As the end of the school year draws near, many families are still searching to find camps and programs to keep their kids busy on these hot summer days. Veterans Park Recreation Center’s 2022 registration for Lee County Parks & Recreation Summer Camp continues and spaces are open, but are expected to fill quickly as the end of the school year draws near.

According to Rebecca Flora, spots are still open, so they encourage those looking to register to sign up online or in person.

“There are still openings in both camps. We are at about 50 percent right now, but camp size restrictions are lifted and we are functioning at full capacity,” Flora said.

This year’s summer camp is seven weeks long, from June 13 to July 29, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday-Friday. The cost per week is $75 per participant.

Summer camp has two groups:

Traditional Camp is for campers who have completed kindergarten-sixth grade and are 6 years old on or before Sept. 1, and Middle School Camp, for campers sixth-eighth grade. A recreation center membership is required.

Parents are encouraged to sign up early since there are allotted spaces within each Lee County recreation center camp. Camp registration is ongoing as long as space is available.

Campers will also get the full experience this year with field trips back on the schedule.

“We are happy to report that this year we will be doing a few field trips; one to our community pool,” Flora said.

The Lehigh Acres Community Pool, adjacent to Williams Park, also offers swimming lessons through the summer. Classes do fill up quickly due to limited spacing, so early sign up is recommended.

The classes begin at infant/toddler levels, which are designed for children 6 months to 3 years old. Instructor teaches the parent how to help the child adjust to the water. The main goal is for the child to become comfortable in the water, and learn safety skills such as: bubble blowing; floating on the back with support; rolling from front to back; holding onto the wall; climbing in and out of the pool.

For more experienced swimmers, the pool offers Gator Level, for children ages 5 and older who want to further develop their strokes and endurance levels.

Skills needed are: ability to swim one length of the pool front crawl and one length back stroke; know the basic skills of the elementary backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly, and be able to tread water for one minute.

For more information about Lee County Parks & Recreation locations, camps, classes, amenities, and other special events, visit www.leeparks.org, call 239-533-7275 or email leeparks@leegov.com.