PORTLAND, Ore. — On Sunday evening, Portland Public Schools confirmed that there will be no school on Monday, as the strike continues for a second week. For some Portland students, this November feels more like summer vacation. Day camps are popping up across the metro area, giving students impacted by the strike a place to go.
“I think a lot of parents were shocked that the strike actually went through, and I think there’s a lot of scrambling going on,” said the Director of Electronic Music Club, Erik Carlson.
Carlson runs an after-school program in over a dozen schools focused on teaching the art of music production.
But once the teacher strike started Nov. 1, schools closed and after-school programs were put on hold.
“People were starting to ask if we had kind of an option for daycare,” Carlson said.
Once he saw the need, Carlson began looking for a new location to host kids for an extended period of time during the strike.
“Thankfully, we’ve had a really great relationship with Unity of Portland, the church that’s up the street," he said. "We’ve done summer camps there before."
Vibe of Portland, an art and music education nonprofit, also stepped in to provide childcare called 'No School Day Camp'.
"Tomorrow we’ve got a full day of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. art camps for kids that aren’t going to be in school," said Vibe Program Director, Dunja Marcum.
Both Marcum and Carlson said it's important for local organizations to step and support Portland families.
"There’s such a need for it. I mean, we’re helping out our community," Marcum added. "So many parents have to go to work and suddenly they’re without childcare.”
“[It] helps provide a sense of continuity for children while this is kind of an uncertain and strange time for them,” Carlson said.
Here's a list of day camps hosting PPS students this week:
- Trackers Camps; arts, crafts and outdoor skills
- Stronger Skatepark; skate time and other activities
- Portland Baseball club; baseball and softball for kids aged 8-14
- Portland Outdoor Explorers; an outdoor education for students K-5
- Vibe of Portland; digital art, mixed media, illustration and more
- D-Bat PDX West; baseball and softball training camps and clinics
- Electronic Music Club; music production, outdoor activities, games and crafts
- Experiment PDX STEAM Camp; LEGO Robotics, interactive exhibits, science library and craft lab
- Southwest Portland Martial Arts; martial arts, movement and some academics
