some gaps that could be filled.

That is the view of school psychologist Dr. Janet Kemp, a member of the Women's Advisory Council, which co-sponsors this supplement.

"When I've mentioned it to people from outside Bermuda, they're really impressed by the range of activities that children can pursue here during the summer,'' Dr. Kemp said. "There's a lot more than just a summer day camp.'' But discussions with parents and others, suggest there are some gaps. For example: Since regular summer day camps tend to be the least costly alternative, Government might look at increasing the subsidy to more specialised camps, like music camps, to broaden the possibilities for low-income families.

"The summer is an opportunity to develop talent,'' she said. "That is an opportunity that somehow could be more available to all.'' Because there are children who do not like large camps, parents could possibly pool their resources and make use of college students to cater to smaller groups.

A list could be assembled of students available to perform such a service, though parents would still want to interview and screen the applicants: There could be improved local programming for children who have behavioural problems or attention deficits, or who for other reasons do not easily fit in with a traditional summer programme.

"It may be possible to have some form of small group camp run by special education teachers,'' she said.

There are few options for teenagers. "If you look at most of the camps, they generally appeal to children between the ages of eight and 12,'' Dr. Kemp said. "For those who are young adolescents, there seems to be more for girls than for boys.

"Teenagers are at an age where rather than necessarily entertaining them, there may be things in the community they could do as a public service in the summer that would give them responsibility:'' Bermuda College might be better utilised in the summer, perhaps by offering programmes for secondary students who are potential candidates for various college courses.

The Royal Gazette could include a separate listing of activities for children in its daily Bermuda Calendar feature.

Dr. Kemp, who is director of the Reading Clinic, said the first annual Summer Fun supplement published in The Royal Gazette last year was a big help to parents.

Parents start fretting before Easter about how they will entertain their children during the school break, and they need all the help they can get, she said.

"There seemed to be a real need to present the information in a form that was easier for parents to review,'' she said. Without the supplement, "it's a question of checking the paper every day''.

"You had to be pretty vigilant in order not to miss an announcement that might go in one week and then not re-appear.'' There is also a real need for children and adolescents to be constructively occupied during the summer, she said. "The reality in most places, and Bermuda included, is that either both parents work and neither one may have a large part of the summer off, or they are single parents who again are employed during the summer.'' Hotel workers and others who might face lay-offs during the winter do not have the luxury of taking time off during the summer to spend with their kids.

Dr. Kemp noted there appears to be an increased effort to organise summer programming past 3 p.m. "People don't suddenly switch to three o'clock jobs, just because it is summer.'' PHOTO Dr. Janet Kemp.