Students during Summer Fun Camp 2011.

School’s almost out for the summer. The last day of classes for schools in the LAUSD system is June 19. This means that parents will have to start thinking about how to keep their children occupied for the next two months.

The Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center, which has been organizing low-cost summer camps for South LA kids since 2008, has just announced registration is now open for its Summer Fun Camp. This year’s camp will be held July 2 to August 24 with a full-day program Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Children ages 8-14 get to focus on fine-tuning their math, reading, writing, science and other skills, while having a little fun. Organizers take the kids out on weekly field trips.

The cost is $50 per week, per child, but there are family discounts for households with three or more children enrolled. There’s also a $30 registration fee per household.

“The Wooten Center has a heavy emphasis on college preparation from grades 3 to 12,” says executive director Naomi McSwain. “Our goal is to help students achieve their goals for higher education starting as early as possible.”

Students during Summer Fun Camp 2011.

The objective of Summer Fun Camp is to prepare students for their next grade level. Organizers also hold “Monthly College Days” to expose students to college admissions requirements and extracurricular activities such as step dance.

Among the summer fun things planned: weekly field trips to World on Wheels, The California Science Center, Aquarium of the Pacific and Knott’s Berry Farm, included at no extra cost. There will also be a free basketball camp for girls and boys on the final week of the summer camp.

A Summer Fun Carnival will kickoff the summer camp on Saturday, June 16 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

To register for Summer Fun Camp, call camp director Alexis Marion at (323) 756-7203, ext. 29, or email [email protected]. For more information, visit the center’s Web site at www.wootencenter.org.

About the Wooten Center

Housed in five buildings with a library, computer lab, teen room and a basketball court, it serves more than 400 students annually through its four programs: the CollegeTrek Afterschool Program for ages 8-18 and the Street Soldiers gang prevention discussion group for teens; The CollegeTrack College Readiness Program for high school students which provides SAT-prep classes, financial aid workshops, and assistance with admissions, financial aid and scholarship applications; And the Summer Fun Camp.

The Wooten Center is named after a 35-year-old man killed in a drive-by shooting in 1989 in Los Angeles. Wooten’s mother, Myrtle Faye Rumph, founded the center in 1990 to provide a safe and caring place for children to go afterschool.