Summer day camps can be a vital youth experience, but for children with bipolar disorder, it can become a difficult if not impossible challenge.
Hoping to give those kids a better camp experience, a Solana Beach-based business called Club Xcite has teamed up with the nonprofit Step Up 4 Kids to offer a day camp just for kids with the disorder.
The specialized camp, for kids 8-12, will be held Aug. 2-6. Registration is already full --- the program can only accommodate a dozen students.
"It is a friendly, forgiving environment," said the company's president, Stefan Hochfilzer, about the camp. "The staff really understands."
Children come from all over the country, including Maryland, Colorado and Pennsylvania to participate.
"I think it's helpful for siblings too, so they can have a break," said John Foletta, executive director of Club Xcite.
Families often make a vacation out of the camp, he added.
The program isn't cheap --- it costs $625 per week, compared with YMCA day camps and other programs that run about $250 per week ---- but there is a 2-to-1 ratio of campers to staff members, who are trained in working with children with the disorder.
Parents are usually surprised when they have not received a call after five hours, because it is not what they are used to, Foletta said.
"The staff knows what to expect, and handles challenges," said a parent who has a daughter who has bipolar disorder in the program, but asked that her name not be printed.
About $3,000 in scholarships were been given out to campers this year, officials said. The money was contributed by donors who support the program and often have had children go through it, Hochfilzer said.
"We try to make it possible for everyone," Foletta said. "Everyone who needed (financial help) got at least a partial scholarship."
Staff members include Chelsea Heller, who has a master's degree in psychology, and has worked with children with social problems in other settings.
"It's a combination of my passion for working with these children, my past experiences, and my education," she said.
Every day the children meet at San Dieguito Park in Solana Beach. After a quick debriefing to calm nerves and anxieties, the group heads out on a field trip or activity, such as bowling or surfing.
"It really is a typical summer camp," Foletta said. "The skills we teach are cloaked."
"We coach them through their anxieties," Hochfilzer said. "After the first day, every child goes home to their parents with a smile on their face."
At the end of the day, the group discusses how the day went, and what will happen the next day, Hochfilzer said.
Children at the camp not only get to enjoy fun trips, but also make friends with other children in similar situations.
"The biggest thing was meeting kids who are bipolar, which has been really good for her," a parent said.
At the end of the week, each camper receives a "best of" award.
"Kids feel accomplished by just finishing the camp," Hochfilzer said.
Foletta said the biggest issue is that on the last day, no one wants to go home.
"We've never had to send a child home," he said.
Club Xcite offers other day camps throughout the summer to children with all kinds of special needs, including ADD and ADHD. The cost of those camps ranges from $385 to families who have a Club Xcite membership to $445 for nonmembers.
Throughout the year, the business also offers mentors who help students with homework, as well as other activities, similar to a big brother or big sister, Foletta said.
For more information, visit
www.exciteway.com or
www.stepup4bpkids.comPosted in Solana-beach on Friday, June 18, 2010 6:47 pm Updated: 9:59 pm. | Tags: Coastal, Nct, News, Solana Beach,
