Summer Camp Owners Fear That Cancellations Could Cripple Them

CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's only April, but a lot of people are already thinking about summer plans, including camps, and parents are wondering whether those camps will be canceled. And it's not only parent also the people who run those camps who are left wondering.

They are just like any other summer business and another season of empty parks and cancellations could be crippling.

"Were's still up in the air," said Fit 4 Kids camp owner Steve Kogen. "I don't know if we're being canceled completely or not."

Kogen and Josh Sutter both run summer camps, giving kids a chance to learn art, flex new skills and keep fit. They give parents a chance to keep working while kids aren't in school.

"I am a full time working mom to four kids," said Naomi Himel. "I count on summer camp to keep my kids busy throughout the day."

She said her family is in limbo waiting to find out if they have to make alternative plans.

So are the camp owners.

"We're just trying to figure out what the governor's orders are," Sutter said.

Potential cancellations beg the question of refunds.

"A lot of camps are not giving the option for refunds," Himel said. "They're saying, 'We'll put it towards next year.' They might not be around next year."

Kogen said he will be offering full refunds if people want them.

But for a lot of summer camps that run like small businesses, giving full refunds means taking a financial hit they may not be able to survive.

Kogen thinks virtual summer camps might be the only solution.

"To keep us in business," he said. "We just can't afford another session lost completely. We've already just lost spring completely."

CBS 2 asked Gov. JB Pritzker about summer camps. The governor said he is leaving that to the camps, and he can't answer larger questions regarding things like the stay-at-home order because that is largely dependent on the numbers, which we do not have right now.

Pritzker did say he worries about social distancing with camps, so he encourages that whatever plan camp owners come up with is safe for everyone.