Chick Katz recalls being 12 and playing softball and tag on the Langley Park Summer Playground run by the Prince George's County Department of Parks and Recreation.

Katz is now 59 and manages seven summer playgrounds in the central county, which are among more than 100 sites countywide that host the program.

The long-running summer program hasn't changed much in the 47 years since he first enjoyed it, Katz said. Kids still come daily to play softball, tag and other tried-and-true summer games, and the camps — which have been operating for more than 60 years — still provide affordable, structured activities to keep kids occupied and entertained over the summer, he said.

The program has become even more important in a down economy, as some parents find they can't afford more expensive private camps, Katz said. The drop-in camp costs $25 for six weeks of activities for ages 6 to 12.

"I push the playgrounds because I see their importance," said Katz, a county Parks and Recreation regional manager. "A lot of people can't afford [private] camps."

The county operates more than 100 summer playgrounds from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays. The daily schedule includes activities such as movies, arts and crafts, and outdoor games, along with several field trips that include visits to Six Flags America in Largo or local swimming pools.

Each summer playground site is allotted about $500 for supplies, so activities are kept simple, and children are expected to bring their own lunches, Katz said. Daily, Katz makes his rounds to the playgrounds to check that his staff had everything it needs and that everyone, counselors and children alike, are having fun.

"The most important thing I tell the team leaders is that the kids have fun," he said. "The next most important thing is that they have fun."

Some staff members work for the parks department full-time, while others are teachers or college or high school students. To ensure the safety of the children, staff must undergo 40 hours of training; child-to-staff ratios are kept at 10-15 children per one staff member. A child enrolled in the program recently drowned at a College Park swimming pool, and while Katz would not comment on the incident, he said his staff is well trained.

County-operated summer programs generally have seen a dip in enrollment this year, said department spokesman Craig Kellstrom. The playgrounds and teen center registration are down 5 percent, though Kellstrom added that registration often fluctuates year to year.

But Katz notes that registration is actually up over the prior year at several of the Bowie sites he oversees. At the Huntington Community Center summer playground, approximately 90 children are registered; Pointer Ridge, the largest of the Bowie summer playgrounds, has 130 children registered.

"A lot of them, I think, would be with babysitters and their activities wouldn't be as structured [if they weren't here]," said Gwen Brunson, a staff member at the Rockledge Elementary School playground in Bowie.

The children are given choices in their day-to-day activities, a key factor in ensuring they have a good time, Katz said.

On a warm day last week, children at the playground at Kenilworth Elementary School in Bowie tossed a ball in the school gym while others lounged with friends on mats, staying cool in the breeze of electric fans.

Gloria Pearson of Bowie said her daughter, Kristiona, 8, prefers the variety of activities offered at Kenilworth to the strict schedule of other camps she has tried.

"She said to me after she came out of every other camp that I paid a fortune for that she had the best time at the camp at the school," said Pearson. "She wakes up looking forward to camp."

Taking a break from afternoon games, Kristiona and playmate Sabré Comfort, 8, of Glen Burnie said the playground camp is one of their favorite things about the summer.

"If I wasn't at this camp I would be at home doing nothing," Kristiona said.

E-mail Andrea Noble at anoble@gazette.net.