Summer day camp program will stay closed
With Kingston’s Summer Parks Program closed, the city will work with organizations to provide respite services for kids in need.
KINGSTON, N.Y. » The city of Kingston will keep its Summer Parks Program closed this year, but will work with youth service organizations to provide respite services for children in need, city officials say.
“After reviewing the New York state mandates for day camps and in consultation with my staff, as well as other cities in our region, I have made the difficult decision to keep the Summer Parks Program closed this year,” Mayor
Steve Noble said in a statement last week. “Our programs were designed to provide safe and fun experiences for hundreds of children. At this time, we do not feel that we can provide the type of large, high-quality recreation programs we have traditionally offered while adhering to these new restrictions.”
Earlier this month, Noble had said the city would revisit its decision to close its summer programs due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic after Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office announced day camps in New York state could open as of June 29.
At the time of the governor’s announcement, Kingston and some other local municipalities had already canceled their summer recreation programs for 2020.
“I recognize how disappointing this is, but our commitment to public safety remains the top priority,” Noble said Tuesday, June 23. “We have made incredible progress in our community to flatten the curve and truly defy the odds, but this pandemic is not over and we must not become complacent.”
While the traditional summer program is not operating, the city is collaborating with other local organizations, including Family of Woodstock, the Center for Creative Education, the Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA of Kingston and Ulster County, and Read and Write.
The organizations are working to establish a network of small, short-term, free and low-cost drop-in programs to provide temporary respite for youngsters who are struggling with the impact of the coronavirus and who are in need of social interaction, educational assistance, skillbuilding and support services, the city said.
Due to the pandemic, all the organizations will modify their programs to restrict group sizes to 10 children or less, according to a city news release. Each site will only be able to host a few groups at a time to maintain social distancing standards and to stay under reduced capacity limits.
While each organization will use its own curriculum and program model, the coalition will share a number of resources, including specialized facilitators, safety procedures and training, the city said. The city will also provide additional staff and administrative support when needed, as well as the use of its three community centers.
More information is available on the city’s website at https://bit.ly/2BAGruD.