Summer Day Camp at the Denver Inner City Parish provides affordable, quality summer activities for thirty-five boys and girls, ages 6-11 in an eight-week program starting in late June through the beginning of August. Children are provided with breakfast, lunch and a snack during the camp through a Federal Free Lunch Program. Costs per child for the entire program are based on a sliding scale fee. The kids participate in the Denver Public Library Summer Reading Project, swimming lessons, trips to museums and the mountains, as well as crafts and other activities.

• Hiring qualified and experienced staff that can create and develop a positive but educationally rigorous environment for the participants.
• Expose participants to educational opportunities outside of the classroom, which can include field trips to the Nature & Science Museum, Art Museum, Anderson Farms, Botanic Gardens, and the Denver Zoo.
• Develop students’ literacy skills by increasing the literacy components of the program, including continued participation in the summer reading program (offered by the Denver Public Library), structured time for reading and use of volunteers to read to students.
• Provide physical activity, outdoor experience, and challenging activities for the children.

DICP serves the West Denver neighborhood where a majority of families are Latino and living below the federal poverty level.

In fact, according to the 2000 Census, 52% of children in West Denver live in single-parent homes, and 51% of children under the age of 18 live in poverty. Although many families work hard to survive – often balancing two and three jobs and raising a family – they often face tough decisions such as how to maintain their employment and find adequate childcare in the summer when school is out. There are approximately 560 children in subsidized childcare, and yet there are only 389 licensed childcare slots within the neighborhood. There is dramatic need for safe and affordable child care in the neighborhood. DICP helps meet this need with Summer Day Camp.

For families barely surviving, these costs can mean having to sacrifice other essential things such as groceries, utility bills, or rent – making it nearly impossible to manage. Without DICP’s Summer Day Camp, many families would be faced with the decision to either leave their children home alone or lose their job.