 p.m., at Verdugo Park at a fee of $60-$70 a week. Call (818) 548-3783. Also in Glendale, the holiday camps at city-operated Brand Studios will run on the same dates. The performing arts program for kids 8-14 runs 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at a fee of $140 per week. The fine arts program for kids 5-14, 1-4 p.m., costs $130 per week.

* BURBANK: Holiday Break Specialty Camp at Olive Recreation Center offers arts and sports for kids 8-13. The program runs Dec. 26-29 and Jan. 2-5 at a of fee $70 per week. Call (818) 238-5397. Burbank Holly Daze Day Camp at Verdugo Recreation Center for kids from kindergarten through fifth grade runs 9 a.m.-4 p.m. from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5 (no camp Jan. 1). The $120 fee covers two weeks. Call (818) 238-5390.