Seasonal Programming

Seasonal Opportunities

Summer Camp Opportunities - Camp WeCanDu

Camp WeCanDu provides an opportunity for children, residing in St. Charles, with cerebral palsy and other physical disabilities to attend a traditional summer camp experience which include fun activities and a chance to build friendships. Services are provided during a one-week summer day camp. 


DASA also provides additional recreational sports opportunities for individuals age 5 - adulthood.

Summer Camp Opportunities

Jewish Community Center, more commonly known as the J, offers summer day camp throughout the summer months. Camps feature sports and recreational opportunities for youth, 3 - 15 years of age, Monday thru Friday. 


The J also offers Teens Transition Summer Program, for individuals 16 - 21 years of age, Monday thru Friday. Activities teens may participate in include cooking, pet therapy, music, swimming, team building, fitness and exercise, etc.


Services take place at both the Creve Coeur and Chesterfield locations.

Summer Camp Opportunities

LifeBridge Partnership offers sports and recreational opportunities for youth, 6 - 21 years of age, during a one-week summer day camp. 


Supports may include 1:1 staffing, personal care and accessible door-to-door transportation, if available.

Leisure Opportunities

Pony Bird, located in Jefferson County, provides individuals with developmental disabilities the opportunity to develop peer relationships outside of their families and work life.  They offer an array of community-based recreational opportunities. These opportunities may include, but are not limited to - monthly activities (ex: dinner with friends), going to a Cardinal game or other St. Louis area attractions, traveling and/or training for various Special Olympic events.

Recreation Opportunities

Recreation Council of Greater St. Louis provides individuals with developmental disabilities an opportunity to have fun, be active, socialize and enhance their quality of life. They connect individuals with more recreation activities and programs than any other agency in greater St. Louis, and their personal approach helps direct people to their true interests.


Programs Recreation Council may connect individuals to include, but are not limited to - day camps, martial arts/gymnastics, overnight camps, sports & fitness, travel & outdoor adventures, etc.

Neighborhood Experiences

Neighborhood Experiences is an employment training program, supporting teens aged 13-20 years old. This program takes place in the summer, for eight (8) weeks, with supports provided Monday thru Friday.

Neighborhood Experiences supports individuals to explore various career options for their future. Teens volunteer and work at businesses and sites throughout the area to work towards their career and personal apirations. 

Overnight Adventure Camp

Sunnyhill's Adventure Camp is located in Dittmer, Missouri and sits on over 60 acres of land. The camp offers both summer and year-round adventures for youth and adults. Activites offered to those who attend include canoeing, fishing, climbing, caving, archery, an alpine tower, zip line, boating and other various activities.

Individuals form new friendships and strengthen established relationships. Staff are trained to support each individual to get a full camp experience, with a nurse aide on site 24 hours a day. Individuals also receive a unique cultural experience, as the multi-national staff, from six (6) continents share stories and life experiences from their homelands.

Camp and Summer Supports

UCP Heartland offers a variety of camp and summer opportunities. Camps offered through UCP Heartland include: school break camps (spring break and winter break) and summer camp. 

While attending UCP Heartland camp, youth will have fun on field trips, playing sports, cooking, completing arts & crafts or playing games with other campers.

UCP Heartland also supports individuals and families through their summer voucher program. This program provides financial assistance to individuals and their families (who reside in St. Louis County) to attend day camps and/or ih-home supports.


Performing Arts and Recreation Supports

Variety supports children with disabilities in the greater St. Louis area by  providing them support and opportunities to participate in Performing Arts programs and various types of recreation.  

Variety's recreation programs include Adventure Camp, Winter camp, Summer Camp and social groups - children are supported to engage in various types of activities while attending.

Variety's Performing Arts programs include Variety Theatre, Variety Children's Chorus and Variety Dance. These programs are fully inclusive and aim to spread the message of inclusion to the community.

Summer Camp Opportunities

Gateway Region YMCA provides summer camp  opportunities to children and teens. Services are provided to meet the individual's needs pertaining to the camp they're attending. 

Summer Work Opportunities


VR Pre-ETS services 2024.pdf

Summer Work Experience Program (SWEP) is a unique summer jobs program for youth, aged 16 - 20 who reside in St. Louis County. This program is administered by MERS Goodwill. 

It is a collaborative effort between Mers Goodwill, Special School District, employers and Employment providers. The service is designed to provide a valuable summer work experience to students who have limited work experience or may need addition assistance while on the job. 

Students will:

Work for eight (8) weeks, 20 hours/week, during the summer

Additional support is provided by trained job coaches, at the job site

Receive a paycheck

Have an opportunity to learn new skills and make new community connections

Summer Teen Employment Program - STEP

Summer Teen Employment Program (STEP) is a summer work experience service for high school students aged 16 - 20, who reside in St. Charles County and will return to high school the following fall.


This collaborative effort includes area supported employment providers, with Easterseals Midwest as the administrative agency. For  six (6) weeks, students experience and learn about future career opportunities while receiving a skill assessment and on-the-job training. Students are paid for their work experiences.

Transition Program for Teens

The Summer Work Experience program is a six (6) week program offered to students, residing in Jefferson County, who are interested in strengthening their employment skills. Students must be entering their senior year of high school and not had any prior competitive work experience.

Students will work for twenty (20) hours a week, receiving minimum wage, at an employment site in the community. A Pony Bird staff member, who stays onsite, supports students through job readiness training classes. 

Need Assistance?

If you have questions about funded services reach out to a Family Navigator.