Johnson County summer day camp in funding struggle

Kids in the Forest View Mobile Home Park, Pheasant Ridge and Broadway neighborhoods in Iowa City may need to find somewhere else to go this summer besides the Neighborhood Centers of Johnson County.

The group, which has run its Good Neighbors summer day camp for children in those neighborhoods for the last 10 years, says a budget shortfall may end up canceling the program this summer.

The main deficit comes from dollars previously contributed by the Johnson County Decategorization Board, which directs state child welfare funds in the county. The board has had its overall state budget funding cut in half to $60,000, and still doesn't know how much money it will receive specifically for its service area for the 2012 fiscal year, according to Amy Correia, a coordinator with Johnson County Social Services.

“Right now we're in a holding pattern, and the Neighborhood Centers can't really plan at the last minute,” she said.

The board is providing the center about $8,000 for the camp, but Correia said that is a fraction of the $45,000 the program needs to host 40-60 children for seven weeks the way it normally does.

Another funding source that has grown less reliable is the state Child Care Assistance grant, which fewer parents qualify as unemployment increases, according to Brian Loring, executive director of the center.

The center is trying to save the camp by urging local individuals and businesses to donate $600 scholarships, each of which could sponsor a single child for the duration of the camp. The scholarships help fund staff salaries and activities for the children.

“We're a little bit worried, but we remain optimistic,” he said. “We've been in this position before, although not recently.”

The camp is a big boost in preventing a “summer slide” for students and keeping them academically engaged while out of school, according to Loring.

“Some of the kids have some behavioral programs, some are academically challenged and some just need academic challenges during the summer months to stay on track,” he said. “We think the work is pretty important to keep doing.”