HOLIDAYS : Just Like Summer, but Colder : Year-round calendar will give 400,000 students freedom from Dec. 18 to Feb. 16. Special programs will fill in the gaps.

Remember when summer meant camp-outs, long afternoons at the park, summer school and just hanging out?

All those good things are still around, of course, but for most students in the Los Angeles Unified School District, they happen in winter, thanks to the district’s year-round calendar, now in its second year.

For the almost 400,000 students in single-track schools, as well as Track A students attending multitrack schools, winter intersession--”wintersession” for short--begins when class is dismissed Dec. 18. School bells won’t ring again until Feb. 16, more than eight weeks later.

Last year’s intersession caught many parents by surprise, according to a United Way survey. Although more than half of all parents said they needed child care, fewer than a quarter of them made plans for the long winter break.

This time around, community and nonprofit agencies, as well as a few private organizations, are gearing up well in advance with a potpourri of activities, field trips, sports, classes and crafts at parks, schools and camps.

Just like summer, but colder.

Here’s a sampling of local winter intersession offerings:

Child Care and Day Camps

Creative World, a private, nonprofit agency funded by the state for low-income working parents, will offer child care from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Anatola Avenue School in Van Nuys, for children ages 6 to 12. Sports, crafts, cooking, games, field trips and hot lunches will be provided. The fee is on a sliding scale, with a maximum of $10 a day. Call (818) 894-0330.

The 31st District PTA Latchkey Project offers child care from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., at 15 schools throughout the San Fernando Valley for elementary school children. The program includes arts and crafts, physical education and academic brushup. Cost is $85 weekly. Call (818) 996-2668.

The L.A. City Department of Recreation & Parks holds winter intersession programs at city parks and community centers throughout the Valley.

The Encino Community Center offers the greatest variety of programs, with five different camps--circus camp, drama camp and day camp for youngsters ages 5 to 11; teen travel camp for ages 11 to 14, and Little Folk camp for preschoolers. Call (818) 995-1690.

Many other parks and recreation centers, including those in Sherman Oaks, Northridge and Woodland Hills, also hold day camps.

Prices, hours and dates vary. Call your neighborhood park for more information. (Los Angeles City parks are listed in the white pages under city government offices.)

YMCA branches throughout the Valley hold day camp from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at elementary schools and parks during winter intersession. Kindergartners through eighth-graders participate in arts and crafts, fitness programs and field trips. Cost is $79 weekly ($89 for seventh- and eighth-graders). Check the white pages under “Young Men’s Christian Assn.” for YMCA branches and phone numbers.

Cali-Camp, a private camp in Topanga Canyon, offers horseback riding, fishing, hiking, dune buggies, go-carts and a variety of sports Dec. 21-31 for children age 5-13. Cost is $42 daily, including transportation. Campers are picked up between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. and returned between 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Call (310) 455-1305.

Enrichment Programs

Cal State Northridge will hold winter enrichment programs for elementary and secondary school students. Courses are held 8:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m., from Jan. 4 to Jan. 29. Cost is $300. An afternoon sports program is also available. Call (818) 885-3333.

Overnight Camp-Outs

Camp Hollywoodland will offer a series of sleep-over camps in Griffith Park for girls, ages 6 to 14. Camps are held Monday through Saturday, with sessions beginning Jan. 4 to Jan. 9 and continuing through Feb. 1 to Feb. 6. Cost for a six-day session ranges from $150 to $160 and includes cabins, meals, arts and crafts, hikes, sports, campfires and a weekly field trip to an amusement park. Girls ages 15 to 17 may participate in the counselor-in-training program for $70 a week. Call (213) 467-7193.

The Girl Scouts have scheduled winter camp in Frazier Park for Jan. 11-15. Third- through sixth-grade campers will play in the snow, hike and sing around a campfire. Registrants need not be Scouts. Cost is $135, including bus transportation from the Valley. Call (818) 886-1801. Call your unit leader for information.

Most Boy Scouts units in the Valley are expected to offer day camps and overnight camp-outs during intersession. Call unit leaders for information.

The American Camping Assn. offers a free directory of accredited camps in Southern California. Call (310) 985-5781.

Sports

Sports Plus, a private camp held at Grant High School in Van Nuys, offers sports instruction, along with arts and crafts, reading, computer classes and weekly field trips for girls and boys ages 4 to 14. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and cost is $28 a day. Extended hours from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. are available for an additional $2 an hour. Call (818) 905-6125.

Balboa Sports Center in Encino offers a winter sports camp, Jan. 4 to Feb. 12, for children ages 7 to 12. The $90 weekly fee includes field trips, Friday lunches, snacks and a camp T-shirt. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Extended care is available 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for an additional $2 an hour. Call (818) 908-2642.

Cal State Northridge holds an afternoon sports camp for children ages 6-15, from 12:45 p.m. to 5 p.m. Coaches teach and oversee a variety of team sports. Cost is $325. Call (818) 885-2683.

Playgrounds at L.A. Unified schools not holding classes will open for free supervised recreation, Jan. 4 to Feb. 12. Hours are 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.