ARIZONA, USA — For the past couple months, people have been home more than ever due to the COVID-19 pandemic. School has been at home. Entertainment has been at home… pretty much life as a whole has been spent at home.
But now things are starting to re-open and socialization is key in adjusting to our new norm, especially for kids. A popular summer program will help provide that starting Monday.
“There’s a lot of energy and a lot of running about,” said Kate Toci, branch director at the Boys and Girls Clubs’ Jerry Colangelo branch.
She says after being cooped up during the pandemic for the past couple months, kids are antsy and ready to get active.
“We have had some behaviors tick up, because they’ve been at home and the routine has been completely different from what they’re used to,” she said.
That’s why the club’s summer program launch is key to helping kids get the structure and consistency they need to succeed.
“Our staff is very well trained on how to deal with that and how to help kids come up with solutions to issues they might have,” she said. “It’s been very quick and easy to adjust.”
The summer program is a huge asset to the community, helping fill a gap for parents.
“Every day there’s a routine and they know that there’s going to be staff here who’s ready to listen to them and care about them and have fun with them,” said Toci. “There will be Superhero week and Hawaiian week and all kinds of fun stuff going on here at the club.”
A place to have fun, but also to get schoolwork done.
“If they need to bring in their own devices, we have Wi-Fi they can use to complete any extra schoolwork, or we actually have programs to help mitigate learning loss throughout the summer,” she said.
Socialization kids get during the summer will be beneficial come fall.
“Kids who have experience with that are going to adjust better going back into the school setting than students who have been left at their homes and just worked with their families… not that that’s a bad thing, but socialization is always a really good thing,” said Toci.
Kids will get that at the Boys & Girls Club, while getting used to our new norm.
“What is social distancing? How frequently should we be washing our hands or gelling in and gelling out,” she said.
Those are all things they’ll train members on, so hopefully they become habit moving forward.
The summer program will run from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. for 5-year old’s all the way up to seniors in high school at more than 20 locations around the Valley.
Prices start at $60/week and that includes breakfast and lunch.
The families they serve typically rely on schools for meals, so that’s a big bonus and in some cases, they offer financial aid and scholarships.
Find more information on the Boys & Girls Club in Arizona here.
