Families are excited to learn about the many programs offered later this year
Malibu Community Services hosted an information booth at Malibu Bluffs Park on a breezy Sunday morning for Recreation Program Outreach Day.
Families from Malibu and across Los Angeles visited the park to get information on all the programs the city will offer later this year.
Outreach Day offered families the information to prepare for the first day of registration on Monday, Aug. 14.
Visitors were excited about the wide range of programs and activities slated for the fall.
Program flyers were available and were split between youth programs, parent and me programs, and adult and senior programs.
Children and young teens could look forward to sports programs like soccer, tennis, skateboarding, surfing, and volleyball, creative programs like musical theater, hip-hop dance, and Mozart on canvas, and more unique programs like Lego-Super Structures, Science Explorers and Wildlife Biology.
Adults also could look forward to many different programs promoting health and wellness, such as Barre fitness, yoga, tai chi, dance workshops, open gym basketball, and the popular wellness workshops led by The Mindry.
Registrants of most ages could enjoy specialty programs like Ice Dyeing in September or Spooky Stamps and Fairy Gardening in October.
Among those who visited the Community Services booth, many were not Malibu residents. Families from Santa Monica, Hollywood, and the San Fernando Valley were visiting Malibu Bluffs Park and expressed their interest in many of the programs promoted on Outreach Day.
Carolin Torres, a parent from Hollywood, visited the booth with her 19-month-old son, Julian.
She was excited by the Parent and Me soccer program running from Sept. 13 through Dec. 6. She said programs designed for very young children are unique to Malibu and are worth the trip to the beach community.
“The program is ages 1 to 2 and most places don’t have that,” Torres said. “My son really likes soccer, so even if we have to make the drive, it’s a good opportunity for him to learn.”
She said Malibu Community Services’ commitment to providing and promoting family program activities is important because it helps families develop their children’s skills and interests.
“Activities like these build their skills, because it’s not just playing games, but learning about teamwork, listening to a coach, and learning good things,” Torres said.
Julian’s father, Gerardo Alfonso, said the programs offered by the city give families across the county an opportunity and space to enjoy all the great resources Malibu has to offer.
“It brings all groups of people together and helps our communities become closer knit. It’s an outreach that can bring kids and families from all the different neighborhoods,” Alfonso said. “Given more opportunities, Malibu can reach the communities on the other side of the mountains. In Los Angeles, our camps will be a hundred degrees, and here, the weather is beautiful, the kids are great, and the parents are awesome. There’s a lot of diversity here.”
Mark Sanaschagrin, a parent and a retired Santa Monica/Malibu school district and university educator, said programs like the ones offered in Malibu provide an invaluable service for parents.
“Programs like these are important for supporting the community, especially the community raising small children,” Sanashagrin said. “It’s difficult to raise children, it’s difficult to do without child care and child programs. Usually child programs are pretty expensive but here it seems they have a nice selection for different kids and different ages.”
Anyone interested in fall programs are encouraged to visit MalibuCity.org/CommunityServices where they can see the full list of programs offered later this year, sign up for programs beginning on Monday, Aug. 14, and where they could download the Fall 2023 Recreation Guide and City Newsletter.
01_Fall Recreation Program Outreach Day. Photo by Emmanuel Luissi.JPG: Parent Mark Sanaschagrin learns about the fall programs on Fall Recreation Program Outreach Day. Photo by Emmanuel Luissi/TMT
02_Fall Recreation Program Outreach Day. Photo by Emmanuel Luissi.JPG: Parent Jenna Fite poses with her children, who were gifted toy goodie bags on Fall Recreation Program Outreach Day. Photo by Emmanuel Luissi/TMT
03_Fall Recreation Program Outreach Day. Photo by Emmanuel Luissi.JPG: Parent Carolin Torres reads about the young children’s programs at the Fall Recreation Program information booth. Photo by Emmanuel Luissi/TMT
04_Fall Recreation Program Outreach Day. Photo by Emmanuel Luissi.JPG: Julian Alfonso, 19 months, practices his soccer dribbling skills ahead of joining the ages 1 to 2 Parent and Me soccer classes. Photo by Emmanuel Luissi/TMT