Campus & Community

Parents seeking educational and fun programs for their children this summer have options at three Palm Beach State College campuses, including a new camp for 5- and 6- year-olds who have completed pre-K.

Programs are available at the Boca Raton, Lake Worth and Palm Beach Gardens campuses. Collectively, they serve children up to 14 years old and offer varying course options in arts, science, technology, engineering, math, fitness and more. Most programs will run Monday through Thursday, and pick-up and drop-off times vary by campus and program.

• Summer Youth College at the Palm Beach Gardens campus will focus on science, technology, engineering, math and arts. It runs June 6-July 28 and is open to children 8-12 years old. However, 7-year-olds may be accepted on an individual basis. Parents can choose three classes for each day of the week. Students ultimately would take 12 classes over the eight weeks. Plans are also underway for a separate Robotics camp for middle school students. It will run for three weeks in June and again for three weeks in July. “We’re acclimating students to a college experience,” said Carrie Pasquale, director of community and corporate education.
• Summer Youth Camp at the Palm Beach Gardens campus is being offered for the first time June 6-Aug. 12. This camp is separate from Summer Youth College in that it will be coordinated and run by the College’s Center for Early Learning. Unlike Summer Youth College this camp will operate Monday through Friday. Merri Wright, director of the center, said she wanted to create an opportunity for children who graduate VPK and need a place to go for the summer. The camp will serve a maximum of 25 students ages 5 and 6 on a first-come, first-served basis. Students must have completed VPK. “So many children leave us and want to come back. Our program is a fun learning experience,’’ Wright said. “What they will get out of it is amazing.”
• Summer Youth College at the Boca Raton campus also will focus on science, technology, engineering, math, arts and sports. The six-week program runs June 20-July 28 for youth ages 8-14. The Boca Raton campus also will host two-week specialty camps June 6-16: S.T.E.A.M for youth ages 8-12 and Computer Animation/Programming for children ages 11 to 14. In addition, one-week specialty camps – Get Fit With SYC, Robotics and Art Medley – are currently slated for Aug. 1-4.
• Summer Youth Arts Program at the Lake Worth campus will be held June 6-July 8 for youth ages 8-14 years old. Students will be introduced to art, film, theater and photography.

For details about the cost of each program, the offerings, dates and times, visit www.palmbeachstate.edu/SYC.