MINNEAPOLIS — It’s the time of year that rec centers get plenty of calls from parents.
"As soon as Memorial Day hits, we get a lot of folks who are like, 'Oh, we got to register for summer programs!'" said Rebecca Lewis, who leads Minneapolis Parks and Recreation's citywide program day camps.
Your luck in finding a spot in the Twin Cities will depend on the program.
Lewis said that free, regularly scheduled summer programs are the most popular.
"We had filled before," said Lewis. "We were actually able to hire some additional staff, and we're able to open up new slots over the last weekend."
She said that while more of those slots have opened, there is more availability for camps or other smaller programs.
There's a similar situation for Saint Paul Parks and Recreation.
Their regularly scheduled program for elementary-aged children every afternoon is mostly full across the city.
"The staffing crisis hitting the country is hitting St. Paul parks as well," said Shaina Abraham. "We're all working as best we can to fill those spots and find quality staff — like, we just don't want anybody to come do those jobs."
The South Side Village Boys and Girls Club says its slots are also filling up very fast. They're trying to take as many people as they can.
"It's very important for young people to have a place to be to have a place where they really feel like they belong," said Mark Graves, the branch director for that club.
"For some clubs, there might be a waitlist," he said.
The YMCA said it still has some free memberships people can register for, beginning on Monday.
"We've partnered with The Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation," said Katie Lowe, an executive director for YMCA of the North. "They have supported us financially in order to run this. We give out between 4,000 and 5,000 free memberships to teens ninth through 12th grade."
All groups say if you haven't registered, now is the time.
"It's just about providing space and opportunity," said Lowe.
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