Children’s camps at the price of hotels: summer holidays as an indicator of the social divide
Summer for Ukrainian children increasingly turns not into a vacation, but a break between worries. At a time when some kids are laying out their backpacks in fashionable camps in the Carpathians or near the sea, others are spending warm months in concrete boxes of high-rise buildings to the accompaniment of sirens. Prices for recreation have skyrocketed, and opportunities to restore the nervous system have remained somewhere in the pre-war past. Childhood, which is objectively lacking, cannot be put off for later. The psyche does not know how to wait for extra millions to appear in the budget. And while Ukrainian parents are counting pennies for a ticket to at least the nearest children’s camp, the state once again “doesn’t have time” to support the most vulnerable.
Commercial industry instead of social support
The concept of “children’s summer vacation” is always associated with fun adventures, outdoor games, bonfires and changes in the camp. But for several years now, for Ukrainian children, it has become “summer at a price”, a luxury that not all parents can afford. With full-scale war, economic instability, and mass unemployment, children’s camps have become a restricted-access industry, with prices rising in direct proportion to societal anxiety.
For example, prices for children’s camps presented on the website “Children in the city. Kharkiv”, largely do not correspond to the financial capabilities of many Ukrainian families, especially in conditions of economic instability and war. The cost of participating in such camps varies from 5,000 to more than 34,000 hryvnias per shift, which is a significant financial burden for the average family. The cheapest summer IT camp in the Vinnytsia region costs 5,000 hryvnias per shift, and summer camps in the Carpathians can reach 18,500-32,900 UAH. The price list for a ten-day shift in most private camps starts from UAH 15,000 to 20,000, and this is the “economy” version without fashionable workshops, branded merch, and personal psychologists. Moreover, price does not always guarantee quality, because in many cases the program does not meet the age or emotional needs of children who live in the reality of air anxiety and loss.
It is obvious that camp prices often do not take into account the real income level of most Ukrainian families. In accordance with data According to the Ministry of Finance of Ukraine (Ministry of Finance), the average salary in Ukraine is about UAH 18,000 per month. As a result, the cost of a children’s camp can be a significant portion of a family’s monthly income, putting such services out of reach for many. Given the average cost of rent, utilities, groceries and basic needs, putting aside at least a portion for camp seems like a financial focus. Especially if there are several children in the family or parents have lost their jobs.
Given these circumstances, it is necessary to consider the possibility of subsidizing or providing benefits for low-income families to ensure equal access to quality recreation and development for all children. It is also important to promote the development of free or low-cost alternative programs such as day camps, summer workshops and volunteer initiatives that can become available to a wider range of children.
State support: between the lines of reports
Against this background, the state reports on the opening of seasonal health facilities, the implementation of programs for children of privileged categories, even on international trips. Yes, for data of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy in 2024, 289,028 children were rehabilitated, of which 200,469 children were in privileged categories in accordance with the Law of Ukraine “On the Rehabilitation and Recreation of Children”.
This year too, for in words member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Youth and Sports Iryna Borzova, the state actively continues to implement important social initiatives aimed at a safe and high-quality summer vacation for children, especially those who live near a war zone or are in difficult life circumstances. The state has introduced the “eOzdorovenlynya” program, which provides support for large, low-income families and families raising children with disabilities. UAH 15,890 is calculated for each child to purchase a ticket to a health camp. For children who need special care, orphans, children of fallen defenders, participants in hostilities, as well as those who live on the front line, free rest in the Artek camp is provided. The state has allocated UAH 315 million for this, which will allow 14,300 children to recover. The official notes that the quality of services provided to children in the camps is under close control of the State Production and Consumer Service. They check how well organized food and accommodation are, whether everything meets safety standards and sanitary standards.
In order not to make a mistake in choosing a camp, parents can use the official one state register of children’s recreation facilities, which provides all the necessary information: from prices to availability of a license, accessibility for children with disabilities, certification results, etc. In addition, with the support of the state and local authorities, as well as within the framework of the “Side by Side” international program, away vacations are organized. For example, children from the Kherson and Sumy regions have already vacationed in the Rivne region, and another group even visited Riga, thanks to cooperation with the Embassy of Latvia. It is enough for parents to contact the social protection department at their place of residence, and then the system will work.
Formally, all this looks very nice and optimistic. But in reality, these services cover a small part of the needs. Parents are faced with endless queues, restrictions based on age, place of residence, or simply the absence of any response to requests. All this gives rise to a false picture that, as they say, there is support, it’s just that “not everyone is lucky.” But such a service should not be a lottery ticket, because every little Ukrainian has the right to a full-fledged rest. Experts point out that summer rest in times of war is an important element of recovery, vital for stabilizing the psycho-emotional state of children. The long-term effect of stress without the possibility of relief leads to problems with behavior, anxiety, sleep disorders, concentration, which in the long run will become a real threat to the healthy development of the generation. But until these things are included in the economic logic of state priorities, Ukrainian families are left alone with sky-high bills.
The situation is no better in state camps, where the cost of the ticket is lower, but the conditions are often morally outdated. In addition, in many regions, for security reasons, such camps are not opened at all. As a result, there are thousands of children who spend the summer in city apartments to the sound of sirens or in the yards with self-invented games, without proper supervision and without psychological relief.
Preschool camps: the illusion of recreation on a budget basis
Every year, the Ministry of Education and Science actively reminds about the existence of preschool camps, which are a vivid example of when formally everything is correct: children are under supervision, there is food, a schedule and even something similar to an “entertainment program”. But if you remove the official reports and color booklets from this picture, the harsh truth will remain, in which preschool camps have nothing to do with a full-fledged children’s vacation.
