DURHAM

Enjoy day camps that combine enrichment activities with traditional recreational opportunities! Sports, games, field trips and crafts combine with interesting learning themes to create an exciting summer. Camps are licensed by the North Carolina Division of Child Development and Early Education. The well-rounded summer experience includes academic enrichment, science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM).

Students will participate in field trips during the summer at no additional charge. Students are transported in Durham Public Schools' activity buses by approved bus drivers. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Students will need to bring a healthy afternoon snack.

Program Locations:

Summer Camp Locations: Hillandale Elementary and Murray-Massenburg Elementary

2025 Summer Camp Information

Traditional camps for rising 1st – 6th graders

Dates: June 18 - August 1, 2025

Hours: 7:00am - 6:00pm

Summer Camp Family Orientation will be held on Sunday, June 1, at 3:00 p.m. at each school.

Camp 4 Rising K:

Camp 4 Rising K is a non-licensed summer camp opportunity for RISING kindergarten students. This camp is not licensed by the NC Division of Child Development Early Education but is operated by Community Education. This camp does not accept DSS Vouchers. Campers must be five years old by August 31, 2025.

Dates: June 18 - August 1, 2025

Location: Spring Valley Elementary

Summer Camp Family Orientation will be held on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at 3:00 p.m. at Spring Valley Elementary.

Summer Camp Offer:

• Experienced, trained staff

• A safe, stimulating environment

• Opportunity to make new friends

• Recreational field trips

• Summer Camp t-shirts

• Free breakfast and lunch

• Theme-related activities in arts, crafts, music, dramatic play, language arts, science and more!

Commit to Be Fit: Mixing fun and physical fitness can be so much fun! Various activities surrounding fitness will help your child grow and build strong bones and muscles. The activities we offer will help them develop coordination and movement skills that will follow them for their entire lives!  We will partner with Mindful Bodies, Urban Air, Ultimate Frisbee, Lowes Foods, and the Poe Center for Health Education to learn how to keep our bodies healthy.

Green, Green, Green: We are not talking about money! We are talking about the planet! Being green means taking care of our planet, just like we take care of our toys and friends! We will introduce children through various partnerships on how their lifestyle impacts the environment. It is about using less stuff, reusing things, and recycling so we can keep our world clean and healthy for everyone, now and in the future. When we go green, we help save trees, water, and animals, making the Earth a happier place for all. We have partnered with Durham Solid Waste Management, and Carolina Solar Energy to introduce students to ways to ensure they are going Green!

Bob Can Build It: If Bob Can Build It, then your child can too! Engineering activities for your child will be hands-on and energetic, allowing them to use their curiosity and creativity to solve real-world problems. At our camp, children will have the opportunity to do so by bringing in parents to discuss their careers in architecture or engineering. We have partnered with Durham County Public Library who will provide campers with an experience on the Tech and Book Mobiles.  Duke Engage will come to introduce campers to robotics, engineering, and coding activities.

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs: Introducing new cultural foods to your child will open their minds, allowing them to enjoy new things.  After all, how do they know what their favorite thing is if they haven't tried it yet? In this busy world, don't blend in, stand out!  We have partnered with DINE and Chef Jarvis to offer opportunities to taste new and exciting dishes!!

It Looked Like Spilt Milk:  Art can help children develop their creativity and think outside the box. Help children explore their imagination and develop new skills. Art is not meant to represent the world as we see it, but rather to explore the emotional and intellectual. Knock over a glass of milk and tell me what do you see? It’s your artistic mind at work so you create your own imagination and live! We have partnered with local art teachers to help bring abstract art to life.

Zootopia: Understanding animals helps children learn about biology, ecology, and the environment. It fosters curiosity about the natural world. Learning about animals can promote empathy. We have partnered with Piedmont Wildlife and Centennial Campus for Wildlife Education to help us learn more about the animals in our region.

Under The Sea: Your child may not be Ariel nor Flounder, but we promise you that they will have the opportunity to get wet and soaked at camp! Children will participate in swimming, on-site water play, and children will experience a bubble machine which always promises a magical experience!

Registration

There are a limited number of students accepted for each camp. One camp t-shirt is included in your registration fee and will be available at the family orientation session. A registration fee of $35 is charged per child per summer. The registration fee is not refundable. If you withdraw from camp, please provide us with a written notice three weeks in advance to avoid being charged a $140 cancellation fee (the equivalent of a full-price one-week fee). Fees are due upon registration. We regret that we cannot accept registrations from families with overdue Community Education accounts.

Families can register for Camp Funtastic on the Registration tab.

Registration Deadlines: All deadlines are by close of business