The thought of longer, sunny days, vacations and generally a more relaxed pace of life gives most people a warm feeling inside. But summer can send shivers through working parents of school age children as they try to figure out how to keep their children occupied and happy once school is out.

Many UC employees have found the solution right on campus: summer camp.

"It's convenient, affordable, and fun," says Bill McTague, a UC Santa Barbara budget officer, whose 10-year-old daughter, Katie, has been attending several sessions of UCSB's camp since she was in kindergarten.

"The program is full-day, which makes a big difference. It's on campus, so she's nearby. I'll have lunch with her, especially when she was younger, or I'll walk over and watch her swim.

"It's also a physically active day, so she comes home completely exhausted. This summer she will be going to Surf & Kayak Camp, and she's very excited about that."

Almost every UC campus recreation department offers summer day camps for children ages five to 12, and many also offer camps or counselor-in-training programs for teenagers. Most offer extended hours to accommodate working parents and many have a discounted rate for their employees.

UC Santa Barbara welcomes from 150 to 300 Freshman (ages 5-6), Sophomore (7-8), Junior (9-11) and Senior (12-14) campers for 10 weekly sessions at their summer day camp and another 200 to 300 teenagers to Surf & Kayak Camp, Kayak and junior lifeguard camp and Sports Camp. "Our summer camp is a tremendous way to provide inexpensive day care for faculty and staff. Plus they can have contact with their children during the day or have lunch with them," says Jon Spaventa, who has the dual role of director of recreation and director of the department of exercise and sports studies. "It also provides a wonderful way to introduce the community to UCSB."

Laura Eisenberg, director of UC San Francisco's camp, says her goal is to "help kids have a good time and just be kids. They really need that. I want them to go home exhausted so they'll sleep well." UCSF's camp serves 40 to 60 children ages 5 to 12 each week with crafts, swimming, sports and field trips.

Rosemary Mau, a software security administrator at UCSF, says her 13-year-old daughter enjoyed the UCSF camp so much that now she wants to return as a volunteer. "The Mission Bay facility is really nice. She liked the pool and the rock-climbing wall. It was really convenient for me, too, because I could take her on the campus shuttle from my office and she could stay until I finished work."

Both McTague and Mau consider the campus camps one of those intangible benefits of working at UC. On-campus summer camp "wouldn't be a reason to take a UC job," says McTague, "but it is one of those quality-of-life issues that makes me happy I work here."