Oxford Park Commission day camp offers summer fun and family support

The Oxford Park Commission’s summer day camp gives Lafayette County families a practical answer to one of summer’s hardest problems: what to do with children when school is out and work still starts on time. With drop-off beginning at 7:30 a.m. and pickup ending at 5:30 p.m., the camp is built to cover the workday, not just fill a few hours between errands.

A full-day option built around school breaks

The camp is open to children and youth ages 5 to 13, and its schedule follows the school breaks used by both the Oxford School District and the Lafayette County School District. That matters for parents trying to line up care across the long stretch between the final school bell and the first day back in class, especially when jobs do not pause for summer vacation.

Rather than functioning like a half-day enrichment class, the program is structured as dependable daytime coverage. The Oxford Park Commission says children stay actively engaged throughout the day, which gives working families a local option that can serve as a routine part of the week instead of a one-off activity.

What children do during the day

The camp blends indoor and outdoor programming, with activities that can include special events, guest speakers, sports and recreation, outdoor adventures, team building, social play, STEM activities, and creative arts. That mix is designed to keep children moving, learning, and spending time with peers instead of sitting at home through long summer weeks.

For families, that variety does more than entertain. It gives children structure, and it keeps them connected to familiar staff and other local kids during a season when schedules often get scattered by travel, sports, and changing work shifts. In a town where the summer calendar can get crowded quickly, that kind of consistency is its own kind of support.

What it costs and how the schedule works

The Oxford Park Commission says the baseline cost is generally around $20 per day per child, with weekly and monthly options available during the summer. A currently registering camp session at the Coach Howell Activity Center is listed at $65 per month, with season dates running from July 6 through July 27 and registration closing July 19 at midnight.

That pricing gives parents a clearer way to budget than the ad hoc cost of arranging private care day by day. For households balancing wages, school schedules, and transportation, a public recreation program with posted rates can be easier to plan around than a patchwork of babysitting, private camps, or missed work hours.

How to register and who to contact

Registration requires a parent to create an account on the Oxford Park Commission website and enter basic participant information, including the child’s name, date of birth, and any medical conditions or allergies. The process is meant to make sure staff have what they need before camp begins, especially for children who may need special attention during the day.

Hannah Thornton is the program manager for the day camps. She can be reached at hannah@oxfordparkcommission.com, by office phone at (662) 232-2378, or by cell at (662) 816-5027. Those contacts matter for families who need direct answers about dates, availability, or what to bring before a child starts.

Where the camp runs

The camp is housed at the Ulysses 'Coach' Howell Activity Center at 396 Price Street in Oxford. The Oxford Park Commission describes the facility as a $12 million center, and it is more than a rental space for summer programming.

Inside, the building includes two full-size basketball courts, a gymnastics area of about 6,000 square feet, a walking track upstairs, and arcade and table games. That mix of space helps the camp operate as an all-weather option, with room for recreation, movement, and quieter activities under one roof.

The activity center is also a year-round hub for youth basketball and other programs, and the Park Commission says the building is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with some weekend hours as well. That steady schedule reinforces the camp’s role as part of a broader recreation system rather than a one-time summer project.

Part of a larger public-service network

Oxford’s city government describes the Park Commission’s job in broad terms: improving quality of life through recreation and leisure programs, maintaining safe facilities, promoting healthy lifestyles, encouraging sportsmanship, and keeping services affordable. The day camp is one of the clearest ways that mission reaches ordinary households.

The commission’s larger day-camp lineup includes Fall Break, Pilgrim’s, Holly Jolly, Spring Break, and Summer camps, which means the same basic model returns across the year whenever school is out. That continuity gives parents a recurring childcare option tied to the local public recreation system, not a one-season fix.

Oxford’s municipal website also says Park Commission board meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at the Oxford Activity Center. That regular public presence shows how closely the commission is woven into daily life in Oxford and Lafayette County, where a camp schedule, a gym floor, and a school calendar can shape whether a parent can stay on the job.