'Cake Boss' For Kids: City Recreation Department Finds Creative Partnerships

HUDSON COUNTY, NJ — City recreation programs, designed to keep kids busy with healthy activities, aren't only about sports. Sometimes they tap the talents of the local community to engage youths in new pastimes — and in affordable ways.

Case in point: Late last year, Jersey City's Recreation Department partnered with Carlo's Bakery in Hoboken — made famous by the "Cake Boss" TV show — to give a low-cost cake decorating lesson to local kids.

That's only one of the unique and affordable programs Jersey City Recreation runs throughout the year, particularly when school's out for summer.

To make summer easier to afford, there is special pricing for moderate to low income families.

From bucket drumming to arts and crafts to safe babysitting training to summer swim camp, the department plans year round for a variety of programs to keep kids busy.

From the end of June to Labor Day weekend 2023, 435 kids registered for the city's summer camp, said a city spokesperson this month. The city's summer camp was free until this past summer, when it started charging a nominal fee of $150 per student.

The city also offered creative summer programs such as swim camp and skating lessons.

"This year, the city will offer before and after care in consideration of working parents," the city announced in early March, as it geared up to open registration for summer 2023 programming. "The Summer Camp will be staffed by JC Youth Works, a program providing meaningful summer employment to residents ages 15-24."

The city also hired Ryan Magee last fall to be in charge of special needs recreation programming. Among the new programs geared toward teens and children with special needs was a proposal for a Special Needs Social Club.

"The department will now offer at least one self-contained special needs program for every season, while incorporating more events, trips, and family-themed programming," noted the city last fall.

Swim Lessons Can Save Lives

Water safety has become a mandate in some areas, particularly with a number of drownings last summer. Recently, two experts said that it's essential for cities to provide affordable and accessible swim lessons for their youths.

In Jersey City so far this year, 963 residents were enrolled in the Recreation Department's swim lessons and in various sports clinics, a city spokesperson said.

(Other towns recently have signed on to the idea of teaching their youth water safety; this summer, Union County created a free program with the local YMCA to provide lessons to kids who couldn't swim, and Weehawken also partners with a YMCA in North Jersey to offer low-cost lessons.)

As with many summer programs, the city's Recreation Department starts early to provide a variety of programs, said city spokesperson Kimberly Wallace-Scalcione.

"It takes year-round planning to run the amount of programming our Department of Recreation and Youth Development offers," she said. "RYD is looking ahead to prepare for summer staff interviewing, hiring processes, and continuous onboarding."

She noted, "RYD evaluates each program internally to determine what works, potential areas for improvement, gauging attendance numbers for continued interest, and the like."

Find out more about recreation in Jersey City here.

See what else Hudson County offers here.