03-29-2007 Parents turn to city’s Camp Fair to fill child care gap

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o�sou Tx F dx :J b W eFacE � � y� a 1, a2 1865 Office of the Mayor NEWS RELEASE March 29, 2007 2 p.m. Contact: Tom Price, Assistant to the Mayor, 235-5853 or 514-2169, or Susan O'Connor, Director of Recreation, 299-4768, E:ct. 244 Parents turn to city's Camp Fair to fill child care gap As summer approached the year before Amy Dowd's twin sons were to enter first grade, she and her husband, Matt, realized they needed to find summer child-care options for their boys. Matt, who had been at home with the boys previous summers while studying at the University of Notre Dame, returned full time to the workforce. And sending the boys to the pre-school provider the family used previously was cost-prohibitive. "We realized we've got to figure out something for the boys to do this summer," said Dowd, a financial representative at Northwestern Mutual. So three years ago, the Dowds visited the South Bend Parks and Recreation Department's annual O'Brien Summer Camp Fair. "We were amazed at how many different groups were there. It really opened our eyes— not only for what the South Bend Parks and Recreation has to offer, but also for whatever else was out there," said Dowd, who was able to place her sons, Benjamin and Michael, in a variety of daylong camps throughout the summer. "Almost every single week they had something different to do for their camps. ... It's nice to have so much variety." The Dowds and hundreds of parents will connect with more than 30 camps at the 6a' annual O'Brien Summer Camp Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the O'Brien Recreation Center, 321 E. Walter St. For working parents, the free Camp Fair provides "one-stop shopping" for them to assemble a complex puzzle of summertime child care. In addition, families can: • Register to win a free week at the camp of their choice and a summer camp survival kit. • Attend one of four informational sessions presented by the American Camping