Replaceable filter: how optimization threatens unique children's camps
The Foundation for the Development of Children's Camps announced an "avalanche of optimizations", which also applies to the field of children's recreation. Unfortunately, attempts to reduce costs by combining different organizations into one legal entity do not always turn out to be beneficial for children's camps themselves, especially for institutions with unique programs. The community of organizers of children's recreation called for a cautious approach to merging camps and introducing a system of professional expertise to make such decisions. For more information, see the Izvestia article.
How optimization harms children's camps
Andrey Danilkov, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation for the Development of Children's Camps, made a statement about the dangers of optimization.
According to him, the "avalanche of optimizations" has reached the sphere of children's recreation. However, it did not begin now: 15-20 years ago, municipal centers began to form, which began to combine several children's camps. However, there are still many cases across the country when one or another children's camp is under threat of optimization by joining another legal entity.
Andrey Danilkov emphasizes that the purpose of such a reorganization is clear: reducing resources while maintaining the result. However, often "successful children's camps with unique projects become the objects of this optimization," he emphasizes. After the merger, they "cease to exist as a pedagogical or value (semantic) unit," and children in this situation remain "the goal in increasing their recreational and wellness coverage."
Andrei Danilkov told Izvestia that the optimization process in children's camps has now covered almost the entire country. Most often, a municipal center or a budget institution is created in a large city, which combine several camps under a single administration. This is usually initiated by the regional authorized body for children's recreation and recreation or the supervising deputy head of the region, and sometimes the governor himself.
— Of course, optimization is not always harmful, — emphasizes Andrey Danilkov. — And expenses are often really reduced: first of all, for management. These facilities now have a single accounting department and a single purchasing service. It is also more convenient for regional and local authorities to manage one structure and one director than a large number of facilities.
Tatiana Ivanova, head of the Children's Recreation committee of the Russian Union of Travel Industry, also emphasizes that it is often important for regional governments to allocate the budget "efficiently", but uniqueness is lost.
In turn, Anna Skroznikova, a member of the State Duma Committee on Education, notes that in a number of regions, the unification of camps has really improved the quality of management, provided uniform standards of safety, nutrition and medical support. However, she told Izvestia, often under the slogan of optimization, "there is actually a mechanical reduction, the elimination of unique personnel and methodological teams," and "cost reduction goals replace development goals."
— Where optimization is carried out thoughtfully, while maintaining the autonomy of programs and with the support of camp leaders as professional communities, unique areas are not only preserved, but also receive a new resource for development. It all depends on what is in the center of managers' attention — saving or children," she stressed.
How do the camps relate to optimization
According to the Children's Camps Development Fund, optimization is currently actively underway in the Yaroslavl Region. There are 26 country camps, of which 20 are municipal or state-owned. And most of them fall under these processes.
For example, the children's health and education center "Eaglet" in the village of Borisoglebsky is going to be attached to the educational complex, which already has eight schools and eight kindergartens.
"Why is our camp there? We have a completely different type of activity, a different work structure. We would like to be left alone, we want and can develop on our own. Moreover, we do not burden the budget, we manage 89% of our financial and economic activity plan ourselves," the camp representatives report.
Nikolay Kosaev, director of a children's camp in the Saratov region, generally considers it dangerous when such institutions are combined with schools.: this often leads to forced labor of school teachers in the camp, as well as the isolation of the staff — children and adults — on themselves during the school year and during the summer holidays. Problematic situations will move from school to camp, from camp to school.
"When merging, only economic issues are considered, and few people consider the risks," he writes.
Authorized representative of the Foundation in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) Vera Levina, however, sees the benefits of such an association. In Yakutsk, municipal camps were transferred to schools 13 years ago, and the children, she believes, have benefited. She noted that schools provide camps with teaching staff, however, stressed that there are no year-round organizations for children's recreation in the city.
"There is a network interaction system: We support each other, but everyone stays with their interests," she notes.
However, more often than not, the leaders of children's camps are trying to fend off such a merger. Irina Ivanova, the foundation's representative in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, says that the camp she runs was able to "fend off" the optimization that is currently being carried out in the region. She points out that there are practically no benefits for the institution: there will be no extra money during the merger, as well as opportunities to recruit the necessary additional staff.
Olga Kazakova, a representative of the foundation in Volgograd, also says that for 14 years the Volgograd Eaglet has been "fighting off" joining another children's camp. Every new head of the region suggests doing this.
How directors are changed to castellans
Another optimization problem is the withdrawal of experienced managers from the field of children's recreation, writes Andrey Danilkov. According to him, it has become easier to remove unwanted directors: when transferring to a new form of ownership, they simply sign an annual employment contract, and if necessary, it is not renewed.
"And someone else comes in your place, for example, a former guard of your camp or a housekeeper. We're not kidding — we have dozens of such examples all over the country," he says.
He talks, in particular, about the situation with the late Dmitry Yemelyanov from the Omsk region, who headed the Lesnaya Polyana camp since 2007. In 2025, his contract was simply not extended.
Andrei Danilkov notes that the foundation is trying to protect children's camps from reorganization by sending letters to the State Duma, the Federation Council and law enforcement agencies. But it is not always possible to protect them.
Svetlana Petrova, a member of the Presidium of the St. Petersburg Association of Adults and Children, a member of the PCT Committee on Children's Recreation, notes that it is necessary to create a system of professional expertise in order for each such merger of organizations to be justified.
"You always need to look at this from the point of view of expediency, which is why we need a decision—making mechanism similar to that found in self-regulatory organizations (SROs) in other industries," she told Izvestia. — It is important to take into account the view of the professional community on children's recreation facilities that are threatened by this merger: will this lead to the destruction of the unique program, to the departure from the camp and the industry of managers who have vast experience and complex skills?
Svetlana Petrova emphasizes that without a preliminary assessment of the decision to merge children's camps, optimization may ultimately lead not to savings, but to increased losses: this may be affected by the loss of the camp's reputation, deterioration of the content of activities and, consequently, a decrease in its popularity.
— In addition, it is necessary to evaluate the uniqueness of each children's camp: does it have an original history, its own culture, — she continues. — The children's camp should be viewed not as a trading platform, but as a living historical book, and targeted programs should be used to upgrade the infrastructure, regardless of the form of ownership.
How officials are increasing the coverage of children's summer holidays
Another kind of "optimization" in children's camps is the pursuit of children's recreation coverage by splitting 21—day wellness shifts into specialized 5-10-day shifts, notes Andrei Danilkov.
"This is not directly related to optimization, but it is also a pursuit of numbers," said the chairman of the board of the foundation for the development of children's camps in an interview with Izvestia. — The fact is that the regions should show an increase in the number of children who have rested in children's camps. And the most widely used method is when instead of one shift of 21 days, either three shifts of seven days or four shifts of five days are done.
He emphasizes that a child cannot fully rest for five to seven days: there are studies on this subject that show that 18 to 21 days are needed to achieve a healing effect. At the same time, the number of children on vacation is growing in the reports.
Anna Skroznikova emphasizes that "short-term specialized shifts can be a useful format for additional education, but they should not replace full-fledged wellness programs."
Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Education.
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