Encino Park6953 Ventura Blvd.Size: 4.1 acres.Facilities: Diverse...

Encino Park

6953 Ventura Blvd.

Size: 4.1 acres.

Facilities: Diverse summer camp programs, children’s play area, picnic area with barbecue pits, two lighted tennis courts.

Telephone: (818) 995-1690

Encino has long been in need of creative summer camps, but it wasn’t until seven years ago that the city of Los Angeles developed Camp Encino, a summer program for kids ages 5 to 11 that offers a structured program guaranteed to keep children interested.

Today, the summer camp program has become so popular that Encino Park has added four programs and the most diverse schedule of activities of any park in the San Fernando Valley, according to Volker Schramm, Encino Park day camp director.

“Some parks have more of a need for sports programs or other activities,” Schramm said. “We’ve found that in this part of the Valley parents are looking for an exciting place to send their kids for summer.”

Camp Encino, which has grown to a membership of 120 children, meets from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Little Folks Camp is for children ages 3 to nearly 5 and meets from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The park’s newer programs include Drama Camp (ages 7 to 14), Computer Camp (ages 6 to 12), and Teen Travel Camp (ages 11 to 14). Drama Camp works on a single production for the end of summer, Computer Camp involves playing with and learning about computers, and the Teen Travel Camp meets three days a week for a beach trip, an amusement park trip and a leisure activity trip.

“We decided last year to add these additional camps because some of our campers were too old to enjoy the events and activities at Camp Encino or the younger programs,” Schramm said. “Once again, we’ve really found a need and expect these programs to keep growing.”

Sign-ups for each camp are ongoing and costs vary depending on the camp and the number of days or sessions attended.