In reality, such “camping” looks like a continuation of the school year, only without grades. Children sit in the same classes, on the same chairs, under the same ceilings. The only difference is that instead of textbooks, they are given printed coloring pages, and instead of tests, teachers offer “quests” from ready-made methods. Walks have the appearance of trips to the school stadium. And this, if the teachers still have a spark of enthusiasm. In the worst case, everything comes down to sitting in a gym or in an assembly hall, where watching cartoons on a projector is presented as a cultural program. Everything to beat the number, without violations and according to the instructions.
This situation becomes especially acute against the background of teacher fatigue. Teachers who have just breathed their last breath after the end of the academic year do not receive a vacation, but are forced to immediately change into “counselors”. Without rest, without additional resources, with the same load, only now with an “entertainment bias”. A burnt-out teacher cannot create the atmosphere of summer. And he shouldn’t, because his task was completely different.
As a result, we have what is called “rehabilitation” in government documents, but in practice is a variant of temporary employment for children. For working parents, this is perhaps a way out, because the children are not at home alone, something is done with them, they are fed and there is some kind of care. But from the child’s point of view, this is another change of place of imprisonment between four walls without emotional reset, freedom and real summer. We see how, when creating pre-school camps, the system once again imitates care, putting neither content nor resources into this process.
From pioneering stars to overseas changes: how children’s recreation was organized in Ukraine in past years
In Soviet times, children’s recreation was a tool of ideology, mass and centralized control. Children went to pioneer camps not just to rest, but to “form”. The formation step, anthem, charge, lines, slogans may seem somewhat idealized and obsessive to a modern person, but there was something fiery and motivating in these elements. And most importantly, it cannot be denied that such a system worked. Camps functioned in every region, passes for the children of workers and collective farm workers were free or for a nominal fee, and there was enough space for almost everyone. The state invested generously in buildings, food, sports grounds and medical centers. And even if the rest was marred by the party line, physically the children had space, sun and a change of scenery.
In the 90s, everything collapsed together with the Soviet Union. Camps began to be either closed or passed into private hands. Most of the former pioneer bases have fallen into disrepair, they were bought for nothing by representatives of the authorities and persons close to them. Summer vacation turned from a guaranteed right into an individual decision of the family, which was carried out at one’s own expense. However, the prices were quite adequate and did not hit parents’ wallets.
In the 2000s, a slow resuscitation began. There were commercial camps focused on sports, learning foreign languages, and getting to know other cultures. At the same time, there were remnants of the state system, where vouchers were allocated to privileged categories, but the quality there often left much to be desired. Despite this, by 2022, summer for children again began to be associated with the sea, camp discos, night terrors under the blanket and broken knees from paintball. Although not for everyone, there was a choice.
The state participated, but no longer as the main player, but as a bureaucratic passenger. Issues of safety and quality of recreation gradually supplanted ideology, but the responsibility was increasingly shifted to parents. The infrastructure remained uneven, because the capital had dozens of options, while the small town could only offer a pre-school camp. Nevertheless, children’s recreation was lively, diverse and accessible to most. Then came the war, and this fragile system lost ground again.
European summer: how children rest abroad and why it’s not about luxury, but about the system
In European countries, children’s summer vacation is by no means perceived as an exclusive option for the chosen ones. It has long become part of a well-thought-out social policy. French colonies, German “Ferienlager”, Italian camps on the sea or in the mountains do not work as a business for the rich, but as a state-supported network of services for absolutely everyone. In many countries, the state does not just “issue vouchers”, but actively finances the participation of children in recreation and educational and developmental programs. For example, in France, local municipalities cover up to 90% of the cost of the trip, depending on the family’s income. In Sweden, some of the camps work at municipal schools and are absolutely free. In Poland or the Czech Republic, there is a clear model of co-financing, where the state provides a base, parents add a reasonable amount, and the result is a full-fledged vacation with professional teachers, a program and no pressure on the wallet.
In developed countries, the burden on teachers is not perceived as an additional duty. There, specially trained specialists work in summer programs, and teachers have a legal right to rest. Children receive not just “supervision”, but really rich leisure time: sports, master classes, excursions, environmental initiatives, integration with local communities. The most important thing to understand is that summer vacation for children there is not perceived as a privilege, but as a norm. Places in camps are reserved automatically, in advance, parents do not fill out dozens of papers and do not look for “their people” in the education department. The system works on anticipation, not on unsubscribe.
For Ukraine, this approach is not just an example, but a mirror. Because while our children’s vacation has the appearance of a lottery with a high entry threshold, in European countries this issue has long been considered a household issue. Accessibility does not mean simplification. On the contrary, the clearer the system, the easier it can withstand the load. Ukraine should finally recognize that children’s recreation should be a social obligation of the state.
And for now, we are watching how the Ukrainian summer is gradually losing its taste for sun and adventure, turning into a season of social inequality. Some children are packing their suitcases for the Carpathians, while others are silently looking into the windows of high-rise buildings. State initiatives, despite reports and good numbers, resemble a ritual exercise for ticking, where real support is not provided to everyone. The commercial camp market has long lived by its own laws, where price has nothing to do with quality. At the same time, there is a clear segregation in everything: those who can afford to rest, rest, and everyone else can only look at photos on social networks and dream of the unattainable. Talking about “eOzdoroven” and “free tickets” for certain categories is reminiscent of trying to give aspirin to a patient with broken legs. And as long as rest remains a luxury, not a right, we lose hope that this generation will grow up without internal scars.
