Monroe County opens 2026 summer camp registration for kids

Big Pine Key, Sugarloaf, Tavernier and Stock Island are all on Monroe County’s summer calendar as Parks & Beaches opened registration for eight weeks of camps for children ages 6 to 12 across the Keys.

The county’s 2026 program is aimed at working families looking for weekday child care that also brings structured recreation, with most sessions running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and a volleyball specialty camp set for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The price is $150 per week, and families enrolling more than one child can get a $25 sibling discount. Full registration is required at least 10 days before each camp session, and weekly sessions begin June 1.

Big Pine Key Community Park is listed for three straight weeks, June 1-5, June 8-12 and June 15-19, giving Lower Keys families an early option as school lets out. Sugarloaf School is scheduled to host a June 22-26 volleyball camp and another camp July 13-17. In the Middle Keys, Plantation Key Community Center in Tavernier is on the schedule July 6-10. The Upper Keys and Key West area also get a late-summer option, with Bernstein Park on Stock Island set for July 20-24 and Aug. 3-7.

Monroe County Parks & Beaches Director John Allen said the program is meant to give kids “a safe, active, and memorable experience while school is out.” The county said the camps will include interactive games, field trips and hands-on experiences, turning the summer program into more than a simple day-care stopgap.

The county also pointed families to related offerings through partner programs, including aquatic camps at Key Largo Community Park pool, the Sheriff’s Youth Ranch Camp and a Special Olympics Camp at Bernstein Park. That broader mix matters in Monroe County, where summer schedules, seasonal work and long distances between island communities can make local child care and enrichment harder to piece together.

Monroe County Parks & Beaches oversees 23 properties covering more than 100 acres across the island chain, and its main office is in Key Largo. The spread of camp sites from Big Pine Key to Stock Island reflects that footprint, giving families in Key West, Marathon, Islamorada and the Upper Keys a county-run option closer to home when school is out for the summer.