Rising costs to prevent 1,400 kids from participating in summer programs

City Council working to find additional $750K needed to cover students

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Parents and local community leaders said they're upset after learning that 1,468 children will not be able to participate in Duval County summer programs. 

The Jacksonville Children’s Commission said costs have gone up, and it simply can’t accommodate as many students as it could in the past.

Brittany Washington told News4Jax on Friday that she's concerned because she's a single mother working full time, but she may not be able to send her 6-year-old son to summer camp this year because she didn't qualify for a JCC voucher. 

"I usually send him to summer camp every year, but now that there's no funding, it's hard to find a reasonable, reliable summer camp for him," Washington said.

This week, the JCC told the Jacksonville City Council that it costs $500 per child this year for summer camp -- up from $350. In turn, the JCC said, it can't provide as much help to parents in need. 

"There's so many single parents in the world trying to take care of their kids. I only have one child, so imagine someone with four kids trying to find somewhere for their children to go during the day," Washington said. 

The issue was discussed during Tuesday's meeting of the City Council.

Council members said they've been bombarded with calls, and are working to find the additional $750,000 needed to cover the more than 1,400 students who aren't able to get into a program. 

Councilman Sam Newby said a former gang member told him the beginning of June, after school ends, is recruitment time for gangs, which is another big reason the City Council is working to get that funding to keep children safe and busy. 

"I think we need to understand that, without these programs, a lot of these children are going to be out on these streets," Pastor Mark Griffin told council members. 

Councilman Tommy Hazouri said the City Council is going to work with an auditor to find the money, but it wouldn't come out of the general fund. He said council members hope to find the cash and file a bill to allocate the money on June 13.

Jacksonville Mayor Curry issued the following response to the availability of summer camp programming:

“As a parent of school-age children, I share the frustration that families have expressed about the availability of summer camp programs; as mayor, I recognize the importance of quality and data-driven indicators and assessments to guide and target resources, particularly when they are limited. That is why I maintain my commitment to supporting and implementing programs that contribute to the safety and well-being of youth and communities throughout our city. The afterschool and summer programs led by JCC are no exception and will be approved to mitigate any further delays. Although we will follow the process as the contracts require, I remain steadfast in my efforts to better understand how JCC and Jax Journey can most effectively meet the needs of kids in our community. As we complete our findings and analyses, I look forward to working with City Council to present a plan that improves and reforms services and operations that lead to better outcomes for Jacksonville kids.”