Times’ Summer Camp Campaign: KYDS helps youths improve their reading and writing skills
Whenever Vikki Balet’s phone rang in the days leading up to the summer break, there was always a good chance Susana Esquivel was on the other line.
As director of Keep Youth Doing Something (KYDS), a local organization that helps kids improve their reading skills, Balet would hear from a lot of parents asking about how to get their children into its summer camps. But none more than Esquivel.
A single parent, Esquivel wanted her 8-year-old son, Kevin Madrano, to stay busy this summer by getting the tutoring he needed.
KYDS was started in the 1980s primarily to help clean up local parks that were believed to be vandalized by youths who either couldn’t afford the park’s activity fees or didn’t have anywhere else to go. Over time it has evolved into a before- and after-school program for students in elementary, middle and high schools to help them improve their academic skills.
The camps tend to focus on reading and writing and run from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Fridays, officials said. Campers were tested when they arrived for camp and will be tested again at the end of the course to help measure their progress over the summer.
The 40 elementary school-age kids participating now in the program BREAKS (Bridging Recreational Enrichment in Academic for KYDS) are reading “The Janitor’s Boy,” by children’s author Andrew Clements.
“The philosophy is still there, where if we keep them busy and well supervised and kind of guide them in school and help them with the bumps they have along the way, they’ll become productive citizens,” Balet said.
In Kevin’s case, the program’s instructors have been working closely with him to improve his reading and writing skills while his mother works during the day.
Many kids who apply and get in to the KYDS camps or its program BREAKS would otherwise spend much of their time home alone during the summer months, Balet said.
Because of his mother’s persistence, Kevin got into the BREAKS camp this summer. The youngster, who can be a shy, his counselors say, has enjoyed his experience in the program. He believes he’s been a lot more productive than if he were not in the camp.
“I would probably be at home just watching TV,” Kevin said.
The camp experience has inspired Kevin to think about what profession he might want to pursue. His interest in drawing, science and reading has made the soon-to-be fourth-grader ponder a career in design and construction.
“I want to be an architect,” he said. “I like building.”
The Summer Camp Campaign is part of the Los Angeles Times Family Fund, a McCormick Foundation Fund. The campaign raises contributions to support programs that provide thousands of Southern California’s at-risk children 7 to 17 with enriching, educational and fun camp experiences. Donations are tax-deductible as permitted by law and matched at 50 cents on the dollar by the McCormick Foundation. Donor information is not traded or sold, and not published without permission. Donate online at latimes.com/donate or by phone at (800) 518-3975. All gifts will receive a written acknowledgment.
