LAEF Announces August Summer Enrichment Camps

The Los Alamitos Education Foundation (LAEF) is excited to offer Enrichment Camps from August 3-14 for kids entering grades TK-5.  Enrichment camps will be held in-person on elementary school campuses.  Each grade-level camp will include academic, enrichment, outdoor activities, and community building activities.  Camp cohorts of 8-17 students will be kept intact throughout the entire week.  In addition to the grade-level camps, STEM Camps are also being offered.  STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.

LAEF has worked diligently to create COVID-19 guidelines that are aligned with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Day Camps guidance, CDPH School-Based Program guidance, and the Orange County Department of Education’s Orange County Together: Guide to Reopening Schools in the COVID-19 Era.

“Once we knew that school would not begin until August 31, we knew that families would be looking for additional opportunities for their children.  As a parent, I am seeing firsthand how my eight-year-old daughter is craving interaction with her peers and is sliding in her academics and emotional health,” said Carrie Logue, LAEF’s Executive Director.  “We have designed the camps to have an academic component, but a large focus is to bring children back together in a safe environment.”

The LAEF Enrichment Camps mission is to reconnect students with a teacher, their peers, and the classroom environment through a fun, enriching, academically engaging, and emotionally safe summer camp.

Camp 1 will run August 3-7 at Rossmoor Elementary.  Camp 2 will run August 10-14 at Weaver Elementary.  All camps will be held from 9:00am to 12:00pm daily with additional camps from 12:45-3:45pm.  Camp guidelines only allow students to be enrolled in one camp per week.

The camp fee is $175 until July 27 and $190 thereafter.  Multi-class discounts are available – 10% off of the 2ndcamp and 15% off additional camps.  To find camp descriptions, teacher bios, COVID-19 guidelines and registration details, please visit LAEF4Kids.org/EnrichmentCamps.  Fee scholarships are also available to those who quality at www.LAEF4kids.org/scholarships.

LAEF is the non-profit partner of Los Alamitos Unified School District. LAEF enhances educational excellence by providing after-school and summer enrichment programs to children in grades Pre-K to 12. LAEF impacts all students by providing significant funding for STEAM teachers and instruction, as well as igniting new programs and providing valuable resources.

LAEF’s First Virtual Summer Enrichment Institute is a Success

(Los Alamitos, CA) Each year, LAEF’s Summer Enrichment Institute (SEI) is an essential part of summer for Los Al parents and students alike, offering fun and educational learning opportunities for students in grades TK-8, and a much-needed break for their parents. This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, LAEF launched this indispensable program virtually and with great success!

LAEF’s first session of Virtual SEI was launched on June 8 and Session 2 began on June 22, offering over 46 fun and academic enrichment classes to nearly 600 students. Session 2 wraps up on July 2.

“I’m so impressed with our teachers, parents, students and staff,” stated LAEF Programs Manager, Mike Kahn.  “Teaching, sharing and learning virtually posed some challenges in the beginning, but everyone embraced the new format and, as a result, the kids had a great time learning and parents were still able to enjoy a nice break.”

Typically, on the last day of each session, family and friends are invited to join their child’s class so the students can share their final projects and presentations with them. On June 19th, the final day of Session one, parents and friends joined the virtual classrooms to enjoy watching their children’s presentations. Parents and teachers alike shared fun photos and videos of their kid’s projects throughout the session with LAEF staff, who created a highlight video that can be viewed on the LAEF website at: www.laef4kids.org/summer-enrichment.